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The recent spate of both private and government data being uploaded to the Internet through the Winny file-sharing program highlights the difficulty in controlling and potentially banning the software. In February, it was discovered that a list of secret Maritime Self-Defense Force call signs had been released on the Internet from a computer belonging to an officer serving in the communications room of the destroyer Asayuki. The MSDF had to change its code tables as a result. The police, who are trying to crack down on Internet-related crimes, also became a target. Since February, information releases through the Winny program involving such authorities have included data on prison inmates, documents from the Tokyo District Court, information on investigations by the Ehime Prefectural Police Headquarters and information on patients at a Toyama hospital. Analysts say the leaks have been rampant because of the number of people who use Winny and because of a virus that infects the peer-to-peer software, which then uploads information on computers to the Internet. According to Trend Micro Inc., an antivirus software developer, 300,000 to 600,000 people are believed to use Winny.. The company says most Winny users use it to download movies and music, possibly in violation of the Copyright Law, and pornography. After a former Tokyo University assistant researcher who developed Winny was arrested on suspicion of aiding in violating the Copyright Law, official distribution of the software was halted. However, many books explaining how to obtain or use Winny can still be found at book stores
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said during a press conference in Tokyo Wednesday: "Government organizations are making every effort to prevent a recurrence. But I want everyone to be cautious. The most secure way of preventing information leaks is not to use Winny software." The comments followed a number of information leaks from the police and Defense Agency, as well as from private firms, the Mainichi Shimbun reported. Such leaks have occurred when Winny-installed computers have been infected by viruses.
Isamu Kaneko, the developer of the controversial file-sharing software Winny, has created another type of file-sharing software to safely distribute films and other products over the Internet, lawyers defending him told the Kyoto District Court on Monday.Kaneko is on trial facing charges of assisting copyright violations with the development of Winny. While Winny allows users to download data for free, a virus affecting the program is rampant among users and has resulted in numerous data leaks over the Internet.Lawyers said the new software Kaneko developed, called "Ozutekku" in Japanese, places restrictions on the parties uploading the software and contains administration technology to delete problem files, as well as a billing system. This reportedly allows information leaks and copyright violations to be prevented.Plans have reportedly been made to release the software as early as mid-May.During the court hearing on Monday, the 21st in Kaneko's trial, lawyers showed part of the new software to prove that the reason he developed Winny was not to cause copyright violations to flourish.
