When a staff group experimented with Kazaa’s Find More from Same User feature, among other ‘personal’ files they found:
• Military information on chemical warfare
• Correspondence from the office of a state senator to constituents
• Internal correspondence on state political organization
• Sensitive business correspondence, including memos on board of directors decision making
• Navy medical records
They were preparing a report for reps Tom Davis and Henry Waxman, chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform.
As a result, a mere day after it was introduced yesterday, legislation to guard US federal agency computers against p2p apps was passed by the House Government Reform Committee.
The staff report found:
• Many users of file-sharing programs have inadvertently made highly personal information available to other users. Committee investigators found that file-sharing programs could be used to obtain tax returns, medical records, attorney-client communications, and personal correspondence from P2P users. A search of one P2P network found at least 2,500 Microsoft Money backup files, which store the user’s personal financial records, available for download.
• P2P file-sharing software tested by Committee investigators introduce ’spyware’ or ‘adware’ onto users’ computers. In Committee testing, spyware and adware programs, which collect personal information for marketers, were bundled with file-sharing programs. These spyware and adware programs caused computer difficulties, including increased ‘pop-up’ advertisements, increased targeted spam e-mail, unusual browser activity, new and unwanted desktop software installations, and, in some instances, software conflicts and system crashes.
• P2P file-sharing software can spread viruses, worms, and other malicious computer files. Computer security experts consulted by the Committee reported that file-sharing programs can place users’ computers at additional
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- Spyware law proposed in US for third time
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- Warning issued to LimeWire users (by Denver police)
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