The dangers of online file sharing

Congress is looking at ways to plug a hole that increasingly is letting hackers gain access to a company's data. A bill, passed in the House and awaiting action in the Senate, would require software companies to inform Internet users of privacy and security risks associated with file-sharing programs.

The software, known as peer-to-peer programs, or P2P, is often used to download music and movies and is the largest portion of Internet traffic. But it can also lead to the inadvertent sharing of documents, a problem linked to plenty of data breaches lately.

The bill would require software developers to clearly tell users when their files are made available to other users over the Internet. It would require file-sharing software to display a pop-up box alerting Internet users when they encounter such programs. The bill would also let consumers and employers block or disable file-sharing programs.

The Federal Trade Commission is on a campaign to make people aware of P2P vulnerabilities. The agency says drivers license numbers, social security numbers and other personal data has been compromised many times in recent months.

"This bill will let people know-in a way that they can understand-that their personal files are being shared with complete strangers," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn), one of the co-sponsors of the P2P legislation.

For more on P2P legislation:
- see TheHill.com blog
- see this Computerworld article

Related Articles:
Soldiers' data stolen, exploiting P2P tech 
P2P breach hits Congress