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 Dear Subscriber:

This email is being sent to you by Road Runner Customer Care=20
because we have received a complaint that your computer has been used to
distribute copyrighted material without authorization through a=20
peer-to-peer program. We received this complaint from the movie studio,
record company, television studio or other company that owns the=20
copyrighted material. The purpose of this email is to remind you that=20
the distribution of copyrighted material in this fashion may violate=20
both the copyright laws and Road Runner?s terms of service, and to tell=20
you a bit about peer-to-peer programs, the dangers they can pose to your
computer and our network, and the steps you can take to protect=20
yourself. =20

A computer can become accessible to a peer-to-peer network for an=20
unlimited period of time after a peer-to-peer program is downloaded. =20
You may not even be aware that such a program is on your computer; a=20
child or a visitor to the home could have downloaded it. That is why we
want to alert you to this issue. =20
Peer-to-peer programs may contain many problems. For example:
=B7=09Downloading and offering for upload copyrighted material without=20
authorization is unlawful. If you or others using your computer have=20
been doing this, you could be subject to civil penalties and criminal=20
fines. Such activity also violates the Road Runner terms of service. =20
=B7=09The programs allow any anonymous person on the Internet to look at=20
your computer files and copy them for themselves. Such a hacker could=20
view all of your files, which can lead to identity theft.
=B7=09The programs, which use large amounts of memory, can interfere with=
=20
the functioning of your computer by destabilizing your operating system,
leading to a general sluggishness at bootup and during operation. =20
=B7=09The programs can contain spyware, adware, malware, viruses and=20
pornography.
=09
If you are interested in a discussion of problems associated with=20
peer-to-peer file sharing, please follow this link:=20
http://research.pestpatrol.com/whitepapers/p2p_impact.asp. =20

If you use the Windows OS, the best way to remove peer-to-peer=20
programs is through the Add/Remove Programs tool. Other removal options
are discussed at=20
http://security.uchicago.edu/peer-to-peer/no_fileshare.shtml. =20

Thank you for subscribing to Road Runner.

Very truly yours,

Road Runner Customer Care=20

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When I told him my brother said,
"Wait so I can't download music for a few days"
I palmed and walked away.

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and somewhere deep inside I know we will find
we are back from the future,
saving the interwebz one post at a time
SG