LimeWire Targeted again by Authorities
After a period of legal calmness, once the much controversial p2p file sharing service which then tried to get as legitimate as can be, Limewire is facing again lawful problems. It seems that the Congress still regards the popular p2p service as dangerous for those who have sensitive data stored on their computers.
According to VentureBeat: “In a recent letter to LimeWire executives, Representatives Adolphus Towns (D-NY) and Darrell E. Issa (R-CA) cite up-to-date reports of inadvertent document leaks via P2P services as reason to revisit the issue. Of note are reports of over 620,000 leaked credit reports, 25,800 student loan applications, and even the recent case of purloined blueprints for President Obama’s helicopter, Marine One. Rounding out the renewed probe are queries to the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission requesting proof of investigation in the matter since the 2007 hearing.”
Following the accusations Limewire faced in 2007 over presenting a high risk of exposure for inexperienced users who end up inadvertently sharing folders containing personal information, the company made some changes to the default settings of their p2p software so as to prevent such ‘accidents’ from happening. But that was not enough, the House Committee on Government Reform says.
However, one can’t help but wonder about the extent to which LimeWire is to be held responsible and the one where is only a matter of user’s precaution.
Given that the company had the misfortune to have this issue emerging so soon after the harsh sentence given to the four Pirate bay founders, it’s unlikely for Limewire to be let off too easily now.
