Share and Share alike. Umm...not so much.

Growing up, I was always told it’s nice to share. And it is, usually. However, sharing files from your computer can not only get your computer infected with malware (malicious software), but it can get your identity stolen or even land you in jail!

Back in the late 90’s, a new program hit the internet called Napster. It allowed you to get virtually any MP3 file that you wanted, for free! Of course, it didn’t take long for the Recording Industry, or more accurately, their lawyers, to hear about it and realize that if people were able to download a song for free using Napster, they wouldn’t need to buy the CD, which meant they wouldn’t make any money! In a few short years, Napster was dead and its creator was in court. End of story? Hardly. In its place sprang Kazaa, eMule, LimeWire, BearShare, and many others, all doing essentially the same thing as Napster, allowing you to share any files you want (not just MP3’s, but movies, software, documents, and more) with anyone else using that program. It’s called Peer-To-Peer networking, or file-sharing, and it’s bad news. In a nutshell, the software allows you to search the computers of every other computer that is running that same software and copy files from them to your own computer. Of course, it works both ways, though. It also sets up folders on your computer that everyone else using the software can access. Supposedly, most of them allow you to disable that feature and not open up your computer, but A) I don’t believe it and B) some of them slow down your connection to those other computers if you’re not playing nice by sharing your own. Most people may not even realize that other people are searching their computer! Nice, huh?

“But John,” you say, “what’s the harm in that? I bought the CD/program/whatever, I can do whatever I want to with it!” Not so fast. According to the law, you may have bought it, but you did not buy the distribution rights to it, and distributing it is exactly what you’re doing if you share. I’m not going into the legal details, but let’s just say that the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) will sue you if they even think you’re sharing files. And it really doesn’t matter if you are or aren’t sharing. They’ll keep sending lawyers after you until you run out of money and give in. In 2003, in the RIAA’s first case against file-sharers, Jammie Thomas, a 26 year old single mother of two, was ordered to pay $222,000 in fines for sharing 24 songs! That’s $9250 per song!!! The RIAA doesn’t care who you are or what you do. They’ll just keep coming until you give up, because they can.

Now, on another nasty note, not everyone using file-sharing software is just trying to get free MP3’s. Hackers, thieves, even organized crime, are doing it to! Hey, even Tony “Scarface” Montana liked to listen to Brittney Spears when he was feelin’ funky! “Say hello to my little iPod!” Anyway, those files your 16 year old thinks are songs could very well be malware (there’s that word again!) designed to do anything from trash your computer (if you’re lucky!) to steal your identity and email your info to Tony Montana’s IT Guy!

I guess what I’m trying to say is this, if you or someone using your computer is thinking about trying it, don’t. You’ll never really know what you’re getting, and even if it is really a copy of “Oops, I Did It Again!”, technically you’re breaking the law and could be sued until you’re so broke you can’t even pay attention! So, sorry mom, I’m not sharing!