Media Tracker is a new piece of
software developed by the music recording industry, including the
RIAA, in attempts to abolish internet music
piracy. This software scans many file-sharing sources, including
Napster, and collects details about users downloading
illegal music. This information includes the songs you download, your
ip address, and your
internet service provider. The software can also scan newsgroups and
IRC channels for illegal distrobution as well. Supposedly, the information collected will be sent to the users' internet service providers, who will in turn take action against the user. This forces ISPs to get involved in the
copyright violation scheme, thus dispersing the load upon many companies, instead of being burdened upon the RIAA. Does this mean that we won't be able to exchange mp3s over Napster and other file-sharing services? Maybe. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it plays out...
For more information, visit http://7amnews.com/2001/features/032101.shtml