Download Browser, the Internet's premiere guard dog. He'll live on your desktop, give you Internet safety tips and keep you entertained! 
File Sharing
Technically speaking…
Watch Out!
Top concerns for file sharing
- Check your preferences! Make sure personal files are not accessible by the P2P network.
- Always ask an adult before you download a file.
- Copyright laws apply to the Internet. Make sure your P2P site has legal files.
- Keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs up to date.
- Avoid chatting on P2P with users you don’t know in the real world — not everyone online is who they say they are!
File sharing, AKA peer-to-peer or P2P, is a technology that allows users to search for and copy files from another computer. Most people use P2P to swap digital music files (MP3s).
Why it’s great
When you install file sharing software, your computer becomes part of the P2P service's network — meaning that you can easily search for and download almost all the music, videos and photos you want. But don’t forget that others users can search and upload files from your computer as well.
The not so great: spyware and viruses
Since P2P is really just a series of computers that share files, you can be at risk for viruses and spyware when you download files from users you don’t know in the real world.
Spyware is a small program hidden in a downloadable file that essentially “spies” on your computer. Just like a real spy, spyware is unseen and can do anything from slow your computer down to track your passwords and credit card numbers.
P2P viruses, like trojans, can turn your computer into a zombie, controlled by an outside user. This outside user uses thousands of zombie PCs to email spam ads over the Internet. Definitely not cool.
Reputable file sharing sites
- Download.com
- iTunes
- Zune Market
- Napster
- Amazon.com
Set it up together!
As a family, pick a reputable file-sharing site and setup an account together. To avoid downloading illegal files or viruses choose a site where you pay for the content.
Parent P.S.
Get more tips on how you can make file sharing safer for your kids
- Safe Surf Home
- What's Online
- File Sharing
