Erin Andrews Nude Video Means We Should Regulate The Internet?

from the please-explain dept

Fri, Jul 24th 2009 3:50pm — Mike Masnick

In talking yesterday about the legality of viewing the "spy camera" footage of sportscaster Erin Andrews in her hotel room, someone pointed out in the comments that some journalists are now claiming that this shows why the internet needs to be regulated. Wait, what? How? Why? Creating the video was already illegal. What kind of regulation is needed here and how would it actually change anything? It seems that any time something "bad" happens some people suddenly jump up and insist "their oughta be a law!" without actually thinking through what that actually means.

Meanwhile, some others have noticed that this video apparently has been online for many months, and no one paid any attention at all to it until ESPN made a big deal out of it. Now, you can understand ESPN's general position, but it makes you wonder if there wasn't a better way to handle this that could have involved tracking down who was responsible without putting out a big press release and kicking off all this interest in the video. It's almost as if (perish the thought!), ESPN is actually trying to exploit this situation (and Andrews) to draw more attention to itself...

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Filed Under: erin andrews, regulations, video
Companies: espn

26 Comments

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RD, 24 Jul 2009 @ 4:17pm

Yes! OF Course!
Yes...because it CAN BE PUT ON the internet, its the FAULT OF THE INTERNET.

Seriously, do ANY of these idiots even understand HOW the internet works? It's not RESPONSIBLE for ANYTHING. Its a tool, at best; technically its just a set of communications protocols. It enables things, but its not the CAUSE of these behaviors. Sheesh, what kind of a backwards, luddite, Salem-witch-hunt country is this becoming?
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scarr (profile), 24 Jul 2009 @ 4:31pm

The guy also said "Less well-known sites also aired the video and the New York Post ... printed a grainy clip from the video." Clearly the guy doesn't understand what the internet is and is not.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 24 Jul 2009 @ 4:32pm

Re: Yes! OF Course!
"technically its just a set of communications protocols."

That's a vary good point. It's a platform that the tools are built upon. It's like going after the steel manufactures that make the bars that the gun was made out of.
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RD, 24 Jul 2009 @ 4:54pm

Exactly
"That's a vary good point. It's a platform that the tools are built upon. It's like going after the steel manufactures that make the bars that the gun was made out of."

Exactly! If this were the case, then you need to "stop" AT&T because "bad things" happen on their phone network, or you need to "do something" about sporting goods stores because thats where the guns are sold.

It's time for the return of personal responsibility to the world.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2009 @ 5:13pm

Re: Re: Yes! OF Course!
Technically a gun is just a controlled gunpowder demolition system, and newspapers are just organized tree fibre sheets.

The issue isn't "the internet" as a thing, it is "the internet" as it operates. If a posted video came with a trace back to the original poster, let me assure you that you would have never seen that video online. The anonymous nature of the internet is it's major weakness in the end, allowing all sorts of e-scammers and e-vandals to come online every day and do the equivalent of rioting or painting graffiti on the Lincoln memorial, with the near total assurance that nobody will ever track them down.

Until that changes, the internet is the wild west all over again.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2009 @ 5:18pm

Re: Re: Re: Yes! OF Course!
what ?
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scarr (profile), 24 Jul 2009 @ 5:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Yes! OF Course!
...says the person who posts anonymously.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Jul 2009 @ 5:36pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Yes! OF Course!
ahahahah
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Sailingmaster (profile), 24 Jul 2009 @ 5:44pm

Mike, you're forgetting the cardinal rule of crisis management...
When in danger or in doubt,
run in circles, scream and shout!

That's all this really is.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 24 Jul 2009 @ 5:49pm

Darn skippy!
I need a fast, easy way to find a video of Erin that is not loaded with trojans and whathaveyou. The government needs to do something!
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Jim Gaudet, 25 Jul 2009 @ 4:43am

Re: Re: Yes! OF Course!
Great analogy. Sometimes speaking in analogies is the only way to get someone to understand your point...
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TPBer (profile), 25 Jul 2009 @ 6:54am

Re: Mike, you're forgetting the cardinal rule of crisis management...
You forgot waving your arms and hands uncontrollably :)
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Dave Beck, 25 Jul 2009 @ 9:33am

I don't live in the US, who is Erin Andrews?
Perhaps the other 4 billion people have an interest in whether the Internet is regulated. In England this is called a "tempest in a teacup", a largely (on a worldwide basis) unknown person has an innocuous but embarrassing video posted on the 'Net. The person is a journalist?, so journalists are outraged. Remind me, who cares?
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j, 25 Jul 2009 @ 12:15pm

regulate...
Insignificant people say stupid things all the time on basic cable channels.

Next time that happens, the best option is to ignore the fool and write something more important.
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G P, 25 Jul 2009 @ 2:41pm

Internet Humiliation
Internets don't humiliate people...

People humiliate people.

==GP==
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Bradley Stewart, 25 Jul 2009 @ 2:42pm

Not Only Haven't I Seen This Video
but I Haven't even looked for it. A Colony of Space Aliens seen from one of our high powered telescopes going through their daily routines. Yeah this would peak my interest but a video of some naked sportscaster. EH, so what. For anyone who hasen't figured this out yet, basicly we have two body types on this planet. One of the two each of us has. For most of us we have already seen the other one.
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G P, 25 Jul 2009 @ 2:54pm

Internet Humiliation
Internets don't humiliate people...

People humiliate people.

==GP==
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Floyd, 25 Jul 2009 @ 10:59pm

They'll use anything
To talk about regulation, regulate this and regulate that and oh by the way one country does it fairly well, it's called China.
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SuperNig, 26 Jul 2009 @ 8:31am

Re: Re: Re: Yes! OF Course!
This is hogwash. Stupidity is as old as humanity. In the past 5000 years of "civilization" no law has changed that fact. The internet is a medium. Not very diferent than the phone or smoke signals for that matter. There are already ways to track people's actions online. LEAVE THE INTERNET ALONE. The issue here is the titilative value of the naked human form in society. Deal with the cause, not the medium.
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mike, 27 Jul 2009 @ 8:20pm

erin andrews nude
ESPM probably released footage for a publicty stunt
see erin andrews nude
http://www.nordicnude.com/index.php/2009/02/04/blonde-camgirl/
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Van, 29 Jul 2009 @ 12:03pm

We Should Regulate The Internet!
The maker of the video has broken law(s) in its making. Despite their disregard of other statues and regulations, they would surely honor regulation regarding the internet.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2009 @ 6:12pm

There shouldn't be any regulations on the internet. Any luck finding this video? It is sweet.
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James, 31 Jul 2009 @ 8:40pm

Erin Andrews video
If you take the time to watch the video, the girl is curling her hair in the nude?!?! Now I am not Hugh Hefner or anything but I have lived with a few girls in my 40+ years, and some of them were nicer looking than this girl, IMHO. One thing I NEVER saw them do was curl their hair in the nude.
As I was watching the video I also noticed she is checking out her own butt in the mirror and kind of doing a little bouncing up and down thing here and there - all in the nude mind you, while doing her hair, with a HOT IRON in her hand.
Something else that didn't click - this girl bends over and MAGICALLY the cam in the "peep hole" DESCENDS - now I don't know what kind of "peep-hole" was in the door, but a peep-hole that slides up and down?!?!? I find that to be a first in my 40+ years as well.
Based on these 2 things - and the fact that my wife said the video looked like she was "playing to the camera" I have come to the conclusion that little Erin in looking for some attention.
I kind think this video might be a bit of a staged up fake, but hey maybe not?!?! I wasn't there - and if I had been I sure would not have wasted video space on flat chest here. ;)
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dan, 6 Aug 2009 @ 4:26pm

Re: Yes! OF Course!
I finally found the thing, most of the sites I've seen are scams but they're streaming the video over at http://408passion.com/watch282.html (it's free but I have no idea how long it'll stay up obviously)
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Thomas Mathews, 30 Jul 2010 @ 4:07pm

Bad Press is Good Press
It's pretty obvious why ESPN made such a big deal out of this story and Ms Andrews will probably get a raise now that more people will be tuning into broadcasts that involve her. Wouldn't be a bit surprised if the criminal that made the video gets compensated as well.
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siva, 18 Apr 2011 @ 7:01pm

sex nude videous
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