BetaONE will rise again! - Ants And Online Pirates

Quote:

MUTE, freely available software for a P2P system.

MUTE's system has several different ways to thwart tracking efforts.

First, each computer on the MUTE network is "addressed" by a random string of characters and numbers. And each time a computer connects to the MUTE network, a new random address is generated.

When a MUTE member searches a file, Rohrer says, the request goes out from the originating computer only to nearby computers the program knows about. If the files aren't found there, the MUTE software on those nearby computers then send out requests to the next set of computers they know about.

Like ants foraging for food, the requests continue on their way across the network. When the file is finally located on the network, the computer that has the file sends the message back to the nearby computer that sent the request, which then passes it on to the computer that it received the request from, and so on.

Rohrer says MUTE's setup offers several advantages over current P2P networks.

For one, chances of finding and retrieving a particular file across the network might be increased since each computer on the network is actively looking and sending data back to the originating computer.

Rohrer compares it to sending a message using the old "telephone" party game.

"Let's say you're in a room crowded with people, one of whom is someone you know," Rohrer says. "To reach that person, you ask the seven people next to you to pass a written message to that person. They may not know the person or where he is in the room, but in turn they'll copy and pass the note to the people closest to them, and so on. Eventually the person you want to reach gets the message because you've covered everyone in the room."

What's more, such a system offers another layer of anonymity to users. In order for parties such as the RIAA to track such requests, the organization would have to monitor every single computer on the MUTE network.

Rohrer says he initially didn't design MUTE as a blatant challenge to the RIAA and its efforts to stop piracy. But he says he was troubled by the recent RIAA lawsuits, which he believes trampled on the individual's right to privacy.

"It's a scary environment to be living in when an organization like the RIAA can just snoop on what you're doing online," Rohrer says. "I've created a piece of software that helps people protect their privacy."

Story

Code:

http://www.techtv.com/news/scitech/story/0,24195,3601701,00.html

Download MUTE Here: (I Have Not Tested Yet)

Code:

http://mute-net.sourceforge.net/