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LimeWire: Illegal or File Hosting?

Dogboy2709

Banned
625
Posts
18
Years
It can be illegal depending on what you download. Also, I've heard from a good friend of my dad that Limewire is a very good source of VIRUSES. I don't use it anymore.

As to why the government doesn't shut it down..well, here in the US, it's pretty simple, Limewire's people are OVERSEAS. (my law teacher talked about this) The U.S. government can't shut down something overseas. it's out of their control.
 

蜃気楼

Jirachi Fan
246
Posts
16
Years
  • Seen Feb 27, 2010
LimeWire itself is a tool, tools can be used for evil. It's about how you use it.
 

twocows

The not-so-black cat of ill omen
4,307
Posts
15
Years
LimeWire itself is a tool, tools can be used for evil. It's about how you use it.
Just to be contrary, tools can be illegal, as well. Technically speaking, machine guns are "tools," but most people can't legally get one (and for good reason, I would think).
 
1,608
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18
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Just to be contrary, tools can be illegal, as well. Technically speaking, machine guns are "tools," but most people can't legally get one (and for good reason, I would think).

But if a person was to murder someone with a kitchen knife, the knife itself is not illegal. Same applies for LimeWire.
 

Ascaris

boogey
381
Posts
15
Years
Limewire isn't illegal in the same way that emulators are not illegal. It's when you start using Limewire for downloading pirated music, movies, etc or use emulators to play illegal ROMS that you cross the line of legality.
 
22,952
Posts
19
Years
Limewire isn't illegal in the same way that emulators are not illegal. It's when you start using Limewire for downloading pirated music, movies, etc or use emulators to play illegal ROMS that you cross the line of legality.

Though, as has been stated several times before in this thread, it is a huge security risk to those who have it installed. I can think of several people's computers that I've had to wipe because Limewire screwed theirs up.
 

DrCoolSanta

Erode away...
406
Posts
19
Years
Though, as has been stated several times before in this thread, it is a huge security risk to those who have it installed. I can think of several people's computers that I've had to wipe because Limewire screwed theirs up.
That's because you really didn't know how to fix it. Lets face it, if you aren't aware or don't know how to fix the problem, the first thing you do is wipe it. And almost every guy who comes over to fix problems with your PC only wipes everything and gives you a pirated copy of windows!
I know, there have been times when I have thought that something was wrong with my PC and had it wiped out only to realise that I could fix it. And I have also had times when the tech guys weren't able to fix problems and were gonna wipe it when I was able to fix my computer easily.

Limewire is no security risk, if you say that it lets others download your personal files, then that's not true. It has a specific shared folder which is often just not easily found otherwise that you could mistakingly put your files in it. And if you do put your files in a folder like that whose name is "Share" then you have to be totally dumb.
And if it puts all the files that you downloaded on sharing, then whats wrong with that, you just downloaded it!

And if you talk about viruses, then i will remind you that only a minority of the files found on p2p sites has a virus. And most of them are software, and secondly those are generally the keygens and cracks and all those thing. With a decent anti-virus and a brain, you should have absolutely NO problems.
The trash icon is there for a purpose, and limewire actually had a feature where you could check if a file is correct or not (some such option comes up when you right click) People actually mark downloads as virus infected and everything.
But one thing is true, limewire actually has more virus files than any other p2p application.
The main thing is that you could actually download a virus from a website, it really doesn't have to be limewire.

And I actually have stopped using it because of extremely indecent speeds and no results for searches of many files and songs. Personally decent bittorrent trackers have comments which is a really great feature since people can easilly spot them. On limewire only a few files have comments because the option is not so easy to spot. Secondly bittorrent has godly speeds and it increases with popularity. There are actually serious seeders there, on limewire you find them one day and the next day they aren't there.

Nothing is illegal about it, you can't blame limewire because its users host porn (it is illegal in some countries, like india) or music or movies. The example of the knife, you can't blame the company because murderers can use them to kill people.
 
22,952
Posts
19
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That's because you really didn't know how to fix it. Lets face it, if you aren't aware or don't know how to fix the problem, the first thing you do is wipe it. And almost every guy who comes over to fix problems with your PC only wipes everything and gives you a pirated copy of windows!I've had them wipe it after establishing that I don't have the time to search for the problem myself, but I first tell them to back up their crap. Secondly, I make sure they have their factory restore disc. Thirdly, pirated copies are usually given out by those who aren't full-time practitioners or don't charge for checking it.
I know, there have been times when I have thought that something was wrong with my PC and had it wiped out only to realise that I could fix it. And I have also had times when the tech guys weren't able to fix problems and were gonna wipe it when I was able to fix my computer easily. Wiping is a last resort for me. I do contact the tech people I know for advice, though I usually wipe in the case of a virus because I do not have the time to hunt it down

Limewire is no security risk, if you say that it lets others download your personal files, then that's not true. It has a specific shared folder which is often just not easily found otherwise that you could mistakingly put your files in it. And if you do put your files in a folder like that whose name is "Share" then you have to be totally dumb.
And if it puts all the files that you downloaded on sharing, then whats wrong with that, you just downloaded it! It is a backdoor into your computer, and it is wrong to assume that hackers don't exploit backdoors. Most of today's hackers are paid professionals who want to use your computer to send spam email and such, and they are dedicated to finding security holes. These aren't your for-the-fun-of-it viruses of old.

And if you talk about viruses, then i will remind you that only a minority of the files found on p2p sites has a virus. And most of them are software, and secondly those are generally the keygens and cracks and all those thing. With a decent anti-virus and a brain, you should have absolutely NO problems.Problem is most people don't have an AV program, knowledge of what's not a friendly file type, and have a tendency to download what's popular without looking at it's file type. And there are millions of files on Limewire.
The trash icon is there for a purpose, and limewire actually had a feature where you could check if a file is correct or not (some such option comes up when you right click) People actually mark downloads as virus infected and everything.Not everyone is aware of this, though.
But one thing is true, limewire actually has more virus files than any other p2p application.
The main thing is that you could actually download a virus from a website, it really doesn't have to be limewire. While true, both are security risks, and more people have a sense of what's safe on the internet as opposed to on Limewire. And hackers on both utilize a thing called social engineering.

And I actually have stopped using it because of extremely indecent speeds and no results for searches of many files and songs. Personally decent bittorrent trackers have comments which is a really great feature since people can easilly spot them. On limewire only a few files have comments because the option is not so easy to spot. Secondly bittorrent has godly speeds and it increases with popularity. There are actually serious seeders there, on limewire you find them one day and the next day they aren't there.Well, BitTorrent is the tool of those that want to stick it to the system but don't trust Limewire. Personally, I have a distrust of both, based on personal experiences, though my friends have never had issues with BT.

Nothing is illegal about it, you can't blame limewire because its users host porn (it is illegal in some countries, like india) or music or movies. The example of the knife, you can't blame the company because murderers can use them to kill people.I never said Limewire was illegal. I just said it's a terrible risk to security, especially in the hands of someone who isn't computer savvy.

There's my response, in bold. ;)
 

twocows

The not-so-black cat of ill omen
4,307
Posts
15
Years
But if a person was to murder someone with a kitchen knife, the knife itself is not illegal. Same applies for LimeWire.
Yes, but I was simply pointing out that some tools are illegal. That doesn't mean every tool is illegal. It just opens up the possibility that some software may someday be outlawed.
 

DrCoolSanta

Erode away...
406
Posts
19
Years
I read your post and all I have to say, you really can't blame LimeWire for that. Basically because
The hacker can exploit almost any protocol, have others download his stuff in anyway, LimeWire is really not the only way.
Secondly you say that people are too technically illiterate, then a stupid person would just get hacked anyway.
And I still have to see a person with no AVs. Only when they have an AV but its not licensed or not updated or whatever of that sort.
I really don't disaggree with you, but I am just saying that someone who is not technically savvy is actually just going to be flooded with viruses anyway.
And windows is one OS, you open it to the internet with no Firewalls or AVs, they just get screwed up within minutes

Just the end thing, a hacker can't really send spam from your computer, because most of the IP addresses that a normal user can get are in blocked from all the leading mail servers, they don't even reach your spam box.
 
22,952
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19
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Just the end thing, a hacker can't really send spam from your computer, because most of the IP addresses that a normal user can get are in blocked from all the leading mail servers, they don't even reach your spam box.
What I mean by this is they snatch the passwords to any email address that is automatically signed into on the machine and use it for spam. ;) And the passwords of some online ones used on it.
 
1,501
Posts
18
Years
On the subject of the Pirate Bay... what they are doing IS illegal, well, in the US anyway. Where their servers are located, it is not.

In the US, there are also laws against linking to copyright material that is illegal (an example is that linking to a poster of a movie is not illegal even though it is copyright, but linking to a place where you can download it, is.)
 

Lucy Lu

Keep On Moving Foward...
6,195
Posts
19
Years
  • Seen Mar 6, 2014
Limewire itself isn't illegal, but what you download from there is. People share their files and place them there so anyone can take them. When I had Limewire I set to a folder that didn't have anything on it expect the stuff I downloaded. The most stuff I downloaded was music. When I finish downloading I will move the file to a different folder. So I am not really giving away my folders to anyone.

When I took my computer down to Best Buy(It wasn't working, my monitor went blank. Didn't know what was going on.), Geek Squad told me Limewire is not a great program to have because it can give you viruses and mess up your computer. So I had to get rid of it.

So yeah Limewire isn't a good program to begin with. If you are not careful, your computer will be affected. But Limewire isn't illegal. And as long you don't get caught, it is alright.
 
Last edited:

Smitty96

the Ubuntu user
51
Posts
14
Years
  • Age 27
  • Seen Feb 6, 2013
there are few countries that allow you to download pirated data, but many countries allow you to upload pirated data
I think you got that backwards. People can get sued for uploading pirated data, but downloading it usually isnt considered a big deal, even though it is illegal.
 
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