legalandprivacyimplicationsof.docVIP

Legal and Privacy Implications of Peer-to-Peer Systems Version 1.0 May 17, 2001 Raj Dandage (Editor) Tim Gorton Ngozika Nwaneri Mark Tompkins Advisors: Keith Enright Zulfikar Ramzan Professors: Hal Abelson Danny Weitzner Abstract This paper examines privacy issues in the context of peer-to-peer systems. In it, we build a framework of concerns in the areas of privacy, law, and public policy and use this framework to evaluate a number of current peer-to-peer systems. Based on these evaluations, we develop a set of recommendations that users, system developers, and public policy makers can draw upon in order to enhance users’ privacy. These recommendations are significant because privacy is and will continue to be a great concern in the world of computing. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Table of Figures 6 1 Introduction 7 2 History and Definitions 9 2.1 So What is P2P? 10 3 Goals of P2P Systems 13 3.1 Business Goals 13 3.1.1 Fostering Business Communication and Technological Innovation 13 3.1.2 Establishing a Large User Base 14 3.2 Public Policy Goals 14 3.2.1 Protecting Users’ Privacy 15 3.2.3 Protecting Copyright Holders’ Rights 17 3.2.4 Preventing Libel 17 3.3 Technical Goals 17 3.3.1 Scalability 18 3.3.2 Reliability 18 3.3.3 Simplicity and Ease of Use 19 3.3.4 Security 19 4 A Threat Model for P2P Systems 21 4.1 Possible Adversaries 21 4.2 Privacy Threats 22 4.2.1 Monitoring of Transactions 23 4.2.2 Manipulation of Transactions 23 4.2.3 Compromised Anonymity 24 4.2.4 Impersonation and Misrepresentation 25 4.2.5 Legal Action 25 4.2.6 Social Pressure 25 4.3 Usability Threats 26 4.3.1 Denial of Service 27 4.3.2 Unreliability 27 4.3.3 Blocking of Access to End Users 27 4.3.4 Malicious Content 28 4.3.5 Freeloading 28 4.4 Summary 29 5 Legal Issues Affecting P2P Systems 30 5.1 Copyright in the United States 30 5.1.1 Background on U.S. Copyright Law 30 5.1.2 The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 31 5.1.3 Legal