New.net downloads reignite Kazaa controversy

By Jeanne Vida Douglas, ZDNet Australia, 10 April, 2002 09:58

NEWS

Kazaa's file-swapping software downloads are again in the spotlight following complaints regarding New.net software, which comes bundled with the popular P2P download. Launched in March last year, New.net offers access to a series of domain names such as .shop and .sport, through partnerships with ISPs in Europe and the US. However, at the centre of the latest controversy is the distribution of New.net's software through affiliate partners iMesh, BearShare, Kazaa, and Grokster. The software in question is designed recognise domain names hosted by New.net, and add a .new.net suffix, so that non-partner ISPs can direct them to the appropriate IP address (for example, book.shop would be modified to book.shop.new.net). New.net chief executive David Hernand told ZDNet Australia that such affiliate partners were paid to distribute software which would allow end users access to the New.net domains, and accounted for about half of its 100 million subscribers. However, Hernand took pains to point out that affilitate members were expected to make end users fully aware of the presence of the New.net software accompanying their downloads. "As a matter of good business practice we have required our affiliates to indicate that our software is being bundled along with their downloads," Hernand said. "We have been crystal clear since the beginning that there should be full disclosure so that end users are told they are getting our software as part of their download." Concerns were raised by ISPs in Australia when their users began having difficulty accessing mail servers after inadvertently downloading the New.net software along with the P2P program Kazaa. An ISP helpdesk employee claimed it was spending significant resources helping customers remove the New.net software. He alleged the software had been made deliberately difficult to remove, and included a flawed automatic update function. Despite conceding that an earlier version of the software was subject to bugs which made it difficult to remove, New.net told ZDNet Australia the problem had been corrected in subsequent versions. The company also emphasised that it was in no way a deliberate feature of the software. Furthermore the company expressed concern regarding coverage the problem had received on sites such as Cexx.org, and signalling the site contained certain inaccuracies regarding the New.net product. Upon discovering the problem Cexx.org posted uninstall instructions for the New.net software. Cexx webmaster Bill Webb said he had received many complaints from people who had downloaded the software without realising, and were subsequently unable to remove it from their computers. Finding himself inundated, Webb said he began recommending affected parties contact New.net directly. Similarly New.net has posted an FAQ on its own Web site with tips on how to uninstall stubborn versions of its software. However, the debate regarding New.net downloads has only added to concerns regarding the practice of bundling software with free downloads. While information regarding any extra software bundled with downloads is generally available via a disclaimer, sites such as Kazaa, BearShare, and Grokster are coming under increasing pressure to provide a comprehensive list of software of this type. Following the controversy over Brilliant Digital and its plans to tie Kazaa users into a distributive computing style network called Altnet, the P2P software provider has made an effort to inform users about the Cydoor and Brilliant Digital applications integrated into its downloads. A spokesperson for Kazaa said that the company's disclosure policy would continue to be refined proactively on a regular basis.

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