Stealth p2p network hides inside kazaa - ... what's up with this?

[Ahlexus]

Stealth P2P network hides inside Kazaa

A California company has quietly attached its software to millions of downloads of the popular Kazaa file-trading program and plans to remotely "turn on" people's PCs, welding them into a new network of its own.

Brilliant Digital Entertainment, a California-based digital advertising technology company, has been distributing its 3D ad technology along with the Kazaa software since late last fall. But in a federal securities filing Monday, the company revealed it also has been installing more ambitious technology that could turn every computer running Kazaa into a node in a new network controlled by Brilliant Digital.

....

Alternatively, it might borrow people's unused processing powerto help with other companies' complicated computing tasks.

(full article <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://news.com.com/2100-1023-873181.html">http://news.com.com/2100-1023-873181.html</a><!-- m --> )

What the heck is up with this?

[Keyser Soze]

Its not even like its something they can opt-into later on. When you download and install the software you have agreed to allow them to use your PC. Check this part out....

"However, people who accept "terms of service" already distributed with Brilliant's and Kazaa's software are already agreeing to let their computers be used without any payment at all.

"You hereby grant (Brilliant) the right to access and use the unused computing power and storage space on your computer/s and/or Internet access or bandwidth for the aggregation of content and use in distributed computing," the terms of service read. "The user acknowledges and authorizes this use without the right of compensation."

Anybody who declines this provision is not able to install the Kazaa file-swapping software. Brilliant's software can be disabled or removed after installation without affecting Kazaa's performance, however. "

[Ahlexus]

Whoa, the scary fine print. I long for the old days of easy, functional Napster :igh:: Thanks for pointing that out to me Keyser.



Edited By Ahlexus on April 09 2002 at 4:21

[Keyser Soze]

If you want easy and functional like Napster, try iMesh.

[AdolescentMasturbator]

Install kazaalite <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kazaalite.tk">http://www.kazaalite.tk</a><!-- m --> . No spyware or ads.

[LZMF1]

or check out Ad-Aware

it stops any stealth proggies that are on your system. you'd be amazed at all of the crap that has been installed onto your pc without your knowlege.

[Sephiroth]

Direct Connect for christ sakes !

[HedCold]

does ad-aware work in removing this though?

[LZMF1]

yes

[Galt]

Get your music here fuckers And don't worry about spyware, copyright laws, viruses, or being a theiving cunt

[SLASH]

I used to download different clients from Distributed somethong or another. We were all on different teams trying to let our computers crack encryption. Plus other shit for medical research. Some had prize money or computer hardware, some didn't.

Sounds like the same kind of thing, only for a full blown commercial benefit.

The one time I woke up and heard my modem dialing in and thought someone broke in and was going online. I didn't realize that it dialed in, to dump packets and fetch packets, on it's own. Needless to say, I disabled the automatic dialer.

From what I hear about Direct Connect, I don't know why anyone is bothering with KaZaa.

[The Sleeper]

I <3 Audiogalaxy

[Arthur Dent]

I :loveya: ZoneAlarm!!!

It doesn't allow ANYTHING to access your internet connection unless you give it permission to. So, the first time you run it, it asks if you want to permit IE, Netscape, Realplayer, and any other app you run to access the network. Just say no to all the crap and your set.

[Ahlexus]

Thanks guys... everything you've told me has been very helpful. :toast:

[SLASH]

[/quote]I :loveya: ZoneAlarm!!![quote]

Well, I am guessing that you have the Zone Alarm PRO version, and not the free version. As far as what I have read, the free version of Zone Alarm has built in Spyware.