Do You Love Free MP4 Downloads? Be Careful of Viruses and Spyware! by Sandra Stammberger

Do You Love Free MP4 Downloads?
Be Careful of Viruses and Spyware!
by Sandra Stammberger
One of the big draws for the Internet these days is the availability of free downloads of all kinds. The allure of getting something for nothing can not be denied but what are the risks involved? The Internet is a new media for many people and there are plenty of sites that take advantage of the novice.
The better known mp3 download is slowly being replaced by new formats like mp4. There are many sites that offer mp4, torrent, and proprietary format downloads. Peer to peer networks will often have a variety of different formats available that can require the download of not only the media you wish to receive but often special players to make it accessible as well.
Peer to peer, or P2P networks are probably the most common ways to find free mp4 downloads. Read the disclaimers carefully on all of these sites as few if any will guarantee that the content is free of viruses. Because the content is offered for free and there are no membership fees there is little over site so the postings can knowingly or unknowingly contain viruses, root kits, and flaws.
It is also often true that what you download can be completely different from what it is labeled. Another important consideration is that on a P2P network it is very unlikely that anyone posting content actually has any distribution rights for the content so what you download could be without license and considered illegal. The legality of mp4 downloads on the Internet is still being debated and new laws are being proposed all the time as are new protections for digital content.
What is legal today may illegal tomorrow and even content that you pay for could be blocked by future digital protections or regulation if you cannot prove the legitimacy of your ownership.
A membership site where you pay a fee to access a list of downloadable mp4 content is more secure from viruses but may or may not be more legitimate in offering legal downloads. Again, read all the disclaimers and find out what is the source of the music.
If the site is cooperating with the musicians or recoding companies then what you download is likely to be, and to stay, legal. If the source is other users like a P2P network or if the site does not disclose the source of the music (or other content) then it is good to be cautious. On the Internet, as in any other area of life, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The number of people looking for free mp4 downloads from the Internet is large enough to be tempting for any group to exploit. Whether this is hackers wanting access to your computer or sellers wanting to get your money while the legal environment is still confusing, the advice that the buyer beware is still applicable even when you are getting something for free.
About the Author
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