AfterDawn: News

As it was recently discovered, the Kazaa Peer-To-Peer (P2P) file sharing application has for some time carried the core of another stealth P2P, without informing the user about it’s existence.

The file-swapping program and its parent company, Sharman Networks, say file-traders' machines could be used to host and distribute other companies' content. But some Kazaa users are concerned that the added software will violate their privacy.



Distribute other companies’ content? Sounds like spyware to me. The CEO of Kazaa/Sharman Networks defends their new stealthy technology with compensations to end users.

Bermeister said in an interview Monday that Altnet would get people's permission before using their computers. When the network is activated, a pop-up box will appear and ask if the computer user wants to participate. Those who do participate will be compensated, possibly with gift certificates or free videos, he said.

News.com follows the issue closely and has a great roundup on the events so far, including a video interview of the Kazaa CEO. They also have a guide to uninstalling the hidden technology within Kazaa.

News.com Kazaa roundup



Written by: Lasse Penttinen @ 8 Apr 2002 1:17