Posted: 04th Mar, 2004 By: MarkJ
UK ISP
BTOpenworld (Yahoo!) has begun issuing warning letters to customers on its service that have been using P2P (file-sharing) to exchange copies of the leaked Microsoft Windows source code:
Users who continue to share the purloined source code are in violation of BTo's acceptable use policy and risk having their connection cut off, the broadband operator warns.
Following news last month that portions of Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 source code were illegally leaked onto the Web, Microsoft said it would send letters pointing out the illegality of sharing this source code to anyone who had already downloaded it. It also announced that it would post alerts on P2P networks to further discourage anyone tempted to sneak a peek at its 'Crown jewels' software code.
Nick Truman, head of Internet Security at BT Retail, said the letters were in response to "substantiated complaints" about the misuse of its service to share Windows source code. He isn't saying who complained or how many letters it has sent out. But he provides some reassurance that BTo was taking care not to falsely accuse anyone of sharing illegal content.Those getting the letters should count themselves extremely lucky; such abuse of the Internet benefits no one and gives others a reason to clamp down on our civil liberties. Isn't it better to be warned than have a law suit in your post from Microsoft?