Anonymous used our newssubmit to tell us that the RIAA is thinking of another way of stopping file sharing services. Earlier we reported that the RIAA wants to 'hack' PC's to keep file sharing in control, now they want to smother song swappers.
The idea behind it is to repeatedly requesting the same file and downloading it very slowly, essentially preventing others from accessing the file. The users connection would become very slow and users would not be able to download.
The new strategy would take advantage of file-swapping networks' own weaknesses, amplifying them to the point where download services appear even more clogged and slow to function than they are today. Because most peer-to-peer services are unregulated, the quality of connections and speed of downloads already varies wildly based on time of day and geographic location. |
The software technology, according to industry sources, would essentially act as a downloader, repeatedly requesting the same file and downloading it very slowly, essentially preventing others from accessing the file. While stopping short of a full denial-of-service attack, the method could substantially clog the target computer's Internet connection.
Record labels hope to make the point that subscription services such as MusicNet or Pressplay, which will launch on Yahoo, America Online, MSN and RealNetworks by year's end, will not be subject to the same doubtful quality of service.
It's unclear yet how much time and money any record label or industry group is willing to devote to the project. Given the huge number of file-swappers online, using this kind of direct-action technique against even a small percentage of song-traders could quickly soak up technical and financial resources.
Source: ZDnet.com
