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P2P Contact Info Service From Napster Co-Founder
scrm writes "Plaxo is an interesting new service from Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster. It's a P2P-based add-on to Outlook that confronts the old problem of keeping contact lists up-to-date. Mozilla mail support is on the cards, and yes, the company does 'take privacy very seriously'. Check the press here(1), here(2) and here(3). You can also access your contact list over the web."
I really like this idea. This will be very usefull for times when I am using computers other than my own. From the way I understand it, anyways.
hey!
No way would I open up my MS Outlook to a P2P service, just would not happen...
Daniel Connor
The story says: the company does 'take privacy very seriously'
But could you take the company seriously? The person in charge of it cost film producers and music companies millions, possibly even billions of dollars. Would you do business with someone who caused theft on such a huge scale?
I have over 70 freaks, do you?
Well, I guess I will have to get this now. What could be more seruce that a P2P service based in Outlook. Better yet, I could start using AOL and Windows 98 too! It will be good times.
Napster's creators finally up to some good.
I think this is a first!
Good ideas --
Good for them and the everyone else.
Everyone can use benefits of P2P and not even know it
Really, I'm looking forward to this!
And how long do you think it'll take someone to make a contact list that is an all MP3's...
I'm not a prophet or a stone-age man,
I'm just a mortal with potential of a super man.
Because being able to follow networks of business relations and friendships is something that would be very valuable to many organizations. Perhaps more valuable than a happy user of their software, if you catch my drift.
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
Isn't that another term for "virus"?
to make a P2P app for trading music files but with the added protection that the App was made for legal uses and the few illegal uses that the users have found a way to use it for were not intended, hence the company is not liable.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
seems like they forgot to add the extension to some of the screenshots. for example, the very nice bliss wallpaper is actually a jpg, but mozilla doesn't understand that. save it to your harddisk instead.
Hack your mind out of its sandbox.
It's been out for over a year and no one seems to use it/care...
If they really take privacy seriously, why do they act as "man-in-the-middle" of all transactions between their users? Who knows how many valid e-mail addresses they have collected. Their system has nothing to do with p2p-systems, it is in fact no more p2p-like than e-mail.
Worst of all, Plaxo users upload their contact lists containing personal information about others. That is without their acknowledgement.
(no text necessary)
Well, this is certainly more efficient than the old Client-Server-Architecture-based "Glory Hole" technology. No more waiting in line...
Isn't this basically the same as adding a phonebook database to your PIM? Only with this you don't have the right to tell the phone company you don't want to be listed because it's listed in someone's PIM. I'm skeptical.
Seems like an interesting use of technology, but it isn't new. (Exchange has had this, of course, for intra-Exchange users, for ages. America Online recently started testing a similar service for their members.)
:)
It is unique in that it has the possibility of accomodating users across mail services, platforms, and other traditional barriers.
However, being the paranoid schizo that I am, I can't imagine I would ever subscribe to or accomodate such a service. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but such a centralized system has an incredible ability to be abused by sources internal and external.
Nice idea. But so is RFID for every human.
justen
Thanks Plaxo!
Would you let your desktop PC request data from a web service or web site? Do you post requested information to web forms?
If the P2P element of this is written correctly, then all your doing is sending out a request for data and having validated data returned, just like a web service. You only receive data you request, and you only return data that you've approved the request for. Period.
While I can see that you're worried about Outlook itself, most holes in it are the result of scripting vulnerabilities and social engineering. This P2P service is more likely to be using its own built in engine for web service-like data exchange between the two machines. The only hooks into Outlook will enable this bolt-on program to update your contacts.
I'd worry if like other Outlook HTML-based plugins, it worked using IE code, now that would be scary...
Sounds horrible. I can already drag contacts out of my address book and into iChat, and drag a contact out of iChat into my address book. Furthermore I can mail vCards to and from whomever I wish. Lastly, I can sync addressbooks via SyncML with whomever, and for large organizations, there are directory services. So it seems this Plaxo widget adds basically nothing to my existing abilities.
Wait for the next MS worm that can use this software to spread faster than ever. Woo!
Trolling is a art,
Well going by outlooks security record all you have to do is get a copy of the latest virus and it will email all your contacts anyway making it all nice and public
Rus
Cheap UK and US VPS
I don't have Kazaa handy...but can someone post the results of a *.pst search? Come on now. Someone's bound to have C:\ as their Shared Folder.
There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
Cardscan's Accucard already does this- and has for quite some time. When you scan a card, you get the option to add it to Accucard, and the owner of the card(provided they have an email address) gets an email asking if the info is correct and if they'd like to keep their info up to date in the future. Any future copies of their card that get scanned automatically get the new info, I believe.
This is important, because Corex(makers of Cardscan) already have one big thing the P2P companies don't- they have their foot in the door already with their Cardscan units, which are owned by people who need this service the most- sales people and the like. It's like trying to sell gas to car owners, the two just go together. While some sales people may have P2P software on their systems, it's unlikely given the crackdown on p2p apps by many companies....and they're not about to put client information into some two-bit p2p program.
Please help metamoderate.
Outlook allows you to customise information stored against contacts. There is a binary field in there that you can happily use for storing images, text files and yup... MP3's.
Given that, there's no reason why you could write a simple application creating a directory of contact names for all your MP3's and attaching the relevant files. You could even add tag info using custom fields too.
Now whether this P2P system allows you to transfer custom fields remains to be seen - I'd wager a big no on that one. But someday someone is gonna figure out that the best way to share files is with people you know, which means people in your address book. Build a P2P system on that and you're sorted.
Oh, is that how it works on /.? Write something relevant in the "subject" field, and then quote the most recent episode of South Park?
In THAT case...
1. Microsoft sucks!
2. ???
3. Profit!!!
"Mother, should I run for President? Mother, should I trust the government?"
P2P usually implies a bit more distributed networking. Either completely distributed (and unworkable) like the original Gnutella, or mostly distributed with SuperNodes like Kazaa, eDonkey, and the new Gnutella. Napster was always a client->server metainfo server.
--
Power to the Peaceful
another idea foiled... this is really a great idea should security concerns be dealt with well. an additional way to generate revenue is to cross this with project management tools and project weblogs.
But someday someone is gonna figure out that the best way to share files is with people you know, which means people in your address book. Build a P2P system on that and you're sorted.
Want contact list based P2P file sharing? Try Madster.
Will I retire or break 10K?
SyncML is the open standard that drives data mobility by establishing a common language for communications between devices, applications and networks. The foundation of the SyncML open standard, SyncML Data Sync (SyncML DS) ensures a consistent set of data that is always available on any device or application, any time. SyncML Device Management (SyncML DM) enables OTA administration of devices and applications, simplifying configuration, updates and support.
vCard is the electronic business card. It is a powerful new means of Personal Data Interchange (PDI) that is automating the traditional business card. Whether it's your computer (hand held organizer, Personal Information Manager (PIM), electronic eail application, Web Browser) or telephone, the vCard will revolutionize your personal communications.
Teledildonics? You mean like F__kU-F__kMe? That'd be an interesting P2P application.
Will I retire or break 10K?
From the many identical emails I've been getting, Plaxo seems to be a program that goes though your contact list and then spams everyone you know with what appear to be personal messages from you but are really just ads asking you to download and run the program (and enter your personal information for the company to harvest).
If some kid had written this in his spare time, it would be called a virus. Because Plaxo is a company, it's called an innovative application. There are several other startups all doing the same thing (search on Google), and when they go bankrupt their privacy polices will mean nothing.
Normally you'd need high-speed broadband for this kind of thing.
What really needs to be transmitted in a sexual intercourse simulation? The current number of millimeters of penetration at any given instant, sampled a couple dozen times a second? That wouldn't take too much bandwidth, but I can see where latency issues would come into play.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Hey hey! What about using hacked software for this.. tweaking those millimeters a bit or by a factor of 10. And then imagine viruses. Then think about disease control.
Still, I have no idea how much bandwidth haptic data would consume. Like, how much data is sent to your brain each millisecond by your nerves when someone blows ... hot air across the thousands of tiny hairs on your neck? (I feel an offtopic mod is due).
--
Power to the Peaceful
A standardized way of extracting e-mail addresses from people's Outlook address book. Now we will no longer have to use one of hundreds of exploits... just one unified protocol.
Furthermore, using PGP, trust values could be assigned to the information.
- Serge Wroclawski
Uhm yes, that should be safe,,, yep!
No chance of virus or worms here. I guess it will be installed by the same people who wonders if dropping a lighter into your cars gas tank could cause any problems.
I'm into HCI FFS. Haptic interfaces are well underway. But I think you're thinking about direct neural interfaces. Yeah, those things can simulate all kinds of faeces, a problem we've been experiencing with our current software. But with neural interfaces and gigabit ethernet around the corner even the most corny sexgigs could be a reality. You see, bandwidth is not a problem. And you say real sex is better? Well wait until you try our new product we are developing. Remember, it's all in your mind, and our software focuses your mind. Keep an eye out.
I'm wondering if Sean's ideas will help fight spam. If you used a reverse key that only the sender has that it could verify itself across the network as from them instantly.
Of course this also could lock in email where if you dont use the product then you cant send to any of your friends or new people becuase they're trashing everything else. It would be better if this was a Open Source project where it would be more of a guarrentee that it's available to all operating systems.
For instance Exchange, until a few versions ago was considered P2P, because all it did was store the outlook calendar info. I have never managed exchange but I believe people who have for a while may remember a time when you use to be able to use calendar on outlook without exchange. This has changed recently ( I've been investigating calendar apps and that was what I was told )
At any rate; If you create an application that uses IMAP to store the calendar info in a special calendar folder, and you have the clients themselves check and resolve conflicts, then your calendar app is P2P.
I'm guessing they're applying the same definition to addressing as well.
Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
If you have to sign up for their service and use their Web server...How is this P2P?
Online address books? What will they think of next?
Has anyone gotten emails from people that use this service?
About a month ago, a note showed up in my inbox saying:
> Hi [my name], [plaxo user's name] wants to
> make sure that he has the correct address
> information for you. Please take a moment to
> fill out the following form.
It really pissed me off that a friend of mine would send me an automated message rather than a quick note.
To those who don't see the annoyance, imagine that someone you knew had their secretary call to ask you for the same information. Annoying, right?
I hope this service dies a quick death.
No manual entry for here in section 3
GET YOUR WEAPONS READY! --DR.LIGHT
there were a few companies that tried this. With address books and bookmark files. Don't remember their names or if they're still around.
But I'd rather hold on to my eternal soul for now, thanks.
I don't care how much time this saves how many people, it's a fundamentally bad idea that will only at to the overall dehumanization of the internet.
In the last few years, email has quite reasonably overtaken traditional mail as the dominant form of written communication. The consequences have been numerous, but tolerable up until this point. Programs of this nature are one thing in the business world, but when companies start to market this "service" to average users, it takes on entirely different connotations.
We have to draw a line in the sand: people shouldn't need to automate the process of staying in touch with their friends! By taking this extremely basic task out of their hands and putting it into those of some relatively anonymous information-harvesting corporation, we remove one of the mechanisms that nature uses to cull lesser humans from the face of the earth. In short, people who are unable to stay in touch with their friends without using this program should not be allowed to breed.
Let natural selection take its course! Keep the fluoride out of our water supply and keep Plaxo out of our internet!
...Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
Churchill
If you think about it, Plaxo is the perfect "built to be acquired" company. Read their "privacy policy" here:
"In the event Plaxo goes through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition or the sale of a portion of its assets, Your Information and your membership in the Plaxo Contact Networks(TM) will, in most instances, be part of the assets transferred. You will be notified of an ownership change pursuant to Notification of Changes section of the privacy statement."
See that? They consider your information to be an asset. So, I wonder how long they're going to farm data before selling themselves to doubleclick? Imagine how valuable that data will be. Your surfing habits, matched with your personal information, matched with the personal information and surfing habits of all your 1st-degree friends, and all your friends' friends...
(Also notice that Plaxo (purposely) makes its full privacy policy difficult to link. It's a javascript popup)
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Yeah, finally a company built on Outlook's insecurity. Check out this article in PC Magazine:
"Plaxo contains a hack that mines your Outlook profile password so that it can retrieve your contacts unhindered. Although Plaxo claims that it does nothing with your password once it retrieves your contacts, I don't like this, because it makes child's play out of accessing passwords;"
So not only are they mining your personal data for later resale to the highest bidder, they're compromising your machine while they're at it!
But, really, they respect you and your privacy. Really.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Contact syncronisation is good, but I personally liked the MS Outlook Add-on that let me syncronise my Half-Life 2 source with Valve's.
So true, that is my point... your [hick.org] is nasty, shame on you.
Daniel Connor
There's been some talk of adding a feature like this to FastMail (i.e. accessing one's FastMail address book via LDAP).
The problem is that most mail clients have a pretty crummy LDAP implementation: they don't support user logins (so you could only offer one global directory - bad idea), LDAP+SSL or writing changes to the directory.
*sigh* Still so far from my dream PIM setup.
The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
I already hate this software. I'm a network admin, and 3 users have installed Plaxo, two of them after I advised them not to.
One person in another part of the company installed it, and it emailed everyone in his contact list without asking, apparently. Two people under me showed me the email and asked about it; I did some research and decided that it sounded not only like a virus, but definitely against company policy as departmental contact info is sent outside the company.
Here is a rather critical article about Plaxo, followed by an update after speaking with the Plaxo people:
PCMag Article by Bill Machrone
Follow-up article that backs off a bit
I don't trust it, and it sounds like it would violate every large company information policy in existence.
The irony is that my company has an LDAP directory that each of these people use everyday, so WTF are they doing with a contact manager?
When the CEO wanted it, all I could do is play Devils Advocate...
To: CEO
Re: Installing Plaxo
It doesn't appear to contain any Spyware or Adware so it will not "infect" the computer with popups, advertising, etc.
The only real concerns are:-
1. It sends lots of emails to all the people in the contacts folder which may be annoying - some of the mainstream anti-spam services will reject these update messages as spam.
2. It stores all your and all your contact's personal information on servers owned by Plaxo. This information is outside of your control and is owned by a company comprised of the original founder of Napster and several venture capitalists.
3. You are providing personal information about other people (your contacts) to Plaxo - without the other person's consent.
4. Plaxo does not and will not divulge details of how it plans to make money from this service and from the personal information it has stored on its servers - its terms and conditions include the proviso that all the contact and personal information can be sold to a third party in the event that Plaxo is liquidated.
If your contacts don't mind receiving periodic update emails, don't mind that you have provided their details to a third party (Plaxo) and if you don't mind that all your and all your contacts personal information is being provided to a company which is evasive about its motivations then it should not be a problem to use it.
Personally I would recommend against using it.
I don't see how P2P technology would help in this case. It neither requires heavy traffic (BitTorrent), nor discreet file transfers of dubious legality (WinMX). Here's my cross-platform, easy-to-maintain-and-use solution for using my contacts:
1. an online account for storage.
2. a plain text editor.
3. the clipboard is my friend.
Other than those three things, I need no floppy disk, no LDAP, no Outlook, no Mozilla, no proprietary format, no software incompatibilities, nothing like that.
I never understood why people are so willingly locking themselved down with proprietary formats instead...
P.S. Friendster.com is good for getting in touch with old friends.
The .mac service from apple sync's your address book, and allows you to access it from the internet.
Now I can finally keep track of kazaaliteuser@KAZAA, hurrah!
Why not? You could easily turn this idea in a different direction and have an easy way to share blacklists with lots of people. But then there's the matter of figuring out what is a spam address and what is the address of someone being spited and having all their contact to the outer world blocked...
Has it found your driver's license number yet? Your social security number? Your credit card numbers? Your birthdate? Your mother's maiden name? Click on "Personal" and see what it knows about you. Mozilla silently collects that info.
All that juicy info, just waiting there for an exploit that calls home...
My employer scanned every computer and had the IT people remove it. Then they blocked Plaxo at the firewall and gave Plaxo a list of every known employee who had an account with them and requested that the accounts be terminated immediately.
They muttered something about customer contact info being confidential information...go figure.
I can't afford a sig!
it belongs to someone else, and also has already been patented.
check www.onepin.com
I've had Plaxo running for a while, and it didn't always update my records correctly,and I had problems in syncing my outlook with my phone afterwards. But those are just technical limitations, probably also due to my lack of knowledge in working with Plaxo (though I did see I wasn't the only one, many of my friends/colleagues forgot to enter either a '+' of '00' sign infront of their phone number-> the phonebook in my phone (which I sync automatically via bluetooth) got messed up.
... hacking the (global) plaxo datase (lets assume that they don't sell it) would give marketeers, job hunters, etc. the ideal entry into the company. Now I know that this can be done by hacking a computer (or stealing it), but this is not worth the effort since one would only get a small fraction of a companies user-base ... hacking plaxo however, is proably a worthwhile exercise ... This is the reason why my company forbade the use of Plaxo.
A much greater risk is security, all my contact list people job titles/internal phone number. mobile phone numbers, email addresses
brrrrrr
brrrrrr it's cold
it would be interesting to take everyone's contacts and find matches. you can have a special people.google.com where you can search for 'popular' people.
No - the article you refer to was corrected the day after it was posted. I quote from here:
"I was wrong about Plaxo's supposed ability to break your Outlook password. Company officials confirm that it doesn't do that. I was misinformed, and I apologize for passing along erroneous information."
---- scrm
seriously. of course the company officials are going to say "it doesn't do that". Was this verified by a 3rd party, or did the guy just retract the truth to avoid a libel suit?
So? I can access the contacts in Pine by just reading a plain text file. No hack required.
Having said all that, I like the idea of having my contacts kept updated. I thought about writing something that did a mass email to my contacts with their details asking them to correct anything that is wrong.
An electronic solution would be substantially more elegant but I'm wary of using Plaxo. Any suggestions? Or is this a case of hack my own?
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
I wouldn't trust this anymore than I could throw Siftah or Tom. Oh wait, I could do that easily.
Nothing could possib-lie go wrong. Huh, that's the first thing that's gone wrong.
I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
I like the idea of an active address book like this. But PlanetAll, the first Web site I know of that tried it, folded years ago, and now OneName just filed for bankruptcy. What makes these guys think they can make the idea stick this time around?