Friday at 1 a.m. is not the time I want to be dealing with an angry movie company and the power-tripping Cox Customer Service man.

While I don’t particularly care if people illegally download movies, I’m starting to get really pissed off by it. Especially if it hinders me from tagging, updating and surfing to my hearts desire.

Recently, I went to check my Facebook and was greeted with the message: “”Dear Cox Customer, We regret to inform you that your Internet access has been temporarily disabled.”” Rude.

Apparently, someone using my wireless network had downloaded a movie and thus had committed copyright infringement.

I was a bit put off, and not really sure what to do next.

Weeks ago I received an email from Cox telling me that someone had illegally downloaded “”127 Hours.”” I knew I was innocent of this crime because, to be honest, I would never watch that movie.

I emailed Fox, the copyright holders, and told them they had the wrong person and I was sorry this was happening to them. I thought that would be the end the accusation since there is no traffic on my computer that would tie me to such a crime.

However, I received an email from Fox telling me of the four different ways I could have downloaded it.

1. Someone else in your household or business has used your computer or network without your knowledge or permission to perform this downloading function. Oftentimes, a teenage child or a visiting relative or friend might use your network to download movies.

2. You are on an unsecured wireless network and someone within range of your wireless system is using your network without your knowledge or permission.  

3. You intentionally downloaded the movie.

4. You thought the service that you used or the site you visited was a legitimate source of movie content. Many of these services or sites try to fool the average consumer.

Now, I realized this could be turning into something. I thanked them for their time, put a new password on my wireless and went about my day. A week later, I went to check my Facebook again (it’s a vice, I know), only to be shut out of my Internet again.

This same, terrible movie is haunting my life. “”127 Hours”” was uploaded from a computer on my network the day before, according to the customer service man that took 15 minutes of being on hold to reach.

I assured them I would be changing my password and wireless name and this would not happen again. I had lent the password to a few select people. Well, no more. This time my Internet is mine. Guests? No. Friends? Buzz off. I’m not going to jail because someone else has a fetish for B-list movies.

After five minutes of silence and waiting for my Internet to reactivate, the customer service agent told me that my service area was temporary blocked and that I should call back in two hours with my reference code and I’d be set.

A phone call at 1 a.m. is just the sweet thing to look forward to at the end of my day.

Before I hung up, I got to listen to the newest hit single “”Copyright Infringement and You.”” Normally I don’t like being treated like a punk, but the subtle you’re-guilty-and-I-don’t-believe-anything-you-say undertones really spiced things up.

To think I believed that in my 20s I would stop being treated like a snot-nosed kid.

A life lesson to all, if your name is on the account, don’t trust anyone.  

— Michelle A. Monroe is the editor in chief of the Daily Wildcat. She can be reached at editor@email.arizona.edu.