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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 06/18/2009 - New study finds that most computer users are unaware that P2P file-sharing software is installed on their computer and do not realize that merely having the software installed can cause issues such as identity theft and lawsuits.
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ZapShares Inc. announced today the findings of a new study indicating that most computer users are unaware that P2P file-sharing software has been installed on their computer. The study has also found that very few computer users are aware that merely having P2P file-sharing software installed on their computer can lead to issues such as identity theft and lawsuits by copyright holders.
The study found that 37% of respondents were aware that P2P file-sharing software was installed on their computer. In a follow-up question, respondents were asked to check their computer for a list of P2P file-sharing software which included LimeWire, FrostWire, Shareaza, Ares, eMule, Vuze, BitTorrent, uTorrent, and DC++. When asked this follow-up question, an incredible 59% of respondents replied “yes,” indicating that many people have P2P file-sharing software installed on their computer of which they are unaware. Many respondents volunteered that the software was installed by a spouse, child, or someone else in the household, and that they had been previously unaware of the software’s existence on their computer.
The respondents questioned during the study were also unaware of the dangers posed by having P2P file-sharing software installed. Only 7% of respondents were aware that P2P file-sharing software can cause the inadvertent sharing of private information and lead to issues such as identity theft, and only 21% of those questioned knew that copyright holders could file a lawsuit against them for sharing copyrighted materials. “What we found most alarming was that 91% of people who have P2P file-sharing software installed are unaware as to how to check which files are being shared by their P2P file-sharing software, or how to modify these settings,” said Bernard Trest, President of ZapShares Inc.
In other recent studies, ZapShares Inc. found that large numbers of people are inadvertently sharing personal tax returns, banking and other financial information, credit card information, and other data that identity thieves could use to steal a person’s identity. Other research conducted by ZapShares Inc. found that computer systems located in Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia actively scanning P2P networks for, among other things, information pertaining to many principal United States defense contractors, weapons system information, classified government documents, and other data that could place national security at risk.
To view the complete results of the P2P file-sharing software awareness study, visit the website.
ZapShares Inc.™ (zapshares.com) was founded in 2008 to develop innovative security solutions for P2P file-sharing networks. ZapShares offers the first and only solution to help protect 200 million P2P file-sharers from rampant identity theft and lawsuits. The company’s ZapShares software is a free tool that scans and identifies potential security threats caused by P2P software installed on a user’s computer.
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btrest[.]zapshares.com 
