Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

P2P Contact Info Service From Napster Co-Founder

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the on-the-innernet dept.

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."

11 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Good idea! by MoronGames · · Score: 0, Insightful

    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!
  2. Trust factor by Dan+Connor · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No way would I open up my MS Outlook to a P2P service, just would not happen...

    --
    Daniel Connor
  3. It's good the company takes privacy seriously by Sheetrock · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.




    1. Re:It's good the company takes privacy seriously by dbirchall · · Score: 2, Insightful
      It's good the company takes privacy seriously, because they're launching a networked application that thus far only runs on an OS that isn't known for keeping private information private. :)

      Hey, what could possibly go wrong?

  4. Privacy by bigbango · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  5. Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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...

    1. Re:Why? by wo1verin3 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >> Outlook runs my business..., and I have a
      >> zero trust factor for Napster...

      Do you not care about your business? Try Eudora, because friends don't let friends use Outlook.

      As for zero trust for napster, thats great, this isn't Napster, nor is it Napster 2.0.

  6. worms.. by grub · · Score: 3, Insightful


    Wait for the next MS worm that can use this software to spread faster than ever. Woo!

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  7. Re:Applications for P2P by Saeger · · Score: 2, Insightful
    There's a lot more to sex than just the mechanical in-and-out (even for guys). VRsex w/ toys will never be as good as the real thing until we've got true BCI (brain computer interface) tech.

    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
  8. READ THEIR PRIVACY POLICY by User+956 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.
  9. especially since plaxo cracks your outlook passwrd by User+956 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.