The History of P2P and the Fall of Napster
Napster, the well-known and controversial file-sharing program, founded in 1999 does no longer offer “free” mp3s. While some clearly say that this style of peer-to-peer transfer is a bad thing, and some are hesitant to decide one way or the other, I believe that this turn of events is a positive one. In my opinion, there are ultimately three main issues that need to be addressed concerning P2P: the technical problems associated with p2p; the availability of “objectionable” content; and the morality of digital audio downloading.
First, there are multiple fundamental dangers that generally apply to all transfer of private information over the internet, but there are some specific problems with transfer of data between to personal computers especially. One of the more apparent dangers is the installation of “malware”. Since peer-to-peer is the transfer between two specific users, one user could attatch a form of destructive software to a desired file to cause errors and annoyances without consent from the receiving user. This type of software can remain hidden and have it's existence unknown to a user, and in the meantime it could be gathering private information such as name, address, email, credit card numbers, and key strokes. There are even some “stealwares” which override legitimate payment software, and have money sent to the software's creator instead. Since most viral malwares are encoded as to not be seen, it is close to impossible for an average user to know what exactly it is they are receiving from another client.
While this is certainly one danger of peer-to-peer, another and certainly arguably more perilous is the objectionable content such programs can make available for children. Today, 35% of all peer-to-peer downloads are pornographic in one format or another. This is what can be made available to anyone who uses a P2P program: x-rated movies, uncensored “lude” music, and photographic and video pornography. Most pornographic sharing shows photographic stills, which are meant to entice a person to submit money by credit-card to then be able to view the most graphic footage. While “regular” pornography is available, queries for child pornography is also on the rise. Gnuttela(a decentralized p2p network) in one single day had about 460,000 searches for “child pornography”. Samples of pornography, child pornography, and hard-core pornography are available to anyone in your home who uses p2p, especially vulnerable children.
Access to viruses and child pornography should be enough to dissuade use of P2P programs such as Napster, but a person's fundamental principles of morality(or lack there of) should be the foremost reason in such a decision. According to the Canadian Copyright Board, downloading music is not illegal. Consider, however, what downloading music entails. When you download a music file/album from a peer-to-peer network, you are depriving a music producer of well-deserved profits(which you testify to by downloading his music). While it may not be illegal, it is morally wrong to steal money from an artist, and from the music industry as a whole. While it is legal to download, it is not legal to upload files. How then can you download music files if no one is uploading? That's where the other side of the problem lies-people are uploading illegally; and you are supporting them and encouraging them to do so by downloading from them.
Under Canadian law, an injuction was issued against Napster by a federal judge in 2000. While this did efficiently stop Napster's distribution of copyrighted material, the idea of peer-to-peer programs for the transfer of files has spread significantly. Aftereffects of the end of freely downloadable music on Napster were an added $25 on top of wholesale price of Apple Ipods which are over 10Gb. Canada is still trying to come up with a way to control music downloading, but so far isn't helping too much. Some believe that the next step would be that copyright laws will be extended to personal computers and hard drives. Since no decision has been made on regulations for hard drives, secretary general of the Copyright Board-Claude Majeau says, “for the time being, (we are ruling) in favor of consumers." Napster certainly caused many ripples in the music industry, but what the societal aftermath will be or what the Canadian Copyright Board will in time eventually rule concerning digital audio recordings is still unknown. For now it is up to the individual to make his own decision based on his own morals, on his own use of peer-to-peer, and internet file-sharing in general.
Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing (October 12, 2006)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware (October 12, 2006)
http://www.familysafemedia.com/peer-to-peer_pornography_--_ki.html (October 12, 2006)
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5121479.html (October 12, 2006)
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/napster3.htm (October 12, 2006)
http://news.com.com/Judge+issues+injunction+against+Napster/2100-1023_3-243698.html (October 12, 2006)
http://www.napster.com/faq/#top10q1 (October 12, 2006)
http://www.napster.com/faq/#top10q1 (October 12, 2006)
First, there are multiple fundamental dangers that generally apply to all transfer of private information over the internet, but there are some specific problems with transfer of data between to personal computers especially. One of the more apparent dangers is the installation of “malware”. Since peer-to-peer is the transfer between two specific users, one user could attatch a form of destructive software to a desired file to cause errors and annoyances without consent from the receiving user. This type of software can remain hidden and have it's existence unknown to a user, and in the meantime it could be gathering private information such as name, address, email, credit card numbers, and key strokes. There are even some “stealwares” which override legitimate payment software, and have money sent to the software's creator instead. Since most viral malwares are encoded as to not be seen, it is close to impossible for an average user to know what exactly it is they are receiving from another client.
While this is certainly one danger of peer-to-peer, another and certainly arguably more perilous is the objectionable content such programs can make available for children. Today, 35% of all peer-to-peer downloads are pornographic in one format or another. This is what can be made available to anyone who uses a P2P program: x-rated movies, uncensored “lude” music, and photographic and video pornography. Most pornographic sharing shows photographic stills, which are meant to entice a person to submit money by credit-card to then be able to view the most graphic footage. While “regular” pornography is available, queries for child pornography is also on the rise. Gnuttela(a decentralized p2p network) in one single day had about 460,000 searches for “child pornography”. Samples of pornography, child pornography, and hard-core pornography are available to anyone in your home who uses p2p, especially vulnerable children.
Access to viruses and child pornography should be enough to dissuade use of P2P programs such as Napster, but a person's fundamental principles of morality(or lack there of) should be the foremost reason in such a decision. According to the Canadian Copyright Board, downloading music is not illegal. Consider, however, what downloading music entails. When you download a music file/album from a peer-to-peer network, you are depriving a music producer of well-deserved profits(which you testify to by downloading his music). While it may not be illegal, it is morally wrong to steal money from an artist, and from the music industry as a whole. While it is legal to download, it is not legal to upload files. How then can you download music files if no one is uploading? That's where the other side of the problem lies-people are uploading illegally; and you are supporting them and encouraging them to do so by downloading from them.
Under Canadian law, an injuction was issued against Napster by a federal judge in 2000. While this did efficiently stop Napster's distribution of copyrighted material, the idea of peer-to-peer programs for the transfer of files has spread significantly. Aftereffects of the end of freely downloadable music on Napster were an added $25 on top of wholesale price of Apple Ipods which are over 10Gb. Canada is still trying to come up with a way to control music downloading, but so far isn't helping too much. Some believe that the next step would be that copyright laws will be extended to personal computers and hard drives. Since no decision has been made on regulations for hard drives, secretary general of the Copyright Board-Claude Majeau says, “for the time being, (we are ruling) in favor of consumers." Napster certainly caused many ripples in the music industry, but what the societal aftermath will be or what the Canadian Copyright Board will in time eventually rule concerning digital audio recordings is still unknown. For now it is up to the individual to make his own decision based on his own morals, on his own use of peer-to-peer, and internet file-sharing in general.
Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing (October 12, 2006)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware (October 12, 2006)
http://www.familysafemedia.com/peer-to-peer_pornography_--_ki.html (October 12, 2006)
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5121479.html (October 12, 2006)
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/napster3.htm (October 12, 2006)
http://news.com.com/Judge+issues+injunction+against+Napster/2100-1023_3-243698.html (October 12, 2006)
http://www.napster.com/faq/#top10q1 (October 12, 2006)
http://www.napster.com/faq/#top10q1 (October 12, 2006)
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