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MPAA Releases Software For Parents

Posted by michael on from the at-your-own-risk dept.

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."

5 of 414 comments (clear)

  1. Not just "virtually" by slavemowgli · · Score: 5, Informative

    It really tags *any* media file, including soundtracks etc. of games, iTunes songs and just about everything else.

    --
    quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
    1. Re:Not just "virtually" by Phosphor3k · · Score: 5, Informative
      Fromt he website and also displayed the first time you run it:
      "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."
  2. Re:This is great! by PartyBoy!911 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Renaming them doesn't work as you can read in the forum linked in the article. The application appears to classify every media file as suspect even the default wav files installed with windows xp.

  3. Re:Nothing for you to see here. Please move along. by Southpaw018 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Woah, you're not kidding about the find all media. I ran the damn thing and it even wanted to delete the system audio files in c:\windows\media.
    Copyright detector. Bahahahaha.

    --
    ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
  4. Re:This is great! by PartyBoy!911 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Already done, check http://www.grouper.com/

    The thing they have to implement to make it more usefull is multi-source downloading.
    That way people with lots of online friends have an advantage :-)