Elizabethtown College's Internet connection has been running slowly since the beginning of the semester. One reason the speed is slower is because of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing, which is using up the bandwidth of the College.

Peer-to-Peer
P2P is software used to make connections to different computers - from five to hundreds - to download anything from music and movies to television shows and gaming software. The software is downloaded from multiple sources, taking different parts of the file from each computer and piecing them together with the use of an encoded tracker.

This allows an individual to download large files in a short period of time. Internet connection speed depends on the "traffic" within the network's bandwidth.

Bandwidth is a measurement of the amount of information that can pass through the network at any given time. To illustrate this principle, Ted Stevens, senator and chairman of the Senate commerce committee, compared the Internet to "a series of tubes" through which only a finite amount of data can pass.

As P2P file sharing increases, the bandwidth available to the College decreases, significantly slowing down Internet connection speed.

"The main problem is that some of the software is designed to make multiple connections at one time," Ron Heasley, executive director of ITS, said. "Once a certain number of connections are made, our system gets significantly bogged down."

Legal Issues
ITS expects students to understand that file-sharing is illegal, and while some realize this is the case, it doesn't stop them from making use of the software.

"P2P file-sharing is technically illegal," sophomore Chris J. Miller said. "If consequences were to be put into place on campus, they would affect so many people … like me, that we'd probably be jailed for the rest of our lives."

Others see the downsides to file-sharing and believe that lawsuits against it are justifiable.

"I do think P2P file-sharing should be illegal," junior Alicia Wiles said. "The slower Internet stinks as a result."

However, some students have different thoughts about the current situation.

"I don't think P2P sharing should be illegal at all," first-year student Bill Bell said. "It's like your friend bought the song and you're just borrowing his or her copy of it and keeping it."

With so many different opinions, it's hard to judge whether students actually understand the serious consequences of P2P file-sharing. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is in charge of monitoring who uses P2P file-sharing, and what, when and where they are doing it.

"We normally receive about five letters a year from RIAA warning us about P2P file-sharing," Heasley said. "Since August of this year we've already received 14 letters."

Heasley doesn't think this means that file-sharing has become a bigger problem at Elizabethtown College this semester. "I just think that the RIAA is being more aggressive with P2P file-sharing this year," Heasley said.

The RIAA may choose to sue for up to $150,000 per song downloaded, which may be a steep price to pay, considering the cost of an iTunes download is $0.99. The RIAA can now subpoena colleges for the names of the students who use P2P file-sharing and enact class action lawsuits against these students for the theft of copyrighted material.

Heasley said ITS is developing consequences for people they catch using P2P sharing, but the punishments are still being developed between ITS and Student Senate. Some of the possible consequences could include having offenders removed from the network for weeks or months, depending on their number of offenses.

Rogue Wireless Networks
"Rogue" wireless connections are also problematic for ITS. A rogue wireless connection occurs when an individual sets up a Wireless Access Point (WAP), which ITS prohibits students from doing.

By setting up a WAP, people can access the Internet from their rooms without using a CAT5 cable to connect to the College's network. A WAP can have a transmitting radius of up to 300 feet - far enough that someone sitting on College Avenue can receive a signal from Schlosser residence hall.

Individuals from outside the College's community can then gain complete access to the Elizabethtown servers, creating a large "black hole" in the security spectrum.

When someone physically connects to the network, everything he or she sees is filtered from the networking center through a firewall, which blocks unwanted people from accessing files and material. This allows students, faculty and staff to access personal files and information without worrying about hackers.

When a person hooks up an illegal WAP, he or she is allowing strangers access to the Etown College network, without the safety of a firewall. This connection allows hackers to forgo security measures, including the firewall, and gives them complete access to servers with personal information.

Now that the issues have been brought to the knowledge of the college community, P2P file-sharing is a prominent problem. If the individuals continue, the consequences will be much more serious.