-Caveat Lector- http://www.canada.com/hamilton/story.asp?id={7A94E0E6-CC77-453F-A08F-5DC2B0E8C790}
It pays to read the fine print Times Colonist (Victoria) Sunday, April 14, 2002 TORONTO (CP) -- How many people actually read those long-winded end-user agreements that pop up on your computer screen when installing software? Anyone with a home computer has seen them: "Do you agree to abide by the terms of a, b, c, and d?" Then you click YES. It's the final obstacle in getting that new killer application up and running. After all, to untrained eyes, it appears to be your standard, legitimate legal mumbo-jumbo. But do you know what you've agreed to? Over 40 million Internet users who downloaded the file-swapping program Kazaa didn't. And now their computers are housing third-party software that's poised to sow the seeds of an Internet-based global network. California-based Brilliant Digital Entertainment wants to harness the storage and processing capabilities of your PC and sell it to companies that lack computing power. This would be accomplished over a network of home computers they call Altnet, which they hope to turn on in the next four-to-six weeks. Kazaa is peer-to-peer software that allows users to network with other users to trade movies, music and much more. It's just one of the many file sharing programs to gain prominence in the wake of Napster's legal troubles. What users didn't know is that Brilliant Digital has been installing its software along with Kazaa since February. To make matters worse, Web surfers hungry to share files have said yes to all this, via that end-user agreement they didn't bother to read. On April 1, Brilliant Digital made its intentions known in a U.S. securities filing. Since then the company has been at the centre of a backlash of sorts. Tech-focused Web sites like ZDNet.com are coming out against Brilliant Digital's plans. Terms like "Trojan-horse virus" are being used in postings to ZDNet's reader talkback page. According to Brilliant Digital Entertainment CEO Kevin Bermeister, "it's been crazy." Bermeister believes that his company's intentions were taken out of context, and he's going to great lengths to assure Kazaa users that becoming part of Altnet will be an entirely separate process involving a new end-user agreement. And further, those who agree to become part of the network can opt out at anytime. Brilliant Digital wants three things from your computer. One is bandwidth, basically the use of your Internet connection. Second is your PC's ability to process information, and third is storage space on your hard drive. "In each of these cases the allocation of that resource will be up to the end-user, and whether or not they intend to continue providing resources," Bermeister said. "They can opt out at any point in time." If they want to opt out now, before Altnet is up and running, there are complete instructions on how to remove Brilliant's software at ZDNet.com's site at http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-875278.html. As a member of Altnet, files in need of processing and storage would be sent to your computer over the Internet. They would be retrieved when the operation was completed, at some later date or stored there so that other network users could "pull" them from you. Your computer would be carrying out functions for various companies that Altnet has a relationship with, but "at this stage, Altnet has not entered into any specific agreements," Bermeister said. High-speed users, who have the option of continuous connection to the Internet, will be targeted first, but people using dial-up modem connections could opt into the plan by providing storage space for data. � Copyright 2002 Times Colonist (Victoria) <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
