Information such as an MP3 song will still be downloaded from its original source, he said. But a song will be scrambled, and downloaded simply as raw, unintelligible data. This means that no actual copy of a song is being exchanged, he contends.
If downloaders want to turn that data into useable music, their software must seek elsewhere on the file-swapping network for the encryption "keys" that will unlock the data, transforming it back into an MP3. Separating the download of the data and the keys may help protect file sharers from lawsuits, making it more difficult for courts to say exactly which party is responsible for copyright infringement, Soto said.
"Our developments have always been a result of feature requests," Soto said in an instant message interview. "We are lately getting from our users hundreds of requests and ideas to enhance privacy, so it looked like the natural step to take, development-wise. If users want decentralised networks, there we go. If users want anonymity, there we go."
The RIAA remains as unimpressed by the latest generation of privacy seekers as it is with the rest. File-swapping is file-swapping, no matter how programmers change the way their networks function, the group's attorneys have argued in court. Moreover, the RIAA has already sued people who had used Blubster and other privacy-focused networks before, investigators note.
"File-sharers need to take these types of claims with a grain of salt," an RIAA representative said. "Copyright owners can enforce their rights on these types of networks. Our investigators are well-versed in what these technologies do and how they work."
Talkback
Quote: Our investigators are well-versed in what these technologies do and how they work
But they would say that wouldn't they?!
Couple the encryption system with proxy chains and you make it all the more difficult to track the individuals.
I live in "Rip Off" Britain, where we pay a ridiculous premium for music and movies, considering the manufacturing costs. It took a concerted effort on the part of the consumers to reduce new car prices, so why shouldn't the music/film industry suffer the same wrath?
Until the prices are reduced to a realistic level, people will continue to download music from P2P networks.
From talking to others about this issue, there seems to be an increasing trend in using P2P downloads to simply try before you buy. If you are serious about your music, an mp3 encoded at 128bit is far inferior to the quality of a true digital recording. I listen to classical music and have downloaded a lot of pieces via P2P. If I like the composer and performance, I delete the download and purchase the original because I prefer the high quality!
P2P is dead as is warez sites but there's lots of ways to "file swap" it's just that swapers are now more careful about how their doing it and who they tell how it's being done.