When used properly such as in universities sharing research documents, 'peer-to-peer' file sharing is an exciting new technology. Unfortunately, P2P networks are often used improperly - usually for the illegal distribution of copyrighted content.

If you're involved in P2P file sharing, you may be using LimeWire software, Bit Torrent, e-Donkey or some similar application. You may not be aware of it, but when you registered as a P2P software user, you probably agreed to let the network use your computer as a distribution source of music files. In other words, if you're like most P2P software users, you do more than simply download files. You probably also make files on your hard drive available for copying by others. Not only does this make you a potential illegal distributor, it also means that whenever you're online, every other network user around the world (and there are tens of millions of them) has the ability to access your hard drive.

If you want to do the right thing - and, not incidentally, keep strangers out of your hard drive - you should disable your P2P software's uploading capability.

Go to the University of Chicago's Network Security Group's page to see how to disable file sharing in other programs.

To find out if you have filesharing software or shared files open on your computer and want to remove/secure them use Digital File Check a simple program to install that will search your computer and let you choose what you want to do with each file found. See here for more details .

The other problem with filesharing is that files may not contain what you think. They can contain viruses, spyware, Trojan files that can harm your computer, gather personal data and log your keystrokes to obtain passwords!

If you use the family computer for work and your children use it to steal music throughLimeWire or BitTorrent, then not only your personal files could be out there in the internet but your work files too!

Of course, if you or your staff use your work computer to for downloading music illegally throughLimeWire, Bit Torrent or other P2P program, then your company’s files are at risk.

For more information and advice visit Netsafe or Childnet International's "Young People, Music & The Internet - A guide for parents and teachers about digital music at home, at school and on the go." guide.