Best Practices for Peer to Peer Computing
"SAVE OUR BANDWIDTH"
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"Unlimited" sharing of files makes the network slow for everyone!
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Allowing others to GET copyrighted files from your machine (uploading) is illegal!
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Downloading may or may not be a problem -- it depends on whether you own copyright rights to the file.
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Turn your file sharing program -- or your computer -- off when you are not using it
See the "Save Our Bandwidth" flyer
University of Iowa's Frequently Asked Questions about Peer to Peer (P2P) File Sharing Programs
Stanford University has Step-By-Step Instructions for disabling uploads from many Peer-to-Peer file sharing programs.
The MUSIC Coalition's web site at http://www.musicunited.org/ contains valuable information about what's legal and what's not when it comes to copying music.
Background Discussion of Copyright Law and Potential Liability for Students Engaged in P2P File Sharing on University Networks, prepared by Michael J. Remington, Esq., Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Washington, DC, for the Education Task Force of the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities, August 8, 2003.
We recommend:
- Disable uploading in your file sharing program. This can get you into trouble.
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Limit your downloading activity to public domain music, programs, and movies.
- Be careful about what you download. There are known viruses, backdoors, and other "malware" (malicious software) hiding in many of these files. Scan any downloaded file with anti-virus software before opening it!
- Take steps to secure your workstation. Run anti-virus. Turn on "automatic updates" for your system. Password protect all file shares. Put strong passwords on ALL accounts, especially the administrator or root level accounts on your computer. (A long combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, with no dictionary words, names, etc.) Install or turn on a personal firewall program.
- Turn off your computer when you are not using it.