RIAA USES HI-TECH TOOLS TO CATCH FILE SHARERS
Software examines "footprints" of shared files

CNN reports that Big Bad RIAA is examining digital footprints, called "hashes," that uniquely identify MP3 music files traded by filesharer's.

The practice, commonly used by the FBI to investigate computer hacking, can trace an audio file being traded even as far back as to the old Napster Service. The RIAA maintains a library of these footprints which they can compare to files found on a computer. The RIAA claims it can determine if a song was originally ripped a legally purchased CD or downloaded via it from someone else over the Internet.

The RIAA plans to target several hundred file sharers with lawsuits seeking financial damages as early as next month. U.S. copyright law allows for damages of $750 to $150,000 for each song offered illegally on a person's computer.

That's alot of college tuition going into the greedy pockets of the RIAA.