Safer Music Downloads
Posted on February 15, 2006
Filed Under Internet, Open Source/Freeware, Software |
I don’t profess to be a lawyer but the question of it being legal in Canada to download music for free seems to be in constant flux. I also won’t bore you with my opinion on the matter but I don’t think there is any question that musicians are entitled to earn a living.
From a computer security point of view however, the truth is that many computers are compromised by installing file sharing programs to download music with. It’s a reality that many file sharing programs are infested with spyware and other malware.
Whatever the legal status of music downloads or the moral question of denying musicians their rightful dues, computer users repeatedly install file sharing software. Even occasional readers of this column will be familiar with my tireless rants on the evils of spyware and related unpleasantness.
Microsoft, being an ardent defender of copyright law where it applies to computer software, has been in a quandary the past several years with their Windows Update software. What to do with software pirates? Allow them to use legitimate update software to keep illegal or stolen software up to date or disallow updates for pirated software?
On the surface, the answer appears obvious. People who pay for software should be entitled to keep it up to date and those who steal it shouldn’t.
But it’s not that simple. There are a lot of pirated copies of Microsoft software out there and many viruses use flaws in software to deliver their payloads. The only defense is updated software and denying updates contributes directly to the further spread of the malicious software.
For the most part Microsoft reluctantly allows updates even if the software is pirated to help stop the spread of viruses. Of course the pirates who create the pirated software are not so kind and there are plenty of other reasons to avoid pirated software like the plague. But that’s another story.
In order to put a dent in the spread of spyware, there should be means to download music without contributing to the spyware epidemic. There needs to be alternatives to programs like KaZaa and LimeWire that reportedly install a number of spyware applications along with themselves.
A few pointers then:
• Contribute to the artists and use paid music download software.
• If you must use P2P software use only those from the clean list at http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/p2p/
• Keep antispyware programs up to date.
• Don’t open ports on your firewall for P2P software unless you really know what you’re doing.
• Learn about what spyware is and what to watch for to avoid it.
For more on this subject visit http://www.bowesit.com
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