Revision mode strikes again

I've often felt that the only people who should be allowed to use revision mode and document meta data in Microsoft Word are lawyers, since they know how to walk the fine line between secrecy and accountability (read, they know how to hide paper trails). Normal people simply can't be trusted to "purge" sensitive meta data from a Word document before sending it out into the wild.

And yet that's just what America's top lawyer, John Ashcroft, did with a letter voicing concern over P2P networking. Tucked neatly away in the meta data of a draft document written in late February by the Attorney General's office, Wired magazine found the following comment (one of many) which appears to have been entered by none other than the Motion Picture Association of America, user stevensonv to be specific.

It is widely recognized that P2P file-sharing software currently is used almost exclusively to disseminate pornography, and to illegally trade copyrighted music, movies, software and video games. File-sharing software also is increasingly becoming a means to disseminate computer worms and viruses. Nevertheless, your company still does little to warn consumers about the legal and personal risks they face when they use your software to "share" copyrighted music, movies and computer software. A failure to prominently and adequately warn consumers, particularly when you advertise and sell paid versions of your software, could constitute, at the very least, a deceptive trade practice.

Well, at least the Attorney General's office utilizes a peer review system in place for important documents...

(also posted on lessig blog.)