Joan Vor Broker- Guru

In beginning our BitTorrent project there are many issues to consider. First and foremost, the implications of creating a union between Apple’s iTunes network and service and a distribution source like BitTorrent. As it stands, the legal and ethical issues surrounding BitTorrent are vast and it seems risky, to say the least, for a respected and legitimate company like Apple to foster a business relationship with BitTorrent.

First one must examine simple the legality of the situation at hand, the biggest issue begin copyright infringement. BitTorrent’s notorious reputation as a peer-to-peer network used for sharing music and other data files poses a threat to the reputation of Apple and their already existing relationships with copyright holders. Secondly, the posed threat of security to a network using BitTorrent is severe. Because of the shared database driven nature of the program, Adware, Spyware and many other harmful programs risk being spread to users computers leaving them unhappy with their services – especially if they are paying for those services as with iTunes. In addition, one must consider the grave ethical issues posed with such a merger. On a network like BitTorrent, there is a lack of monitoring and control over the information and traffic. For example, pornography and other such undesirable forms of traffic and file sharing can easily occur under the nose of the administrators.

Before a company like Apple and BitTorrent could enter into any form of Business agreement or network merger, these issues and many more would have to be closely examined and BitTorrent would have to show serious dedication to the legitimacy of Apple’s business practices and adhere to more stringent legal and ethical protocols.