In its latest attempt to decrease local network filesharing at universities, the RIAA has sent letters to 40 university presidents in 25 states informing them that *gasp* filesharing occurs on their campuses. These letters are a part of the RIAA's new "systematic program to identify and curtail" LAN filesharing. Citing commonly used filesharing applications like DC++ and OurTunes, the RIAA claims that students are turning to local networks in order to avoid the risks of detection associated with using the public Internet. Apparently, local network piracy at schools is a major concern for the RIAA:

Despite the progress achieved by our collaborative efforts [with universities], this remains an ever-evolving problem. We cannot ignore the growing misuse of campus LAN systems or the toll this means of theft is taking on our industry. As we prioritize our focus on campus LAN piracy in the coming year, we hope administrators will take this opportunity to fully evaluate their systems and take action to stop theft by all means.

The phrase "ever-evolving" is really very apt. Despite the risk of lawsuits and massive statutory damages, computer users continue to find new ways to share content while eluding the music and movie industry hounds. Observers have long predicted that the rampant lawsuits would eventually push users towards darknets, private networks that better protect anonymity. The RIAA's growing interest in local network filesharing reflects its acknowledgement of that possibility, and a desire to fight against it despite the increased difficulty. In this case, it appears as though they plan to deputize school administrators and get them to use filtering technologies. Most filtering technologies are expensive, and as the EFF points out, they are also easily circumvented.

Lawsuits and filtering clearly aren't enough to stop college students from swapping music files. As if coercive university Napster taxes aren't bad enough, it is likely that RIAA tactics will continue to become more invasive as they search for new ways to force fans to pay up. It's not out of the quesiton that RIAA may try to get Congress to mandate use of filtering technologies at universities. Given the current climate in Washington, it's not far-fetched to imagine our elected representatives threatening to cut federal funding for universities that refuse to install filters.

Despite the challenges associated with detecting filesharing on campus LANs, it doesn't look like the RIAA is ready to stop jousting with windmills just yet.