File traders who seed peer-to-peer networks with copyrighted material can be identified and traced, according to a US company.
BayTSP, based in California, US, monitors peer-to-peer (P2P) trading networks using a technique called software 鈥渟pidering鈥�. The new software, called FirstSource, allows it to determine which user first uploaded a particular file for trading. It does this by mimicking the behaviour of a user on a massive scale 鈥� sending out multiple requests for a file extremely quickly. It deduces the culprits by assuming that only they will have the full 100% of the file, having uploaded the original.
鈥淭he first propagator, as we call them, has 100% of the file available for download and other individuals then begin downloading and sharing the portions they鈥檝e received,鈥� says Jim Graham, a spokesman for BayTSP.
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鈥淥nce the file is confirmed to be the content in question, we can then monitor individuals who download from the initial source,鈥� he adds. 鈥淵ou might have tens of thousands of copies available for download, but all of them likely originated from a handful of source files that have been copied over and over.鈥�
Rampant piracy
File-sharing networks such as eDonkey let users search each other鈥檚 computers for music and movie files and then download them directly. Other P2P networks, like BitTorrent, let users download a file from multiple sources simultaneously, speeding up the distribution process.
These networks are blamed by the entertainment industry for enabling rampant piracy. Users offering substantial amounts of copyrighted material for download have already been sued by industry bodies such as the Recording Industry Association of America and the US Motion Picture Association.
Recent evidence, however, suggests that most files come from relatively few sources. This is especially true for films or albums that are uploaded before their official release date, having been leaked or acquired illicitly. Graham says FirstSource could enable copyright enforcers to focus their legal attacks against those who are at the root of illegal distribution.
But some P2P network experts say the system may be far from perfect.
鈥淚f you are spidering over millions of nodes that are rapidly appearing and disappearing how can you say for sure that one node with 100% of a file鈥檚 contents didn鈥檛 pull it from another node that just disappeared a minute before?鈥� asks Brad Neuberg, a programmer in San Francisco, US, who works on a P2P information sharing network called Rojo Networks.
鈥淭rivial modification鈥�
Adam Langley, a UK-based P2P programmer adds that network developers could also modify their software to get around such monitoring.
鈥淚f it becomes known that seeders are being targeted then they may well chose to start doing silly tricks like distributing the file via another system amongst a small group of people,鈥� he told New 杏吧原创.
鈥淚 suspect it would only require a trivial modification to render this technique useless,鈥� adds Ian Clarke, who is one of the programmers behind an anonymous file-trading network called Freenet. Freenet makes it impossible to tell who requests a file by encrypting data and communications and distributing between multiple sources.
Graham admits that the technology is not infallible but believes it could be a useful weapon for copyright enforcers. 鈥淚f a company were able to identify the first individual or small group of individuals who upload pirated intellectual property, those individuals could be held liable for substantial damages,鈥� he says.
