Originally published August 15 2005
File sharing morphs to stay ahead of lawmakers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
After the Supreme Court passed a law making file sharing illegal, more and more users are coming up with ways to provide better protection and anonyminity.
Such a stand is certain to test the impact of the Supreme Court ruling in June against Grokster and StreamCast Networks, publishers of peer-to-peer file-sharing software, a number of legal specialists and industry executives said.
The court ruled unanimously that the publishers could be held liable for the copyright infringement that their software enabled in the sharing of pirated movies and music.
The Irish programmer, Ian Clarke, is a 28-year-old free-speech advocate who five years ago introduced a software system called Freenet that was intended to make it impossible for governments and corporations to restrict the flow of any kind of digital information.
The system initially used a secure approach to routing between users and employed encryption to protect the information from eavesdroppers who were not part of the network.
Unlike today's open peer-to-peer networks, the new systems like Clarke's use software code to connect individuals who trust one another.
He said he would begin distributing the new version of his program within a few months, making it possible for groups of users to establish secured networks--available only to them and those they choose to include--through which any kind of digital information can be exchanged.
Though he says his aim is political--helping dissidents in countries where computer traffic is monitored by the government, for example--Clarke is open about his disdain for copyright laws, asserting that his technology would produce a world in which all information is freely shared.
"The classic use for Freenet would be for a group of political dissidents in China, or even in the United States," he said in a telephone interview Thursday.
Industry executives acknowledge that even with their Supreme Court victory, peer-to-peer technology (P2P) will continue to be a factor in illicit online trading.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml