Content Leaks on the World Wide Web

Ben Worthen of the Wall Street Journal’s Business Technology Blog wrote an interesting blog on Tuesday about content leaks on the World Wide Web. I almost didn’t read the blog, in fact, I almost averted my eyes and jumped up from my desk because of its title- Data Breach of the Day: Harry Potter Leaked on the Internet?

Though my friends and I will be at the beach this weekend, we have already planned ways to get our hands on a copy of the final book in the Harry Potter series we’ve grown up with. This is more than just beach reading for many fellow readers regardless of age and the limitations of a college budget. So imagine my concern when I thought the Wall Street Journal, a long-trusted, esteemed news source in my house implied a leak!

Don’t worry- the plot twists and surprises of the final Harry Potter book weren’t leaked on the WSJ’s blog, though they may be elsewhere on the Web. Instead, the blog discussed content leaks as they relate to business-using the Harry Potter series as a current example. Companies spend a great deal of time and effort ensuring that their clients won’t leak files. But the files aren’t always the issue.

According the blog, Harry Potter’s publisher spent millions making sure no one could get their hands on a copy of the book prior to the release, but Worthen touched on a more important issue- a content leak. He suggested that most could care less about having the book; they want what’s inside, showing that in this day and age, content leaks are more of a risk for companies.

Though many companies have put in place procedures to prevent employees from copying files, what matters is the information in the files. Intellectual property theft is a big concern for businesses with all of the emerging technologies out there, and companies should focus their efforts on protecting their property through the prevention of content leaks above all else. In my opinion, engage a good law firm and plan for the crisis… Then hope it never happens.