mojo-ris-in
July 28th, 2003, 02:26 PM
This thread's purpose is to answer the common questions that people have regarding the RIAA's current actions against file sharers.
Q1 Who are the RIAA targeting?
Answer: The RIAA are currently targeting copyrighted music files being traded on the large P2P services such as the Fastrack Network which encompasses Kazaa, Grokster, and Imesh. They may also be tracking on other services also but obviously Kazaa being the largest is their main target. As they are an American organization, they are only targeting American filesharers at this time. However it should made aware that similar organizations exist outside of the United States and they may eventually take similar steps in the future.
Q2: What's the safest P2P to use?
Answer: In a nutshell, no current P2P network is 100% immune. You can minimize the danger by using several different methods but if you're sharing files you are taking a risk.
Some methods to help mask yourself include using smaller P2P networks that fall under the scope, using a private hub for trading such as DC++ , Waste, or MIRC, or P2Ps that offer SSL and HTTP proxying such as ES5. Another way to access files is through newsgroups. Though they take more work than p2p, there are a plethora of files there and since you are not connecting to a network, you are relatively safe. Some people also use a program called Peer Guardian to block known companies scanning on P2Ps but the ip ranges on these companies change frquently making it hard to keep good updated lists of these companies to block. It should be also noted that new versions of Kazaa Lite++ offer Peer Guardian bundled in the program and also implements other security features such as not allowing anybody to see all of your files and routing the traffic through another port.
Q3: Are they targeting people who share movies or software?
Answer: No. The RIAA is only going after copyrighted music sharers. Movies fall under another organization known as the MPAA and software falls under the BSA. However it should be stated that all 3 agencies monitor the various networks for copyright violations and there have been reports of people receiving letters from their ISPs regarding movie piracy. They are out there but not to the degree of the RIAA.
Q4: If they are going after sharers, can't I just disable sharing and be safe?
Answer: You can disable sharing and that would keep the media companies out but honestly if you're going to do that, you should just stay away from file sharing. The networks depend on people sharing files. If everyone stops sharing files, the networks die period. Plus not sharing will get you cut off from several of the networks. If you're not going to share, you should consider the newsgroups route as sharing is not a requirement.
Q5: Why are they going after users for filesharing instead of the networks?
Answer: A recent court case against Grokster and Morpheus paved the way for this shift. Basically the courts said that these networks could not be shut down as they could be used to distribute legal files and that the users were basically to blame for the illegal file trading going on these networks. Another court decision, this time against ISP Verizon, basically mandates that ISPs have to disclose personal information to the media organizations on customers that have been flagged as engaging in file trading. These 2 cases paved the way for the RIAA to undertake their current actions against file sharers.
Q6: How do they know what files I'm sharing?
Answer: They have companies that scan the users files on the networks. Once they have identified an illegal file sharer, the scanners record the name of the file and any identifying hash marks along with your IP address and the time of the infraction. With this information in hand they subsequently supponea your ISP to get your personal information which the ISP is obliged to do and proceed from there.
Q7: What if I delete my files after I receive a letter from the RIAA. Will I be safe then?
Answer: There is no conclusive answer to this question but the RIAA believes once they originally obtain the information, they have enough evidence to sue you. One thing to remember is this has yet to be tested in a court as all current similar cases have been settled out of court because of the expense of taking such a case to trial.
Q8 What can I do to protect my rights?
Answer: The best way to help the cause is through knowledge. Keep abreast of current information and support organizations that are fighting for the rights of file sharers such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Also, if you are of age, register to vote and exercise that right to vote people in that are not afraid to change these archaic laws. You could also inform your local Congress person how you feel about the current laws. But perhaps the most important thing you can do if you really want to hurt the RIAA is to hurt them in their pockets by not buying artists affiliated with the RIAA or by purchasing only from independent artists.
Q1 Who are the RIAA targeting?
Answer: The RIAA are currently targeting copyrighted music files being traded on the large P2P services such as the Fastrack Network which encompasses Kazaa, Grokster, and Imesh. They may also be tracking on other services also but obviously Kazaa being the largest is their main target. As they are an American organization, they are only targeting American filesharers at this time. However it should made aware that similar organizations exist outside of the United States and they may eventually take similar steps in the future.
Q2: What's the safest P2P to use?
Answer: In a nutshell, no current P2P network is 100% immune. You can minimize the danger by using several different methods but if you're sharing files you are taking a risk.
Some methods to help mask yourself include using smaller P2P networks that fall under the scope, using a private hub for trading such as DC++ , Waste, or MIRC, or P2Ps that offer SSL and HTTP proxying such as ES5. Another way to access files is through newsgroups. Though they take more work than p2p, there are a plethora of files there and since you are not connecting to a network, you are relatively safe. Some people also use a program called Peer Guardian to block known companies scanning on P2Ps but the ip ranges on these companies change frquently making it hard to keep good updated lists of these companies to block. It should be also noted that new versions of Kazaa Lite++ offer Peer Guardian bundled in the program and also implements other security features such as not allowing anybody to see all of your files and routing the traffic through another port.
Q3: Are they targeting people who share movies or software?
Answer: No. The RIAA is only going after copyrighted music sharers. Movies fall under another organization known as the MPAA and software falls under the BSA. However it should be stated that all 3 agencies monitor the various networks for copyright violations and there have been reports of people receiving letters from their ISPs regarding movie piracy. They are out there but not to the degree of the RIAA.
Q4: If they are going after sharers, can't I just disable sharing and be safe?
Answer: You can disable sharing and that would keep the media companies out but honestly if you're going to do that, you should just stay away from file sharing. The networks depend on people sharing files. If everyone stops sharing files, the networks die period. Plus not sharing will get you cut off from several of the networks. If you're not going to share, you should consider the newsgroups route as sharing is not a requirement.
Q5: Why are they going after users for filesharing instead of the networks?
Answer: A recent court case against Grokster and Morpheus paved the way for this shift. Basically the courts said that these networks could not be shut down as they could be used to distribute legal files and that the users were basically to blame for the illegal file trading going on these networks. Another court decision, this time against ISP Verizon, basically mandates that ISPs have to disclose personal information to the media organizations on customers that have been flagged as engaging in file trading. These 2 cases paved the way for the RIAA to undertake their current actions against file sharers.
Q6: How do they know what files I'm sharing?
Answer: They have companies that scan the users files on the networks. Once they have identified an illegal file sharer, the scanners record the name of the file and any identifying hash marks along with your IP address and the time of the infraction. With this information in hand they subsequently supponea your ISP to get your personal information which the ISP is obliged to do and proceed from there.
Q7: What if I delete my files after I receive a letter from the RIAA. Will I be safe then?
Answer: There is no conclusive answer to this question but the RIAA believes once they originally obtain the information, they have enough evidence to sue you. One thing to remember is this has yet to be tested in a court as all current similar cases have been settled out of court because of the expense of taking such a case to trial.
Q8 What can I do to protect my rights?
Answer: The best way to help the cause is through knowledge. Keep abreast of current information and support organizations that are fighting for the rights of file sharers such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Also, if you are of age, register to vote and exercise that right to vote people in that are not afraid to change these archaic laws. You could also inform your local Congress person how you feel about the current laws. But perhaps the most important thing you can do if you really want to hurt the RIAA is to hurt them in their pockets by not buying artists affiliated with the RIAA or by purchasing only from independent artists.