Stealth online use by Christmas: software designers

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Software enabling people to anonymously swap music and other files on the Internet could be commonly available by year's end, the head of the Freenet Project said.

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A test version of the "darknet" software for engineers was made available for download at the Freenet website Wednesday morning, Ian Clarke of the project told AFP.

The software is intended to allow computer users worldwide to remain anonymous while communicating online data in a way that hides them from industry investigators and others, Clarke said.

Music recording industry goliaths have fought to crush renegade file sharing, which they claim fosters illegal swapping of copyrighted material by musicians.

"We've devised a way you can have a darknet with potentially millions of users," Clarke said. "We hope we will have something suitable for launch this side of Christmas."

Music studios won a recent US Supreme Court ruling that said online services that aid illicit file swapping are responsible accomplices in what amounts to theft.

Clarke said that Freenet is altruistically advancing technology and defending democratic ideals of unrestrained communication.

"Our goal has never been to encourage copyright infringement, however, you cannot have freedom of communication and protect copyright laws," he continued. "The two are mutually exclusive." --