It is imperative to understand the difference between legal and illegal downloads and file sharing. Unauthorized sharing or downloading of copyrighted material is stealing. Students across the country, including several at Boston College, have already been served with lawsuits by copyright holders, paid thousands of dollars in fines and legal costs, and in some cases faced criminal charges.  Don't be one of them. Remember: ignorance of the law is not a legitimate defense. 

For any computer on the BC network, a specific network address is assigned. The music and film industries monitor activity on file-sharing networks, and they contact Boston College with network addresses that are found to be illegally sharing files. That address is then tracked to the individual logged in at a particular time who could be subject to legal and disciplinary action.
Read Five Myths About Downloading Music and Movies from the Internet
Common Examples of Copyright Infringement