How much does the MPIA know about you right now?

[weeks]

How much becomes public knowledge about you (me) the moment you (we) use a
freeware bittorrent client to download/upload a shared .torrent?

I'm sure your IP address and your ISP and a rough estimate of your
geolocation from the IP address can be had almost instantly. Certainly what
you are attempting to upload & download is public knowledge, as is your
bittorrent client-but what else do they know about you (me) right off the
bat?

I'm not asking what they can find out if they subphoena your ISP (which is
your name and address and entire upload/download history).

I'm asking what they know from your use of the bittorrent client alone.
a. bittorrent client & version
b. IP address, ISP, and geolocation
c. downloaded/uploaded files
d. ? what else do they instantly know about you ?

Elise

[meerkat]

"weeks" <r_weeks@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:nkxy3d65a63l$.1o6i8o6i7nu3i$.dlg@40tude.net.. .
> How much becomes public knowledge about you (me) the moment you (we) use a
> freeware bittorrent client to download/upload a shared .torrent?
>
> I'm sure your IP address and your ISP and a rough estimate of your
> geolocation from the IP address can be had almost instantly. Certainly
> what
> you are attempting to upload & download is public knowledge, as is your
> bittorrent client-but what else do they know about you (me) right off the
> bat?
>
> I'm not asking what they can find out if they subphoena your ISP (which is
> your name and address and entire upload/download history).
>
> I'm asking what they know from your use of the bittorrent client alone.
> a. bittorrent client & version
> b. IP address, ISP, and geolocation
> c. downloaded/uploaded files
> d. ? what else do they instantly know about you ?
>
Now, Now Elise, don`t start getting paranoid <g>.

[Odd Bob]

"meerkat" <xxxx@xxxx.com> wrote in
news:h010i.4462$r4.128@newsfe1-gui.ntli.net:

>
> "weeks" <r_weeks@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
> news:nkxy3d65a63l$.1o6i8o6i7nu3i$.dlg@40tude.net.. .
>> How much becomes public knowledge about you (me) the moment you (we)
>> use a freeware bittorrent client to download/upload a shared
>> .torrent?
>>
>> I'm sure your IP address and your ISP and a rough estimate of your
>> geolocation from the IP address can be had almost instantly.
>> Certainly what
>> you are attempting to upload & download is public knowledge, as is
>> your bittorrent client-but what else do they know about you (me)
>> right off the bat?
>>
>> I'm not asking what they can find out if they subphoena your ISP
>> (which is your name and address and entire upload/download history).
>>
>> I'm asking what they know from your use of the bittorrent client
>> alone. a. bittorrent client & version
>> b. IP address, ISP, and geolocation
>> c. downloaded/uploaded files
>> d. ? what else do they instantly know about you ?
>>
> Now, Now Elise, don`t start getting paranoid <g>.
>
>
>

Just be sure you don't get undressed while the monitor is facing you.

-- Paranoid Bob

PS: Remember, shiny side out!

[Hop-Frog]

weeks <r_weeks@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
news:nkxy3d65a63l$.1o6i8o6i7nu3i$.dlg@40tude.net:
> I'm asking what they know from your use of the bittorrent client
> alone.
> a. bittorrent client & version
> b. IP address, ISP, and geolocation
> c. downloaded/uploaded files
> d. ? what else do they instantly know about you ?

Item C isn't quite true. Someone can know that you are uploading or
downloading the particular file for which he has a torrent. But all the
other torrents (especially torrents on other trackers) will remain
invisible.

Item B will require a separate database lookup, of course, and isn't
included in the actual data transferred over the BT protocol.

I can't see how any other information will be immediately available,
because no other information is really required for the BT protocol to
transfer data.

--
I am simply Hop-Frog, the jester--and this is my last jest.

[ato_zee@hotmail.com]

On 8-May-2007, weeks <r_weeks@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> I'm asking what they know from your use of the bittorrent client alone.
> a. bittorrent client & version
> b. IP address, ISP, and geolocation
> c. downloaded/uploaded files
> d. ? what else do they instantly know about you ?

Very little if you do it right, just a and c.
b - you can get round making life difficult for them.

[grimgard]

On 08 May 2007 16:25:09 GMT, Hop-Frog wrote:
> Item C isn't quite true. Someone can know that you are uploading or
> downloading the particular file for which he has a torrent. But all the
> other torrents (especially torrents on other trackers) will remain
> invisible.

What exactly does PeerGuardian stop if prying eyes were to come from a
"blocked" domain?

Whatever it is that PeerGuardian stops, presumably would be yet another
thing the bad guys know about you when you download or upload using BT.

[grimgard]

On Tue, 8 May 2007 16:25:13 GMT, ato_zee@hotmail.com wrote:
>> a. bittorrent client & version
>> b. IP address, ISP, and geolocation
>> c. downloaded/uploaded files
> Very little if you do it right, just a and c.
> b - you can get round making life difficult for them.

How?

[Constipated]

In article <Lyc0i.2939$RX.1823@newssvr11.news.prodigy.net>,
grimgard@prodigy.net says...
> On 08 May 2007 16:25:09 GMT, Hop-Frog wrote:
> > Item C isn't quite true. Someone can know that you are uploading or
> > downloading the particular file for which he has a torrent. But all the
> > other torrents (especially torrents on other trackers) will remain
> > invisible.
>
> What exactly does PeerGuardian stop if prying eyes were to come from a
> "blocked" domain?

PeerGuardian stops the connection, you become invisable to the blocked
IP address. As if your computer wer not turned on.

> Whatever it is that PeerGuardian stops, presumably would be yet another
> thing the bad guys know about you when you download or upload using BT.

PeerGuardian does not advertize its self. The bad guys get nothing at
all so they cannot know you are using peerguardian.

The real question is "why are you not using Peerguardian". File shareing
wise you are playing leapfrog in the middle of the freeway.

[ato_zee@hotmail.com]

On 9-May-2007, grimgard <grimgard@prodigy.net> wrote:

> > b - you can get round making life difficult for them.
>
> How?

You can't tell them how if their email bounces.

[Hop-Frog]

grimgard <grimgard@prodigy.net> wrote in
news:Lyc0i.2939$RX.1823@newssvr11.news.prodigy.net :

> On 08 May 2007 16:25:09 GMT, Hop-Frog wrote:
>> Item C isn't quite true. Someone can know that you are uploading or
>> downloading the particular file for which he has a torrent. But all
>> the other torrents (especially torrents on other trackers) will
>> remain invisible.
>
> What exactly does PeerGuardian stop if prying eyes were to come from a
> "blocked" domain?

PeerGuardian stops the establishment of a peer-to-peer connection. So
all the data that the tracker provides (your IP) is still available.
That's enough to get B from the original list, and as much of C as
possible.

I suppose PeerGuardian would probably block A, since I think that data is
exchanged during the initial peer-to-peer handshake. But that data is
also beside the point for most purposes.

What PeerGuardian really does is prevent the anti-P2P people from
*confirming* that you are transferring copyrighted data. They can ask
the tracker, and it will tell them, but that's analogous to hearsay
evidence, and not much use. To confirm it, they'll want to actually
connect to your computer and receive some of the data--kind of like the
undercover cop actually buying pot from the dope peddler. It doesn't
really provide any *new* information, but it confirms that the *old* info
is reliable.

--
I am simply Hop-Frog, the jester--and this is my last jest.