Internet Safety
Peer to Peer Network Dangers
January 15, 2010
Peer to peer software opens your hard drive to the world where others can see your personal files, i.e., spreadsheets and word processing documents, possibly exposing you to identity theft. It also has been used to distribute illegal copies of software, music, and movies. Movie studios and music producers are stepping up efforts to detect and prosecute those who steal their work and share over the Internet. In an effort to protect the students, your school’s data, and the district from unwanted liability, Net9 blocks access to all peer to peer download sites, as well as all peer to peer protocols. However, this does not protect your district from liability when an administrator, staff member, or student might take district computers home and inadvertently access peer to peer software that can be used to download and share copyrighted works.
Therefore, Net 9 encourages administrators and teachers to be aware of the problems associated with these types of peer to peer applications, i.e., Napster and LimeWire. Also, check to make sure that you have good virus protection which is regularly updated. We further encourage district and campus technology coordinators to ensure that they are following their procedures for the ongoing monitoring of content and programs that might have been loaded on the district-owned computers which have been checked out to students or other individuals. District-owned computers should not have peer to peer applications, i.e., Napster and LimeWire installed.
If you have questions regarding this correspondence or need assistance implementing security procedures for district-owned computers, please contact Mike Campbell at 940-322-6928 or email mike.campbell@esc9.net.
