Is it possible to end the investigations and prosecutions that the RIAA, the music download police and similar entities use to prosecute users of file-sharing networks? The answer depends, say online security experts, on which next-generation technology proves to be more successful. So far, enforcement investigators hold the upper hand.
"Everybody now knows you can"t download stuff for free," said Mark Ishikawa, CEO and founder of BayTSP, a leading security firm for the record industry. People who participate in file sharing through networks, he said, sooner or later will get caught. "It"s like playing Russian Roulette."
But that could change soon. An innovative software product recently released by Syncodea could eliminate concerns about getting caught and sued for sharing music and data files. Syncodea CEO Leo Lee told TechNewsWorld that his product does not hide the IP address. Rather, it allows users of peer-to-peer shareware networks, such as Kazaa, to share files and data in encrypted transmissions on the open-swapping networks.