Innocent surfers accused of illegal file-sharing

Innocent people are being accused of illegal file-sharing and threatened with court action, by games manufacturers seeking to protect their copyright, a study has claimed.

In a report published by Which? today, games manufacturers are accused of "falsely accusing" people of illegal-sharing and threatening them with large fines.

The entertainment industry claims that some six million people illegally share files each year, costing millions of pounds in lost revenue.

Which? claims that lawyers are now "stepping up the hunt" for those who illegally share games and films over the internet in Britain and thousands of people are receiving letters demanding payment for infringement of copyright.

While the majority of these cases are legitimate, it is suggested that there are hundreds are innocent people who have simply failed to secure their computer against file-sharing, and may have had their IP address used illegally by a third party.

Sarah Kidner, editor of Which? Computing said: "It's outrageous that lawyers are falsely accusing people of illegally file-sharing and we think they should cut out the heavy-handed tactics.

"But consumers need to be aware of the dangers of having their computer address piggy-backed and take some basic steps to protect themselves."

Which? advises those with wireless networks to protect themselves from falling foul of others illegal downloading through enabling Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) passwords and using passwords other than 'admin'. Also those using peer-to-peer software for legal downloads are told to disable file sharing, as to date, only uploaders - people who make games available - have faced court action.