Pirated Music Crackdown...at the Airport?

Ah, airport security. It's all about keeping our skies safe from weapons, dangerous chemicals -- and now, possibly pirated music.

The Australian government is apparently looking at a plan to start searching iPods and other MP3 players at security checkpoints. The sole purpose? Seeking out illegally downloaded songs, according to a "leaked discussion paper" exposed by the media down under (including News Corp's Australian arm, News Digital Media). The Aussies may not be he only ones considering the idea, either: The proposal is said to be part of a broader
international treaty -- one believed to include the good ol' U.S. of A. -- so we could ultimately see the concept pop up here, there, or anywhere.

Under the agreement, agents would be able to issue "criminal sanctions" -- fines, or theoretically even jail time -- if they discover pirated tracks on your player. And to think, here you figured the only risk of downloading the latest Hannah Montana tune was complete and utter embarrassment if your friends found out.

Seriously though, is this what we pay airport security and customs officials to do? Might we soon unwittingly be funding an MP3 mafia with our own tax dollars? How far can the war against illegal downloads go?

This news is just the latest in a step of head-turning decisions. Just last week, the UK government teamed up with the nation's six biggest ISPs to start monitoring Internet users so it can find and track anyone exchanging copyrighted material. Users flagged by their ISPs will get government-issued warnings and could ultimately face account filters or total access denials.

I know the music industry is serious about stopping piracy -- but for the love of Lars Ulrich, we have to draw the line somewhere. We're already frisking every grandma and grandpa who brings a sandwich through the security line. Should a college kid with a few pirated songs on his iPod really be the subject of the next TSA investigation?

Anyway, there's some food for thought. I'd love to chat more, but it's time for me to go rock out to some Hannah Mon... er, I mean, to some really hardcore and not at all embarrassing music.