RIAA admits much file sharing is accidental

Filed in archive RIAA, IFPI on February 7, 2006

RIAA said in November 2004 testimony before the Federal Trade Commission that most P2P users aren't aware that files are being shared.

This runs counter to their PR campaign that P2P users are intentional pirates.

"As an initial matter, P2P software may, upon installation, automatically search a user's entire hard drive for content. Files that users have no intention of sharing may end up being offered to the entire P2P network. Continued sharing of personal information is hard to avoid and is facilitated by confusing and complicated instructions for designating shared items. A study by Nathaniel S. Good and Aaron Krekelberg at HP Laboratories showed that "the majority of the users...were unable to tell what files they were sharing, and sometimes incorrectly assumed they were not sharing any files when in fact they were sharing all files on their hard drive."