How to Use Limewire & Know About The Risks

Okay, a lot are well aware of risking your computer when using P2P programs. I don’t recall if its illegal or legal to use P2P programs. But I DO recall a while back that KaZaa was legalized. I don’t know if Kazaa is still around but a lot of people have gotten sued or fined using KaZaa and I think Limewire.

Legal Update:

Using Limewire technically is not illegal, but downloading content for which you may not be authorized to download, is. What such authorization means has and will continue to be the focus of court battles involving various trade groups, most notably the RIAA. RIAA stands for the Recording Industry Association of American, and you can view their website if you want at www.riaa.com. The use of software has also been the long running core argument of lawyers and other agents who argue on behalf of companies like Limewire and KaZaa. They claim that they don’t personally host or provide software, they merely provide a gateway to distribute non-copyrighted content. The RIAA has been successful and also unsuccessful thus far. KaZaa used that same core argument, but was eventually shut down. The site is still active but not updated, and nothing can be downloaded from the KaZaa software if anyone still uses it. Companies like Limewire are still active, as the RIAA has been unsuccessful in shutting them down thus

far.

Anyway, if you use Limewire, make sure you do a computer virus scan every few times you’re using it. Limewire say they check for viruses but they don’t. They’re so discreet and hidden within the files that you’re downloading, you wouldn’t know if its there or not.

Limewire files often have viruses that can poison your computer without you downloading them. Also if you’re downloading a file from Limewire make sure you don’t have any private information on your computer, its a risk you can be a victim of Identity Theft if you are not careful. Limewire is supposedly safe but in some cases Limewire is worse than going on a torrent site and downloading those. About those discreet viruses. Yes even when you’re downloading files/torrents on a torrent site and your browser does a scan and it says there were none found or whatever and you install it and your virus protect finds a virus. 9/10 the damage has already been done.

Not all files are bad on Limewire, its getting better. There have been less complaints about Limewire viruses.

Just be safe and run a virus scan on everything you download from there. & Then do a computer virus scan also. They can also be tainted with trojans too and a lot of them.

There will be another blog pertaining to the legal rights of using P2P programs.

Other Tips:

Be aware of spyware. Some file-sharing programs install other software known as spyware. Spyware monitors a user’s browsing habits and then sends that data to third parties. Sometimes the user gets ads based on the information that the spyware has collected and disseminated. Spyware can be difficult to detect and remove. Before you use any file-sharing program, you may want to buy software that can prevent the downloading of spyware or help detect it on your hard drive.

Use and update your anti-virus software regularly. Files you download could be mislabeled, hiding a virus or other unwanted content. Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses you might pick up from other users through the file-sharing program. Although your virus filter should prevent your computer from receiving possibly destructive files, computer security experts suggest you avoid files with extensions like .exe, .scr, .lnk, .bat, .vbs, .dll, .bin, and .cmd.

Disclaimer: Please be very careful when downloading files with a .exe suffix, since these files can contain a virus or spyware. For security reasons, LimeWire will not download VBS files. LimeWire’s Library will not launch .exe, .vbs, .lnk, .bat, .sys, or .com files, although such files can be launched with a program outside of LimeWire. We do recommend the use some sort of virus-protection software to scan any files that are downloaded.

Okay, here’s more infor on Limewire.

Copyright Infringement

Copyright laws and laws pertaining to patents and inventions protect original works of authorship and inventions. Individuals who reproduce, distribute copies, receive copies, publicly perform or display works or inventions other than their own and without the consent of the owners or holders of rights, or their authorized agents, in original works of authorship or inventions, may be in violation of copyright, patent or other intellectual property infringement. Lime Wire LLC does not encourage or condone the illegal copying of copyrighted material. This is not intended to be legal counsel or advice. If you have any questions, consult your attorney.

Shared Folders

Every day, millions of computer users share files online. Whether it is music, games, or software, file-sharing can give people access to a wealth of information. You simply download special software that connects your computer to an informal network of other computers running the same software. Millions of users could be connected to each other through this software at one time. The software often is free and easily accessible.

Sounds promising, right? Maybe, but make sure that you consider the trade-offs. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, cautions that file-sharing can have a number of risks. For example, when you are connected to file-sharing programs, you may unknowingly allow others to copy private files you never intended to share. You may download material that is protected by the copyright laws and find yourself mired in legal issues. You may download a virus or facilitate a security breach. Or you may unwittingly download pornography labeled as something else.

To secure the personal information stored on your computer, the FTC suggests that you:

• Set up the file-sharing software very carefully. If you don’t check the proper settings when you install the software, you could open access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, like your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, or other personal documents.

Disclaimer:  Okay, about this, be careful. Sharing your folders mean you computer is very vulnerable to viruses and anyone can get in there and sit a virus on one of the files you are sharing in that folder and it can spread throughout your computer and others.