mp3s

if you download them from a website is it possible for the RIIA or whatever its called to find out and is their anything I can do to block them out so they wont know I dl mp3s

if u have a firewall it will be very very very difficult for them to find out your ip address. without a firewall u r screwed

Incorrect...a firewall just blocks the ports into your computer...it DOESNT mask your IP address....to prove it just go to www.ipchicken.com with your firewall up. Itll show it...and I know a great piece of HTML that will capture your IP addy and email it to me. If you download from websites its hard for them to see you...unless they are monitoring the site which they would have to physically watch the downloads. You should be okay...just dont do it ALOT. But you should download a program called PeerGuardian. It blocks RIAA (Recording Industry Assocciation of America) IP ranges so they cant see your computer.

[Edited on 22-1-2004 by dreamlandmafia]

Originally posted by dreamlandmafia
...and I know a great piece of HTML that will capture your IP addy and email it to me.

Sorry, I have an urge to correct you, lol... You can't do that with just HTML. You need server-side programming to do that, something like PHP, CGI, ASP, etc.

Oh, just thought I'd contribute to the original topic...

A firewall will not mask your IP address no, you need to connect to the Internet through a proxy server or something simular - But we have gone over this so many times on BTS - And no, proxy servers are still not 100% anonymous - some may be, for a very high feee - where they don't keep logs.

But for downloading MP3s, you don't need to worry that much, lol.
A lot of ISPs (Mine does) also mask your IP address automatically anyway.

I didn't think downloading MP3s was truly illegal anyway?
I know there have been a lot of hoo ha about Peer 2 Peer networks like KaZaA and Napster, but I though they decided it's still legal?

A lot of bands actually encourage people to share ther music on the Internet, as it's spreads the word around about them.

I don't download a lot of MP3s anyway, only the odd few, and their usually from the bands website anyway - so that has to be legal, lol.

I would not be that paranoid. Since the RIAA has gone on their little binge going after users, personally I have not slowed my acquistion of mp3s. Illegal, yup I know but I really am not going to worry about the RIAA...

Originally posted by weeman
if you download them from a website is it possible for the RIIA or whatever its called to find out and is their anything I can do to block them out so they wont know I dl mp3s

depends. if theyre on teh website illegally, yeah. napster was shutdown cuz they had everything on their own server, thus u cud attack them. its pretty much the same thing. the p2p stuff is just a provider, they have no liability.
however, there are websites that u can legally download stuff from, pay and free. i no a number of places where u can legally (i hope) download mp3s free of charge. theres a lot less choice, but hey, its free.
and the smilies are so much nicer on bts than ats.
:bash::bnghd:

I generaly avoid downloading,
a, I am a 56Ker,
b, half the time their crap quality, I find.
The only mp3's of decent quality that I downloaded were the ones REM put up on their website as an mp3 only album