How RIAA tracks downloaders |
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How RIAA tracks downloaders |
 Aug 31 2003, 22:27
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#1
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Group: Members Posts: 1 Joined: 31-August 03 Member No.: 8624  |
From CNN (http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/28/downloading.music.ap/) -
"[T]he industry disclosed its use of a library of digital fingerprints, called "hashes," that it said can uniquely identify MP3 music files that had been traded on the Napster service as far back as May 2000." Obviously I'm new here, and this question might be dumb, I don't know, but: Can anyone explain what this means? |
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Aug 31 2003, 22:34
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#2
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 Group: Members Posts: 964 Joined: 29-December 01 Member No.: 830 |
It means the RIAA has an archive of MD5 (or SFV/some other checksum...) values for a few million MP3s. Effectively, that means that if you download a copy of a song that is bit-for-bit identical with one they've catalogued, they might be aware of that file... but it does not mean they know you downloaded it, unless they are also using packet sniffers like wiretaps.
Also, if you have a copy of the same song which was ripped from a different source, or the same source but with a different sample offset, the "hash" will be completely different from the one they've catalogued. So for any given song, there are any number of possible encodes of that song, and thus any number of possible hashes (limited only by the number of bytes in whatever hashing algorithm they've chosen). - M. |
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Aug 31 2003, 22:44
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#3
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Group: Banned Posts: 32 Joined: 22-May 03 Member No.: 6756 |
Amazing. Truely Wonderful. I have to admit, they are technological pioneers. Checksums are truely advanced new technology.
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Sep 1 2003, 00:28
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#4
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 Group: Members Posts: 232 Joined: 23-April 02 Member No.: 1853 |
QUOTE (smith454 @ Aug 31 2003, 05:27 PM) "[T]he industry disclosed its use of a library of digital fingerprints, called "hashes," that it said can uniquely identify MP3 music files that had been traded on the Napster service as far back as May 2000."  Snapshot taken at the interview: edit: link corrected. This post has been edited by LIF: Sep 1 2003, 16:40 -------------------- "Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life" (Art Blakey)
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Sep 1 2003, 03:01
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#5
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Group: Members Posts: 648 Joined: 25-October 02 From: Colombia Member No.: 3620 |
hashes are useless.
If I used MP3Gain on the files, the hash wouldn't match, would it? -------------------- "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you."
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Sep 1 2003, 08:08
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#6
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 Group: Admin Posts: 2530 Joined: 26-September 01 From: Denmark Member No.: 21 |
QUOTE (/\/ephaestous @ Sep 1 2003, 04:01 AM) hashes are useless. If I used MP3Gain on the files, the hash wouldn't match, would it? No it wouldn't. Even if you added/modified tags it wouldn't. @Valefor: Checksums are not new. They have been used to verify downloads for ages and sharing programs like eMule/edonkey identifies files by checksum. |
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Sep 1 2003, 08:30
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#7
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 Group: Banned Posts: 769 Joined: 1-July 03 Member No.: 7495 |
QUOTE (Jan S. @ Sep 1 2003, 03:08 AM) @Valefor: Checksums are not new. They have been used to verify downloads for ages and sharing programs like eMule/edonkey identifies files by checksum. I'm pretty sure he was kidding. His post (IMO) seems to reek of sarcasm.  (Though I could be wrong.)@LIF: That's an appropriate pic. But I'll die before it's me.  Kinda cool that something as simple as MP3Gain would shut down one the RIAA's means of stealing from us. Forward The Revolution! Stop music theft by the RIAA. They giveth and they taketh away? Not on my watch! I payeth, they giveth, transaction ends. |
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Sep 1 2003, 16:07
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#8
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Group: Members Posts: 232 Joined: 23-April 02 Member No.: 1853 |
IMHO, As always, the R*AA is trying to scare more people, by using nested technical statements.
This post has been edited by LIF: Sep 1 2003, 16:33 -------------------- "Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life" (Art Blakey)
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 25th May 2013 - 08:42 |
