How safe is downloading

[St0ry]

Usenet is about as safe as you can get since most premium providers only keep logs for 24-48 hours, and most providers don't record what you download only how much you download. Add to that some providers are starting to support SSL, Giganews and UNS, your ISP doesn't know what it is you're downloading/uploading, only you and your Usenet provider. Correct me if I'm wrong on that last part.

I use UNS and this is from their website:

At Usenetserver.com, it is our goal to keep your personal information as private as possible. Our news servers remove the X-TRACE header and NNTP-posting-host header, thereby removing where you posted from. Other users only see from which UNS server you posted. We also do not monitor what you download. We only monitor how much you download in accordance to your chosen account. Please understand that we only see byte data and nothing else.

[djkemp1]

thanks for the info, does anyone know if any individuals have ever been in trouble for downloading off of newsgroups. i don't download much stuff anyway, but its just nice to know.

also i use newsdemon, does anyone know about there privacy policy? and alos whether they will be getting ssl in the future?

[knight76]

I've never heard of anybody getting in trouble for downloading from newsgroups. I think the financial outlay for the authorities to catch and prosecute individuals would be restrictive to just catch individual offenders.

I have however heard of a workmate getting a nice email from their ISP. It was an email they received from paramount or one of the other big movie studios identifying their IP and advising them this is illegal yada yada. The ISP passed it on.

I think newsgroups are pretty safe. There was a torrent tracker I was on and noticed that in each thread for a torrent it listed who exactly was downloading that torrent. That's a little scary.

[djkemp1]

you say your friend got an email, but how would paramount know he was downloading films etc as i didn't think they could see what u download?

[St0ry]

If you're this paranoid about downloading then just go out and buy the DVDs/Cds.

[Broken]

i believe your questions have been answered several times djkep1.



the best answer is so far...

If you're this paranoid about downloading then just go out and buy the DVDs/Cds.

[webe123]

you say your friend got an email, but how would paramount know he was downloading films etc as i didn't think they could see what u download?

He never said it was newsgroups that he was downloading from....He never said WHAT program he got the film from. So you may be reading too much into what he said.


It was probably Bit Torrent or some other p2p app...those are REAL EASY to get an IP from!

[djkemp1]

cheers guys, sorry to go over everything a few times just wanted a good understanding of it all.

thanks

[knight76]

It was a torrent site he was downloading from. Certainly not usenet.

Needless to say he hasnt downloaded again so I guess the email worked.

[webe123]

It was a torrent site he was downloading from. Certainly not usenet.

Needless to say he hasnt downloaded again so I guess the email worked.

Well then THAT explains it. Bit Torrent may be the most popular way of getting files, but it is also the riskiest!

It is very easy to obtain an IP from Bit Torrent. But most folks use it because it is fast and free.