A 42-year-old disabled woman from Oregon is counter-suing the RIAA for deceptive business practices, electronic trespass, invasion of privacy, fraud, and violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.  Tanya Andersen filed the suit recently after finding out in a letter received in February that she was being sued for illegally downloading and distributing music on the Internet.  The single mother called the number listed in the letter, which was not a law firm representing the plaintiff, but instead the Settlement Support Center, an LLP allegedly set up to coerce payments from people who had been identified in suits filed by RIAA, only to find out that she had been “viewed” downloading gangsta rap at 4:24am using the login “gotenkito@kazaa.com.”  Ms. Andersen claims that after telling the SSC that she neither downloads music or likes gangsta rap, a representative told her that “he believed that she had not downloaded any music.” He went on to explain that the Settlement Support Center and the record companies would not quit their debt collection activities because to do so would encourage other people to defend themselves against the record companies’ claims.  Under the provisions of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (18 U.S.C. § 1030) it is illegal to break into another person’s private computer to spy, steal or remove private information, damage property, or cause other harm.

Read More | Recording Industry vs. The People