P2P networks' dilemma

File-sharing networks aren't the only channel for traffickers in child pornography, but they're definitely one of them. Which puts the P2P networks in a tight spot, the Dallas Morning News reports: They want to help law enforcement find the illegal pornographic content without sending the signal that they can track all illegal activity, including music copyright infringement. "The [P2P] companies don't want to appear to have too much control over what users trade." And law enforcement does agree that if pedophiles come to believe the file-sharing networks are no longer anonymous zones, "they'll simply move to darker corners of the Internet where they're more difficult to catch ... chat rooms, newsgroups, email and even Web pages," the Morning News adds. The article goes into the types of tools now available to both media companies and law enforcement for identifying file-sharers. It's also good background for the US Supreme Court decision on MGM v. Grokster expected this month. In that case, entertainment companies are asking the court to hold file-sharing companies responsible for users' infringement of copyright laws.