CRM News: P2P Tech

FTC Delivers Stern Warning About P2P Data on the Loose
February 24, 2010

The Federal Trade Commission is getting proactive in trying to reduce the risk of data breaches due to peer-to-peer programs, notifying nearly 100 organizations of data breaches it traced back to file-sharing. The FTC did not identify the organizations, but said they ranged in size from small businesses to publicly held corporations with tens of thousands of employees.

What Dreams May Come With Google's Super-Speedy Network?
February 11, 2010

What will developers and users do with Google's planned ultra high-speed broadband network? Google's answer can be summed up in four words: We don't know yet. "If the Internet has taught us anything, it's that the most important innovations are often those we least expect," Google spokesperson Dan Martin told TechNewsWorld.

Twitter Smells a Password-Snatching Rat
February 03, 2010

Twitter users have come under attack from scammers once again, and the microblogging site has asked several users to reset their passwords. This latest attempt came through torrent file-sharing sites that contained hidden security exploits and backdoors. Opinion is divided as to whether these security holes were the result of bad coding or were deliberately created so the coder could later activate them.

Judge Slashes File-Sharer's Penalty From 7 Figures to 5
January 25, 2010

Minnesota federal judge Michael Davis has reduced the fine imposed on Jammie Thomas-Rasset for illegally sharing music on the Internet from $1.92 million to $54,000. Davis, who presided over the trial, said that the original calculations to determine Thomas-Rasset's penalty -- more than $83,000 per song -- were "monstrous and shocking."

Canada: Internet Piracy Haven
December 22, 2009

While P2P systems were made famous -- or infamous -- by the likes of Napster in the mid-90s, the common thread with those systems was the general architecture. P2P systems consist of a distributed network architecture that requires participants to make a portion of their computer system resources directly available to other network participants without the need for a central server.

The Promise and the Peril of Web 2.0
September 01, 2009

Web 2.0 enables companies to build dynamic networking communities and foster ad hoc collaboration. This can be great for businesses, as they can gain insights and feedback in hours instead of weeks or months. However, the trusting, collaborative and open nature of the Web 2.0 environment is precisely what makes it ripe for malicious exploitation.

File-Sharing Penalties May Be Scrutinized on Constitutional Grounds
August 03, 2009

The numbers in two recent copyright infringement lawsuits involving downloaded music are enough to get tongues wagging. Is a song really worth $22,500? Or even $80,000? Juries in Massachusetts and Minnesota, respectively, ordered those awards to the recording industry this year in cases involving defendants alleged to have illegally downloaded music from the Internet.

Google to Let 100,000 Surfers Ride Early Wave
July 22, 2009

If you want to splash around in Google Wave right now -- the search giant's new real-time communication/collaboration tool that received plenty of tech press hype during a May unveiling -- then you have to be a developer with access to the API. However, that will change on Sept. 30, when Google will let 100,000 curious users take Wave for a test swim.

Pirate Bay Decides to Join the Navy
June 30, 2009

He may still have an eye patch, a peg leg and a funny hat, but is a pirate still a pirate if he writes you a check before plundering your ship? How long would Robin Hood keep his band of merry men intact if they took from the rich -- and charged the poor a redistribution fee for access to those riches?

RIAA Beats Minnesota Mom to the Tune of $1.92 Million
June 19, 2009

Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the Minnesota mom who has been at the center of the RIAA's legal battle against music piracy, has been found liable for illegal file-sharing in the retrial of Capitol Records v. Thomas-Rasset. She now faces a $1.92 million penalty, or $80,000 for each of 24 songs she made available online through the Kazaa file-sharing network.

You Could Be File-Sharing More Than You Think
May 14, 2009

With the Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee taking a fresh look at the privacy and security risks posed by using LimeWire and other peer-to-peer file-sharing applications, now is a good time for both home and office users of these services to reassess the safety of their own sensitive data.

The Pirate Bay Fights Back With Appeal Charging Judicial Bias
April 23, 2009

The music and entertainment industry didn't even have a week to fully savor its victory against the four proprietors of The Pirate Bay before they filed an appeal. Though the move was expected, the grounds for the appeal may have caught the plaintiffs by surprise. The Pirate Bay contends that the judge hearing the case, Tomas Norstrom, should have disqualified himself due to a conflict of interest.

Congress Squeezes LimeWire for Straight Talk on P2P Security
April 22, 2009

The Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee has reopened hearings on possible privacy and security risks posed by using LimeWire and similar peer-to-peer file-sharing applications. The committee on Monday sent letters to Mark Gorton, chairman of The Lime Group, which owns LimeWire; U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.; and Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the FTC.

Pirate Bay Swashbucklers Convicted in Swedish Court
April 17, 2009

The music industry cheered as a Swedish court on Friday found the four proprietors of The Pirate Bay guilty of copyright law violation. The Pirate Bay is a torrent tracker site in Sweden that helps users find and download files used to swap movies, music, TV shows, games, books and software via BitTorrent file-sharing applications.

Are ISPs the Music Industry's New Guns for Hire?
March 26, 2009

There are reports that Cox and AT&T have begun cooperating with the Recording Industry Association of America's new antipiracy strategy -- first announced in December -- of targeting illegal file-sharing activities through Internet service providers instead of through the courts.

Prosecution Hits Choppy Water in Case Against The Pirate Bay
February 17, 2009

Swedish prosecutors have dismissed about half the charges brought against defendants accused of copyright violations through their operation of a P2P Web site that connects users to content -- mainly music and movies -- on other users' PCs. Last year, the owners of The Pirate Bay were charged with "promoting other people's infringement of copyright laws."