P2P Threats Empirically Unproven, Says FTC
June 23, 2005
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/003736.php
Today didn't bring us the hotly anticipated Grokster decision, but it did
bring the FTC Staff Workshop Report on P2P. The workshop, in which EFF
participated, considered the consumer protection and competition issues
raised by P2P software. As in Grokster, some participants tried to demonize
P2P as a uniquely dangerous hazard, exposing consumers inadvertently to data
security risks, adware, spyware, viruses, pornography, and more.
But the FTC didn't fall for it, concluding:
"Many of these risks to consumers are not unique to P2P file sharing,
but also exist when consumers engage in other Internet-related activities
such as surfing websites, downloading software, and using e-mail or instant
messaging. Workshop participants submitted little empirical evidence
concerning whether the risks arising from P2P file sharing are greater than,
equal to, or less than these risks from other Internet-related activities."
Significantly, the report also found, as EFF argued in its comments, that
the impact of filesharing on the music industry is unclear.
You can read the whole report --
http://www.ftc.gov/reports/p2p05/050623p2prpt.pdf
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