LimeWire

Content on the P2P Network

The LimeWire program enables access to the Gnutella file-sharing network. The Gnutella file-sharing network is referred to in the LimeWire program as the "P2P network". The Gnutella file-sharing network is comprised of the computers of its many users. There is no central server for the files that populate the Gnutella network. Lime Wire cannot and does not review the material in the Gnutella network. As such, Lime Wire cannot control what content may exist in the Gnutella network and can only attempt to filter out certain illegal or objectionable content as requested by you via the various filtering options (see "Content Filtering" below). It is your responsibility to use the program in a responsible and safe manner.

Copyright Infringement

Generally: Copyright laws and laws pertaining to patents and inventions protect original works of authorship and inventions. Individuals, who reproduce, distribute copies, receive copies, publicly perform or display works or inventions other than their own and without the consent of the owners or holders of rights, or their authorized agents, in original works of authorship or inventions, may be in violation of copyright, patent or other intellectual property laws. Lime Wire does not encourage or condone the illegal copying, distribution or sharing of copyrighted material. This is not intended to be legal counsel or advice and should not be taken as such. If you have any questions, consult an attorney.

The following is based on the FTC document File Sharing: A Fair Share? Maybe Not. To view the original FTC document, please go to the FTC's Consumer Alert on P2P File-Sharing. We at Lime Wire want our users to safely enjoy the full benefits of the LimeWire software. To that end, we have annotated this Consumer Alert from the FTC to explain how LimeWire works as a File-Sharing Program.

Sharing Safely

We at LimeWire understand that user safety is paramount, and we strive to offer industry-leading security to our users. Our newest version, LimeWire 5, by default, does not share sensitive file types such as spread sheets, documents or PDFs and it does not share entire folders at all. In fact, for new LimeWire users, version 5 does not share any file of any type without explicit permission from the user.

For past LimeWire users, LimeWire 5 will share the same files you were sharing with your earlier LimeWire software, except for sensitive files such as spreadsheets, documents , or zip files. LimeWire 5 will never share documents by default, even if you were sharing them with your earlier LimeWire software.*

LimeWire 5 allows the user to clearly see what is in his or her library, as well as what is shared and with whom (choices: no one, friends, or the P2P network). LimeWire will also warn users if they are about to take an action which could expose sensitive material, additionally LimeWire does not display known virus file-types in search results in an effort to protect users from compromising their computer.

Our software allows you to configure your sharing settings to ensure that you share only what you wish to share with others. Below are some tips that will help you use our software safely:

Not all files that appear in My Library are being shared. To check if a particular file is being shared: NOTE:

1. Launch your software and click on My Library.
2. Click on the link that says "What I'm Sharing".
3. From here you can see what you are sharing and with whom. For example, if it says "P2P Network (4)" then you are sharing 4 files with the P2P network. To see which files these are, simply click on the text and LimeWire will show you the files, at which point you can unshared them if you wish.

If you do not want a particular folder to appear in your library and be managed by LimeWire:

1. Go to Tools-Options-My Library.
2. Click Remove. This will not remove the folder from your computer. Instead, it will prevent it from being viewed byLimeWire.

Once a folder is removed from the LimeWire library, no files in that folder are available for sharing. Please ensure that any folder on your computer that contains personal information is not included in your LimeWire library.

LimeWire 4.18

1. Launch LimeWire.
2. Click the link at the bottom marked View My # Shared Files (where "#" corresponds to the number of files being Shared).
3. To unshare a file, right-click on it and select "Stop Sharing File". The file will still be present on your computer but will not be available for sharing.

More information on how to use LimeWire can be found here:

http://wiki.limewire.org/index.php?title=User_Guide

Shared Folders

Excerpt from FTC document "File Sharing: A Fair Share? Maybe Not":

Every day, millions of computer users share files online. Whether it is music, games, or software, file-sharing can give people access to a wealth of information. To share files through a P2P network, you download special software that connects your computer to other computers running the same software. Millions of users could be connected to each other through this software at one time. The software often is free. Sounds promising, right? Maybe, but make sure that you consider the trade-offs. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, cautions that file-sharing can have a number of risks. For example, when you are connected to file-sharing programs, you may unknowingly allow others to copy private files – even giving access to entire folder and subfolders - you never intended to share. You may download material that is protected by the copyright laws and find yourself mired in legal issues. You may download a virus or facilitate a security breach. Or you may unwittingly download pornography labeled as something else.

To secure the personal information stored on your computer, the FTC suggests that you:

• Install file-sharing software carefully, so that you know what's being shared. When you load a file-sharing application onto your computer, any changes you make to the P2P software's default settings during installation could cause serious problems. For example, if you change the defaults when you set up the "shared" or "save" folder, you may let other P2P users into any of your folders – and all its subfolders. You could inadvertently share information on your hard drive – like your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, or other personal documents – along with the files you want to share. And almost all P2P file-sharing applications will, by default, share the downloads in your "save" or "download" folder – unless you set it not to.

LimeWire's Response

To make things easier and safer, Shared folders don't exist in LimeWire 5. Instead, individual files are shared. For example, instead of sharing your "Pictures" folder and its entire contents, you control and choose which specific pictures (i.e., files) from your pictures folder you want to share. To see all the files you are sharing with the P2P Network or a Friend, click on "P2P Network" or a Friend in the sidebar and then click on "Share with (name)" at the top. This will show you a snapshot of your Library and what files are being shared with the P2P Network or that particular Friend. The number of files next to each category reflects the number of files you are sharing in that category. To share a file, simply check the checkbox next to that file. To unshare, uncheck the checkbox.

NOTE ON DEFAULT SHARING OF GNUTELLA SOURCED DOWNLOADS: All files you download from the P2P Network (i.e., Gnutella) continue to be shared on the P2P Network by default. This means that whatever you download from the P2P Network (Gnutella) is automatically shared with the P2P Network. The disable this default behavior go to Tools > Options > Downloads and uncheck the box that says "Share files downloaded from the P2P Network with the P2P Network".

Document Sharing: To better combat the inadvertent sharing of sensitive personal information, documents are not allowed to be shared with the P2P Network. Documents may only be shared with Friends.

Adult Content

Excerpt from FTC document "File Sharing: A Fair Share? Maybe Not":

• Talk with your family about file-sharing. If you're a parent, ask your children whether they've downloaded file-sharing software, and if they've exchanged games, videos, music, or other material. Talk to your kids about the security and other risks involved with file-sharing and how to install the software correctly, if they're going to use P2P file-sharing at all. If you're a teen or tween interested in file-sharing, talk with your parents before downloading software or exchanging files.

LimeWire's Response

LimeWire contains a Family Filter, which can be activated by going to Tools > Options > Security > Filtering and clicking on "Don't show adult content in search results". However, any such feature is imperfect at best. Additionally, not all content will contain the details or information necessary to identify it as content that some users may want filtered. Parents should monitor children's activity.

Additional Content Filtering

• Keyword Based Filtering: You can set the LimeWire program so that search results you receive exclude results containing keywords you designate that you do not want to be included among your search results. Keyword based filtering can be set by going to Tools > Options > Security > Filtering and clicking on the "Filter Keyword" button and entering in the words you would like to filter. For example if you don't wish to see search results containing the word "Jane", enter "Jane" into the text field and click "Add".
• File Type Based Filtering: You can also set the search results you receive to exclude certain types of files. File types are indicated by their file extension. The file extension is comprised of the letters that follow the ".". By default, LimeWire filters many file extensions. To choice which extensions you do or do not want filtered go to Tools > Options > Security > Filtering and check the file types you would like excluded, and uncheck the file types you would like included.
• IP Address Based Filtering: You can also set your search results to exclude results from any particular IP address. An IP address is a numerical identification that is assigned to a computer on an internet network. To block a specific IP address go to Tools > Options > Advanced > Super Really Advanced > Filtering and indicate what IP address you wish to be blocked.

Spyware

Excerpt from FTC document "File Sharing: A Fair Share? Maybe Not":

• Use security software and keep it and your operating system up-to-date. Some file-sharing programs may install malware that monitors a user's computer use and then sends that data to third parties. Files you download may also hide malware, viruses, or other unwanted content. And when you install a P2P file-sharing application, you might be required to install "adware" that monitors your browsing habits and serves you advertising.

LimeWire's Response

LimeWire promises you that the LimeWire program will never come from LimeWire with any spyware. Additionally, we do not bundle any other software with LimeWire. CAUTION: Even though we give you the LimeWire program free of spyware, it is possible that some files you acquire from the P2P Network or other users of the P2P Network with the LimeWire program may contain malicious software. Please be careful to avoid sharing or downloading files of this sort.

Viruses

Excerpt from FTC document "File Sharing: A Fair Share? Maybe Not":

• Before you use any file-sharing program, get a security program that includes anti-virus and anti-spyware protection from a vendor you know and trust and make sure that your operating system is up to date. Set your security software and operating system to be updated regularly. Make sure your security software and firewall are running whenever your computer is connected to the Internet. Delete any software the security program detects that you don't want on your computer. And before you open or play any downloaded files, scan them with your security software to detect malware or viruses.

LimeWire's Response

LimeWire promises you that the LimeWire program will never come from LimeWire with any viruses that will affect your computer. CAUTION: Even though we give you the LimeWire program free of computer infecting viruses, it is possible that some files you acquire from the P2P Network or other users of the P2P Network with the LimeWire program may contain viruses. Please be careful to avoid sharing or downloading files of this sort.

In particular, please be very careful when downloading files with an ".exe" suffix, since these files are more apt to contain a virus or spyware. LimeWire will not launch .exe, .vbs, .lnk, .bat, .sys, or .com files, although such files can be launched with a program outside of LimeWire. We do recommend the use some sort of virus-protection software to scan any files that are downloaded. For security reasons, LimeWire will not download VBS files.

Additionally, for your safety by default LimeWire prevents you from sharing or downloading any Programs. This is because Programs are more often likely to be the source of viruses. You can enable sharing Programs by going to Tools > Options > Security > Unsafe Categories. Even with this feature enabled, LimeWire does not launch files straight from the Library; it will just show you where it is on your file system.

Default Closing Behavior

Excerpt from FTC document "File Sharing: A Fair Share? Maybe Not":

• Close your connection. In some instances, closing the file-sharing program window does not actually close your connection to the network. That allows file-sharing to continue and could increase your security risk. If you have a high-speed or "broadband" connection to the Internet, you stay connected to the Internet unless you turn off the computer or disconnect your Internet service. These "always on" connections may allow others to copy your shared files at any time. To be sure your file-sharing program is closed, take the time to "exit" the program, rather than just clicking "X" or "closing" it. What's more, some file-sharing programs automatically open every time you turn on your computer. As a preventive measure, you may want to adjust the file-sharing program's controls to prevent the file-sharing program from automatically opening.

LimeWire's Response

On Windows, LimeWire's default closing behavior is to remain open until all current uploads and downloads are completed. Current transfers will complete before LimeWire shuts down, but there will be no new uploads or downloads.

NOTE: The LimeWire programs default behavior is that clicking the "X" or "close" button only minimizes the LimeWire program. To fully exit the program, you must right-click on the System tray icon and click Exit or go to File > Exit. To change this default behavior, go to Tools > Options > Advanced > System > Startup and Shutdown.

On Linux, all Unixes, and Mac OSX, LimeWire's default closing behavior is to shut down immediately when closed. The closing behavior can be changed in the Tools > Options > Advanced > System> Startup and Shutdown.

Default Startup Behavior

LimeWire will ask you if you want it to launch when you start your computer. LimeWire's default behavior is to launch LimeWire when the computer is started. This behavior can be changed by going to Tools > Options > Advanced > System > Startup and Shutdown.