...at file sharing.

According to a report released by the Associated Press, Ohio University tops the list for complaints received by the Recording Industry Association of America. The school received nearly 1,300 complaints since January about students illegally sharing copyrighted music.

I'm no fan of the RIAA and the fact that some schools force offending students to watch one of their propaganda videos is a little disconcerting. The RIAA is it's own worst enemy and has done more to alienate music lovers than any shareware program could have.

Considering OU's locale, it's not surprising to me that we're number one in this category. Surrounded by rolling hills, Athens offers very little radio station variety. Couple that with the fact that, during your college years, music comes second only to alcohol, sex and academics. So where does one get his tunes fix when one can barely afford a Burrito Buggy burrito? The Internet, of course, courtesy of OU's computer network.

The school's public spin on the AP report is that they're simply doing a better job at identifying violations than other schools. As a result of the bad publicity, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Kent J. Smith sent an email to all OU students warning of grave consequences, even for "alleged first offenders."

Too bad the school couldn't spend more time preventing illegal downloads of student and alumni social security numbers than scolding students for file sharing.

Tags: Ohio University RIAA file sharing music industry identity theft college campus life college campus itunes ipod radio music