MPAA Releases Software For Parents

SnowWolf2003 writes "The MPAA have released their Parent File Scan tool, which 'helps consumers check whether their computers have peer-to-peer software and potentially infringing copies of motion pictures and other copyrighted material'. According to the MPAA, the software does not report any data back to the MPAA. However, users have noted that the software is not accurate; 'tagging' virtually every audio or video file it finds based on file extensions."

Irony alert

[abdossett]

As one law professor points out [volokh.com] (only half-seriously), the MPAA may need to worry about contributory copyright infringement.

From a poster

[CaptainZapp]

Why anyone would trust the MPAA is beyond me. Hell, our strapped public schools are wasting class time and resources indoctrinating children with the MPAA/RIAA supplied materials

So this means that public schools in the US permit every shady business to slip in its personal agenda to the official curriculum, provide they bribe enough politicos.

This is a fucking scandal and a disgrace for the US school system. Since I'm a foreigner there's nothing I can do, besides urging you to act on this outrage.

The full post can be found here [broadbandreports.com]

I just ran this...

[Evangelion]

*ALL* this is is Start -> Search -> For Files or Folders... -> Music + Video, as well as something to look for the signature of installed P2P applications. It simply searches based on file extension. Even radnomly named mp3s are listed.

Move along, nothing to see here...

Re:Not just "virtually"

[jasonmicron]

That is probably what the biggest threat of this software is.

It just begs the question, "Did the MPAA, a group of the top record and entertainment compaines in the world, release this software purely to try to purge all digital files on your machine in order to increase sales on their inferior CD / DVD products?"

With the way that entire business model is run, I would have to answer yes. But then again I'm a Republican so I might just be paranoid. ;)

Re:This is great!

[dsginter]

so if you don't fancy getting sued when using P2P, simply rename your downloaded files and use this handy tool to find out if the rename was effective or not.

The MPAA isn't quite that dumb but it is a nice idea. What will eventually happen is that some bright spark will release private P2P software that will allow only certain people to participate (think, your immediate group of friends, their friends, family, etc). It will be just like back in the old BBS days of "elite" access - you had to know someone who knew someone who knew someone who could vouch for you.

Once it goes private, there's no stopping it without Congress and hardware. And it will still be difficult at that point.

And while I'm dishing out ideas, can someone create a MythTV implementation that will allow a "community" of PVRs to collaborate and share? Just automate the file transfers using the above "private P2P" techniques.

Here is what the program ACTUALLY does.

[Anonymous Coward]

Parent File Scan is brought to you by DtecNet Software ApS. This free program allows you to search your computer for installed P2P applications as well as movie and music files. You will then be given the option to remove the identified applications and delete infringing movie and music files in a few easy steps. The program does not distinguish between legal and illegal copies, as it is up to the user to determine, whether the files found by the program have been acquired legally, or whether the material should be deleted. Information generated by the program will be made available only to the program's user and will not be shared with or reported to DtecNet Software or any other body.

Taken directly from the download page. Bold emphasis mine.

This won't be read.

[numbski]

But I can't help but notice that on that site, there's no talkback form. No e-mail address. No way in which to leave feedback on what they are doing.

Funny that. :\

Re:madness

[Anonymous Coward]

so i wonder if this tags bittorrent as p2p software. It can be used for such, but has many legitamate uses.

BitTorrent IS P2P software.

It seems you've internally defined 'P2P' to mean 'not-legitimate' when all it means is 'peer-to-peer' defining the nature of the various endpoints.

Regardless of whether it is 'legitimate use' or not, it is still 'peer to peer' as all endpoints are seeding for other users.

P2P != illegal

MPAA is lying

[LordRevan]

the program is sending data out after the scan finishes, I've been running packet sniffs with ethereal, but can't find anything that says what is being sent, but after watching my packet count go up a couple thousand at the end of the scan sounds strange to me, and going from no traffic to a small spike after the scan gives me reason to not trust it at all.

Can we slashdot their tech support line?

[dspyder]

Excuse me for not downloading the program, but their website makes it sound like the application offers the chance to delete files.

Could we all get together and flood the MPAA and the developer (assuming they're evil by association) and call them about all of our deleted home movies and recording and Windows missing its sounds?

No contact phone on dtecnet's support page [purestatic.com].

--D

p.s. Did anyone else notice in the scrolling background of the MPAA page that their users names like gay1e@fileshare, wildchick29076, anonymous, and more!

Re:This is great!

[Anonymous Coward]

This software already exists. It's called waste http://waste.sourceforge.net/ [sourceforge.net].

Re:Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

[Aim Here]

Actually if you read the license agreenent, it does say that it doesn't try to verify the illegality of the media files it spots.

So what we have here is a program that is marketed as though it clears illegal files off the hard drive, but in reality is just a point-and-click hard-drive wiper, that'll merrily clean your hard drive of perfectly legitimate material.

No more ethical than a random piece of 'legit' spyware that hides what it actually does in the licence agreement that nobody reads.

FWIW, it only found about 907 files on my hard drives, although my p2p app of choice reports something like 1200 music files shared, not including the media files on installed games and sundry apps that I don't share to the world. Even on it's own terms, it doesn't work too well.

Re:Hmm...

[lachlan76]

Screenshots [on.net]

Re:This is great!

[EvilAlien]

"The MPAA isn't quite that dumb but it is a nice idea."

Yes they are. They specialize in hiring third-party copyright bounty hunters to spam ISPs with poorly or completely unfounded complaints based on pattern matches of filenames on P2P networks. If you have My-son-in-Spiderman-costume_movie.mpg, it would probably be picked up and generate an automated complaint to your ISP. Under horribly broken US law (i.e., the DMCA), your ISP would be forced to comply with the notice-and-takedown provisions and shut your Internet access off or terminate service.

What the filesharers should do is post files that are encrypted with encrypted filenames and descriptions, and rely on private keys. Of course, the risk is that the searchs for the encrypted strings could be intercepted allowing the code to be broken, but a WW2 flavored one-time key method could do the trick.

I don't see any data being sent...

[lullabud]

You must have some different version than what I have because I just sniffed packets throughout the whole process and nothing got sent out past my LAN the entire time. I did this on a clean system though, no mp3's or p2p apps, but it did find 3 system files for various OSes that I have loaded on here. Regardless, no information was sent out at all. Maybe that's some other application you have installed...