Tech: Spying by iTunes

Subject: Tech: Spying by iTunes
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 03:35 PM

A report at MSNBC.com indicates that it has been discovered that when you download a music file from iTunes, the file contains personal information about you. Details are unclear, but your name and email address are specifically mentioned in the partial audio of the report that I managed to access.

This means that if you download an iTunes file, and subsequently allow anyone else to have access to it, they have whatever information is imbedded – and that iTunes will be able to trace the file back to you as the source for any "questionable" file sharing.

I don't know how many here are iTunes users, or whether this bit of spying will be of any concern to those who are; but it seems like something people should know about and appears NOT TO HAVE BEEN REVEALED VOLUNTARILY BY iTUNES.

Note – in case anyone's really interested:

This is a video report that I cannot view with my current setup. I have a 12-page email from MSNBC recommending changes I "have to make" to be able to view their videos, but in my opinion more than 50% of the "necessary changes" would compromise my browsing safety and it's unlikely that my dial-up connection will support their delivery even if I make the changes, so I'm delaying making the hookup "pending my further review."

So far as I can tell, the easiest way to view this report, for those set up for video, is at the link, hover on the "index" at the left, at "Tech/Science." On the flyout menu that appears, slide down and hover over the "Security" listing, and then click on the "Personal data imbedded in iTunes Files" article to execute the Jscript link that opens the video.

If the report is true, I would expect reports from the real world to appear soon.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Spying by iTunes
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 05:54 PM

Here's some more on it at google news (didn't want to watch the video at MSNBC). Personally, I don't see why they need to embed our names and email addys at all. Good thing I have never used iTunes.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spying by iTunes
From: mack/misophist
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 08:04 PM

Don't use iTunes so I didn't pay much attention but one article said the fix was simple - just use the tools that come with iPod to convert the file to whatever format it already is. This is supposed to replace the header with something neutral. If I remember correctly.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spying by iTunes
From: elfcape
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 10:12 PM

I use iTunes every day, but have never bought a tune. Despite that, my iTunes folder is half my unused hard drive space. It's full of things like podcasts from Talk of the Nation and Make it Folky, and BBC 3 Composer of the Week and Early Music Show.

And the Dead podcasts, too. They last an hour and a half once a week.

Fills up the hard drive fast.

Subject: RE: Tech: Spying by iTunes
From: harpmolly
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 10:18 PM

The reason they imbed them, AFAIK, is to be able to keep them somewhat copy-protected. For example, you can load them onto an iPod, but if you try to transfer them to another computer via iPod the tracks won't transfer unless that computer has been authorized by iTunes for your email address (you can have up to five computers authorized simultaneously for the same address).

I believe there is also a maximum number of times a track purchased from the iTunes store can be burned onto a CD. Haven't run across it yet, but I am bound to soon (I have a few favorite songs I've burned onto various mixed CDs for friends).

I guess it doesn't really bother me much...

M

Subject: RE: Tech: Spying by iTunes
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 11:00 PM

iTunes has at least a couple of different plans, according to the reports. The cheapest plan gets you mostly tunes with DRM incorporated. A "premium" plan has been advertised as "no DRM" and is also claimed, apparently, as giving you better sound quality.

The presence of the embedded information is not, in itself, more objectionable than many other things that have been done. It's that they have claimed "no DRM" but have covertly incorporated what amounts to another DRM device.

Had they said "we will use a different system that will be less intrusive in your use of the downloads" I wouldn't have thought it worth noting what the system is, since people would have had the chance to ask about it.

In their favor, iTunes apparently has been attempting to get agreement from other "rights management" organizations, to permit less invasive methods of management. At present, the list of tunes that they are able to produce using their "different DRM" method is severely limited by non-cooperation of others.

John