The Dark Side of Joost

Since I use Joost on a connection that does have any restrictions except its bandwidth speeds, I did not notice anything wrong with the technology.  However, there are network connections that have certain security measures to prevent virus attacks which makes Joost a not-so ideal video content player.

Ehsan Rahman, a U.K.-based University of Surrey student was banned from his dormitory hall’s network connections since there were multiple P2P connections streaming the video content used by Joost.  As Rahman explored this further, he sent me a link to a forum where Joost users found that the company actually supports third parties (aka “spyware”).

Here is a portion of the Joost license agreement found in the software:

4.2.3. When installed on your computer, the Joostâ„¢ Software may periodically communicate with Joost servers and/or Joostâ„¢ Software installed by other users. Additionally, third party software installed on Your computer may periodically communicate with third party servers for the purposes described in the license agreement or privacy policy between you and that third party.

For more information, refer to the forum on The Register.

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