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Protect Your P2P Privacy

Posted by Hemos on from the stealing-anonymously dept.

BillGatesInABikini writes "APC Magazine has a short piece on protecting your privacy online while using P2P software with the likes of Peerguardian (Windows) and MoBlock (Linux). It's concise and to the point, and a real eye opener if you don't currently protect yourself while using P2P for transferring files, legitimate or otherwise."

5 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. It's a panacea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even if you use these programs, your IP address will be exposed to others, if not directly than indirectly. It's simply part of how P2P works over TCP/IP.

  2. :o\ by TubeSteak · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The scary part is, you don't know just how frequently and from the range of sources prying eyes come knocking until you use a piece of software designed to prevent exactly this sort of eavesdropping.
    It isn't so scary if a lot of those "prying eyes come knocking" because they're running P2P also.

    Just looking at the screenshot, why would you block 'the State of Wisconsin'? I suspect that those lists are just a big mashup of every corporate IP block ever, because a bigger list has to be more secure.
    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  3. Safest Method? by FreyarHunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The safest method of using P2P software is not to at all.

    Seeing as how various law-groups continue to think they run the universe and thus have the right to destroy computers by "injecting" infected files onto the P2P network.. Egh.

    --
    Empathetic-- 94% You tend to walk in someone else's shoes a hundred miles before pointing a finger.
  4. Scary by truthsearch · · Score: 4, Funny

    Which is scarier? The need for P2P privacy or this being posted by Bill Gates In A Bikini?

    --
    Developers: We can use your help.
  5. Interesting "fluff" article for the everyman. by urbanriot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If people think for one second that RIAA and MPAA are using their public blocks of IP ranges to bust people, they should think again. There's a false sense of security in running these programs - people continually see blocked IP range hits and think, "Look at all the bad people I've blocked." If you think you're being smart by using peerguardian or protowall, consider that these companies are smarter by using public and spoofed IP addresses. Not to mention, the majority of those the downloaded lists include massive amounts of "safe" peers that are being unnecessarily cut off.