If you’re still swapping files on P2P networks but you’re getting nervous about the RIAA coming after you, check out Peer Guardian. This free software logs all IP addresses of those accessing your computer, and blocks addresses known to be RIAA. The software reportedly works, but unfortunately relies on a human element to figure out which IP addresses are the baddies: users who get “infringement letters” from the RIAA update the database based on the date and time of the alleged infringement. While this is a fine first step, I can imagine that the corporate muckety-mucks are going to find a way to mask their IP and avoid this program altogether. A better solution might be to come up with some way to punish computers that access yours in an unauthorized manner…
Hardware Beyond the Hype