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Pirated software, generally distributed
on
usenet. The warez (pronounced wares) movement perfectly exemplifies the
difficulties of regulating internet activity. Every day many hundreds of
megabytes of illegally copied software are uploaded to special newsgroups,
from which anyone with an internet account can then download it . The
pirates themselves are anonymous and untraceable, as are the people who
download the software. The elaborate copy-protection mechanisms used by the
software's creators are no match for experienced warez crackers, who
routinely break them in days or even hours. A complex form of netiquette
exists among serious warez traders: anyone regularly downloading software
is expected to upload samples of their own. |
