BitTorrent users are increasingly finding themselves under the watching eye of anti-piracy agencies and ISPs trying to detect copyright infringement or curtail bandwidth hogging, often employing questionable tactics in the process. The fact is, whether you're doing anything illegal or not, the open nature of this peer-to-peer file sharing protocol means that anyone with the right tools and knowledge can dig into stuff like your home IP address or your download history.
Although we don't support piracy, we are not fond of media giants lobbying for increased powers to tap on users' activities online either. It's our belief that draconian DRM restrictions and other related nuisances is what's affecting the industry in the first place, but that's another story. If you're concerned about being monitored, it pays off to learn a few tricks and increase your privacy when downloading using the BitTorrent protocol.
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EU wants to monitor your searches
Privacy concerns are always a hot topic when it comes to the Internet and your government. If you live in the EU, your privacy is about to be imposed upon further if the EU gets its way. If Declartion 29 gets passed it will give the EU authority to monitor your searches to help stem child pornography.
According to Slashdot, “the substance of the declaration is to extend the EU data retention directive to search engines, so that all searches done on for example Google will be monitored”. If passed, all search data will be monitored and reviewed in hopes of stopping child pornography. While the intention is not unreasonable, the idea of retaining search data could lead to detrimental results if the information were leaked.
Unlike Google, who tracks your behavior anonymously, Declaration 29 would allow authorities to track back search results to the user. While tracking for child pornography is good, what will the discretion level be for other potential illegal activities? If the Police find this as a plausible means to arrest criminals, will searches for other illegal activities now be reviewed or will the EU implement filtering like China?
When a government acquires information from private firms who are only looking for illegal activities but not investigating them, users are facing an invasion of privacy. If you are concerned about this invasion, it is recommended that you e-mail to the MEPs for your country and explain your concern.
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Google's Chrome OS to arrive "later this fall"
Google has come forward with an update on its web-centric operating system for portable devices.Google's VP of product management Sundar Pichai confirmed Chrome OS will be on the market in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The statement pushes back earlier rumors of a third-quarter launch, as Google continues to work closely with hardware partners to deliver clamshell devices with touch-pads, keyboards and screens between 10 and 12 inches across. At least initially this will be the focus. It isn't clear whether Chrome OS will also be ready for tablets when it launches. So far we've seen a few Android tablet prototypes being announced, but the jury is still out regarding which platform will work best in this market.
Announced nearly a year ago, Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system built around Google's Chrome browser. Like other Linux-based platforms, it will be available for free, allowing hardware vendors to avoid licensing costs. A big part of Google's focus is on speed, and as such startup times, including access to the web, should take seconds rather than the minute or longer that most Windows users endure. The cloud-based design should provide quick access to Google's suite of online applications, in addition to the Chrome Web Store which will launch alongside the operating system.
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