evolution in action (Re: Napster)

[Quentin Campbell]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Adam Back [mailto:adam@cypherspace.org]=20
> Sent: 04 September 2002 22:11
> To: ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> Subject: evolution in action (Re: Napster)
>=20
>=20
> I suppose everyone realises that Napster has been a=20
> technological dinosaur for ages now.  Check out the next gen=20
> stuff like kazaa, grokster, gnutella etc.  Kazaa=20
> (www.kazaa.com) has usually 3 million active > users online at=20
> all times, sharing close to 3 Petabytes of data (1 petabyte =3D=20
> 1000 Terabytes =3D 1 million Gigabytes).
>=20
[snip]

A recent CIAC Technical Bulletin
(http://www.ciac.org/ciac/techbull/CIACTech02-004.shtml) should give you
cause for hesitation before you "check out" this stuff.

To quote the abstract:

"Recent reports from Internet marketing companies outlining their plans
has brought to light the capabilities of parasite programs that are
being installed along with legitimate programs. These parasite programs
give the outside company the ability to watch your browsing habits,
examine your files, and use your unused computer cycles and disk space.
Most of these programs currently place directed advertising on your
computer but have the ability to do much more. Buried in the fine print
of the user agreements for those programs are legal releases that may
allow the software company uncontrolled access to your computer. The
stated future plans of at least one of these companies includes selling
your unused disk space and computer cycles to other companies. In this
bulletin we will discuss what is going on now, what could be done with
the existing technology, and how to detect and get rid of it."=20

Because of its popularity KaZaA has apparently sold itself to marketing
companies as a way to get their software on a user's system. When the
KaZaA package is installed there are several other pacakages
piggy-backed on it.

Connoisseurs of fine print in user agreements will enjoy the KaZaA
agreement analysed in this technical bulletin; the rest of you will
shiver!=20

Quentin
---
PHONE: +44 191 222 8209    Computing Service, University of Newcastle
FAX:   +44 191 222 8765    Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, NE1 7RU.
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"Any opinion expressed above is mine. The University can get its own."=20