An attack on corporate use of peer-to-peer software is under way, as companies face increasing pressure from record labels and other copyright holders to stop employees from file trading.
The latest salvo against companies came last week, when the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent letters to about 300 companies providing evidence of specific instances of their internal networks being used to swap copyrighted songs, and warning of potential legal liability. The RIAA for months has been pressing companies to crack down on the use of file-swapping networks.
Corporations have been responding to this growing pressure in various ways, nearly all of which are giving companies increasing potential visibility into their employees" communications. Many have outlawed the use of file-trading programs, but in companies with sprawling internal networks, and hundreds or thousands of PCs connected to the Net, using high-tech tools to enforce these policies can still be a difficult task.