F08 CPSC203 T09 GROUP 6

Team Name
Downloading

Team Members
Kaitlynn Nadeau

Harrison Strybosch

Project Statement
For this project we have chosen to look at downloading music and the issues that come with that. First will be the overview on what and how the downloading of music happens. Then we will look into the disadvantages with downloading music such as issues with the peer-2-peer networking, legality issues, and security issues that are associated with networking your computer with unknown sources. We will also discuss the advantages with downloading music.

History of Downloading
Downloading material has come a long way from what it was in recent years. In past years it would have taken hours to download even a single music file, but now music can be downloaded in seconds and movies or music videos within minutes. This downloading includes music files, music videos, and movies. The very first network created to download music from was known as Napster. It gave access to downloadable music for any patron who had connected to it, and allowed for the download of MP3 files. It was shut down just after it was created by the music industry due to the apparent affect it had in the dropping of CD sales of some artists. There is much debate over whether or not the downloading of music is beneficial or detrimental to the music industry. In one case for Radiohead it actually boosted the sales of records having a song pre-released before the record, aided in the increase of record sales, but in others it has decreased the sales such as the artists who were against Napster including Dr.Dre and Metallica. Now there are many variations on the music downloading such as Torrent, or Limewire.

What is Downloading?
Downloading is done through what is known as a peer-2-peer networking system. Essentially what this does is it allows for the connection of 2 personal computers of 2 individuals where each is sharing files on their own system. The files are then shared between all the networked computers.

Advantages
Although there are legal and sometimes moral issues with peer-2-peer file sharing and distributing, there are many advantages which seem to be dominant over the drawbacks. The simple fact that people can go onto a website, install a program or two, and then have an unlimited amount of movies, CD’s, programs, games and other material at no extra cost is a great convenience. People who p2p have access to thousands of different materials with just a click of their mouse.

Another huge determining factor is that people who p2p files can receive a movie or game much earlier than a person who doesn’t, sometime months before stores and theatres release that certain material. People downloading and sharing this information may have to wait a few hours and pay nothing, while people who don’t share files have to wait several weeks and pay full price.

If a person has a fast internet connection they may also download many different files at a time. Several movies, songs and games can be downloaded at the same time no matter the time of day. Also, another convenient attribute to file sharing is that obscure titles can be found quite easily on-line.

-http://www.limewirepro.info/search.GIF

Quality
When files are downloaded there is often the issue of the quality of the songs or movies being downloaded. Many will notice that some songs are fuzzy, or there are often random sounds or voices in the background that should not be there. Another aspect is that some file sharers files have an advertisement from where they retrieved the file. In the movies there is often the aspect of pirated movies. This is when someone videotapes the movie in the theatres so before it has even been released on DVD and then puts it in the file sharing networks. These often have terrible picture quality, as well as barely understandable audio. There is also the odd time where a shadow will walk across the screen.

Security Issues
When you decide to put your computer into the peer-2-peer networking system there comes the issue of protecting your computer. When in these networks you often have no idea who your networking with or who your getting many of your downloads from. This can result in a lot of your personal information being shared with unknown sources. Though many computers possess cryptography for credit card numbers there have been situations where a networked computer has gained access to these numbers and it resulted in identity theft. There is also the possibility of the transfer of viruses from the unknown source.

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/images/security.jpg

Illegal Downloading and File Sharing
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Canada has the greatest number of file sharers per capita than any other country in the world including the United States of America according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Not only do we beat America for the number of file sharers per capita, but Canada is also seeing a constant increase in the number of file sharers where America’s numbers are declining. This is the reason Canada has made file sharing and the uploading/distributing certain material online illegal.

Canada’s Copyright Act states that in general, it is illegal, whether for personal gain or profit, to copy and distribute unauthorized material online. This includes peer-2-peer file sharing including networks such as kazaa, isohunt, and limewire. The downloading in peer-2-peer (p2p) file sharing is not illegal, however the uploading and distributing is illegal. Downloading and uploading are hand-in-hand with p2p networks. However, there are some exemptions to this law. It is also stated that it is perfectly legal to copy sound recordings onto an “audio recording medium” for the personal use of the person making the copy. This means that recording music files for personal use is fine.

Penalties: Specific penalties will be decided by the court. A copyright holder can also choose to elect to protect his copyright under section 38 which consists of a fine which sums between $500 and $20,000, dependant on what the court considers just.

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2111786/share-main_Full.jpg

Although it is illegal, people who download the odd movie and other material (I being one) should not worry due to the minor amount of damage they are causing. In 2007, RCMP officers stated that they will tolerate piracy for personal use. The RCMP said that it is near impossible to track down everyone who downloads and uploads illegal material through p2p file sharing for personal use. They are said not to have the time nor the resources to handle the amount of violators.

Spyware
There is the possibility that with the file-sharing program you are using comes spyware. This is a software that's name basically says exactly what it does. It watches the user's behavior such as sites the user goes to frequently or the habits the computer owner possesses. It then secretly installs other softwares or sends the information it retrieves about the user's surfing habits and sends it on to a third party. Other aspects of spyware are that it can change settings on your computer or even slow it down. If your computer is affected by spyware there are many anti-spyware, and anti-malware programs that will get rid of the spyware without affecting the file-sharing system.

http://www.everymethod.com/blog/uploaded_images/spyware-709821.jpg

Legal Alternatives
There are quite a few legal alternatives rather than downloading which are much safer, but a bit costlier. One very popular option is iTunes, with it you can purchase not just music, but also movies, television show episodes, games, music videos and podcasts. This also comes with both the option to buy full CD's or to purchase one or two of your favorites from certain CD's giving you the feel of a network such as Limewire, or Torrent, but it is completely legal and has extremely better quality. There are also some features with iTunes such as already made compilations of themes such as christmas, or road trips, which possess a variety of different types of songs but comes with a cheaper price than if you were to purchase them all individually.

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