Well cnshht (how do you pronounce that name?)

You've summed up the current and ongoing problem with the gnutella network, not to mention the planted viruses and booby trapped software.

However, your idea of fighting this problem is somewhat surprising considering that you have large companies, major western government organisations all trying to stop their computer users from using P2P apps and facilities by whatever means.

Consequently, I do strongly disagree when you said:I believe the only way to offer protection to P2P users is discussion, like we are having now, and educating users to spot and avert the network's dangers.

But saying all that, once using the P2P stop being fun then, I guess, most people, like myself, will just stop using it.



UK Bob

As a relatively ignorant end-user (who can't get i2Phex to install) I do have vague hopes that P2P client developers will feel intrigued by the challenge of defeating Megacorporate programmer-goons, and pass along to me the fruits of their efforts at some point. I'm historically a Phex-user (came here looking for clues to this conundrum) and I see signs of an adaptive move toward private networks, etc. I hope to study it in the future. You bet I'd like to see P2P evolve into something that makes those media conglomerates who are funding denial-of-service efforts wish they'd never screwed with P2P.

Could blacklisting be refined by a dynamic service that works within our client programs, so that when we send a query and shortly afterward receive garbage results that contain our exact string, those hosts are filtered or auto-blocked...?

Beyond that, ...would it be possible for a script or program/module to be written that would identify/track-back the hosts of the spoilers, and target THEM with enough retaliatory traffic that their own rotten activity becomes untenable? They are doing something that no public-minded P2P user would engage in. Can their activity can be used to dynamically and automatically identify them and retalitate? Can we respectful users, in our greater numbers, with the help of those developers who don't like seeing the fruits of their previous labor spoiled... ...can we all run a program that identifies the garbage-spewers and targets them with noise, denying THEM the ability to deny service to others?

Surely we are as free to do that, as they are to do what they do. I for one would be happy to host an add-on module or program that gives them a dose of their own poison....