Towns to call attention to peer-to-peer network issues

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Edolphus Towns today is expected to blame the Bush administration for having a laissez-faire attitude that has allowed privacy and security problems posed by peer-to-peer networks to persist online. At a hearing on the topic, he is likely to call for legislation to guard against inadvertent file-sharing, heightened FCC involvement and the creation of a public awareness campaign to inform people about the dangers of P2P software.

The panel held similar hearings in 2007 and four years earlier. In response, the P2P industry adopted a voluntary code of conduct to prevent unintentional data disclosures, but a new committee investigation showed popular platforms like LimeWire are not living up to their promises. Despite LimeWire Chairman Mark Gorton's claims that his product has bolstered security, staffers found the latest version of the software shares all photos, music and images that were inadvertently shared in previous editions.

The committee probe also found LimeWire distributes files in a way that could unwittingly make a user a conduit for trafficking pornography or copyrighted material and found its copyright filter is turned off by default. Additionally, LimeWire does not treat image and e-mail files as sensitive and does not fully uninstall, leaving behind hidden files, according to a summary of the research. Gorton will testify at the hearing alongside P2P monitoring expert Robert Boback and Tom Sydnor of the Progress and Freedom Foundation.

New industry controls do not go far enough because once a file is shared it is hard to stop its spread, the committee concluded. An analysis by Boback's firm, Tiversa, said LimeWire and other P2P services have become havens for scammers. The examination also confirmed the presence of sensitive government files on such platforms.

LimeWire's features remain "horribly dangerous" and "the option of relying upon good faith and voluntary self-regulation isn't viable," Sydnor said in an interview. He said it may be time for the Justice Department and state attorneys general to clamp down. But Distributed Computing Industry Association CEO Martin Lafferty, whose trade group represents LimeWire, said the firm has "done a tremendous job" beefing up security and working with other P2P providers and policymakers on the issue.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., who is not on the committee, introduced legislation that would bar P2P programs from being installed without clear notice and consent. Sydnor said the success of that measure hinges on whether it could be tailored to prevent legitimate technologies from being adversely affected. The bill awaits action by the Energy and Commerce Committee, which held a hearing on the measure in May.

Meanwhile, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is interested in addressing Internet security and his staff is reviewing what has been accomplished.