Information for Parents

1. Understanding how files appear in Kazaa
2. How can I manage what my children see on Kazaa?
3. How can I protect against viruses?
4. What do I do if I find something that I think is inappropriate?

Peer-to-peer technology is a powerful resource that gives people the ability to find virtually any kind of digital media file. Peer-to-peer applications like Kazaa allow people to perform research, communicate, share ideas, and connect with each other across the globe.

Kazaa is the world's most popular file sharing application and is used by people of all ages. Responsible, active sharing is the key to a great peer-to-peer experience, and it is the responsibility of each individual to carefully choose which files they share.

For your peace of mind as a parent and to protect your children from being exposed to files that may contain offensive or potentially harmful content, Sharman Networks has developed features in Kazaa that are designed specifically to minimize this risk of exposure.

This section covers what these features are and how you can use them to ensure that you and your children have the best experience possible using Kazaa.

1. Understanding how files appear in Kazaa

Understanding Kazaa search results.

An important aspect of responsible sharing is understanding the difference between Gold and Blue files in your search results.

Files represented by a Blue icon are made available by other Kazaa users and are not controlled by Kazaa or Sharman Networks (developer of Kazaa). These files are created and made available by users, and could contain adult or otherwise offensive or age inappropriate content or images. Sharman cannot control what users create or make available, and is not responsible for the content of these files. It is the responsibility of each individual user to responsibly and legally decide which files to share and which are to be downloaded.

Files represented by a Gold icon are high quality files made available by our partner Altnet. Gold files can include authorized music, movies, videogames as well as content that is considered suitable for adults only. All such Gold files display a content advisory and/or credit card payment gateway which ensures that only users over the age of 18 are able to make a purchase.

2. How can I manage what my children see on Kazaa?

Kazaa includes simple filter tools that enable you to select age appropriate limitations to ensure you have the best possible peer to peer experience.

Family Filter

Kazaa includes a family filter that allows you to minimize the risk of you or your family being inadvertently exposed to adult or offensive files found in search results. This is a simple key word filter based on the selection of keywords that match those in the title or the metadata of files.

This filter is activated by default when you install Kazaa. To customise it, simply click on the file menu Tools > Options and click the Filter tab. A variety of options are available to you, depending on the level and type of protection you desire.

While you are exploring the Filter tab, we strongly recommend that you set a password to prevent your children from disabling the Family Filter.

The Family Filter options are:

• No filter
  All search results are displayed.
• Offensive content
  Filters search results where the files descriptive data (meta data) includes keywords which could potentially be used to describe offensive material.
• Adult content (default)
  Filters search results where the files descriptive data (meta data) includes keywords which could potentially be used to describe adult material, plus all keywords from the Offensive content setting.
• Images and Video
  Does not show any search results that are standard image or video format.

Blocklist

If you would like to add specific search terms to the keyword family filter, select the block list filter option and type each word into the box separated by a comma (,).

No filter can be 100% effective, but by using the Family Filter you can block a considerable amount of offensive and adult material.

Because the family filters rely upon matching keywords associated with offensive and adult material, but cannot discern the content of any file, the filters are not able to block search results containing adult content that do not use any of the extensive list of keywords. Similarly, by using the Family Filter you may also block material that contains a matching keyword but is neither offensive nor adult oriented.

*Words entered into the ‘Blocklist’ are not blocked if the file is distributed via Altnet (Altnet files are of premium quality and are marked with a Gold Icon). Altnet content that is of an adult nature will also be blocked by the Adult filter. If the Adult filter is off, Altnet files that are of an adult nature will display a license screen with a content advisory and/or a payment gateway before you can use the file.

3. How can I protect against viruses?

Kazaa includes a free virus protection program - BullGuard P2P. This virus protection program is designed to protect your children from downloading files that are infected with a known virus. BullGuard P2P is specifically designed for peer-to-peer software – scanning for viruses. You can also control how often your shared folder is virus-scanned for extra protection.

To ensure that you have the best possible protection, make sure your inbuilt BullGuard P2P virus protection is enabled.

We recommend that you:

1. Ensure BullGuard P2P is enabled.
2. Stay Up To Date.
3. Download Premium, High Quality Content (Gold files).
4. Always Use Virus Protection Software.

I. Ensure BullGuard P2P is enabled

BullGuard P2P is a scaled down version of the full BullGuard virus protection program. It is enabled by default when you first install Kazaa (versions v2.5 and above). Leave it on for highest protection. .

II. Stay Up To Date

New viruses emerge every day. Make sure you allow BullGuard P2P to download the latest virus definitions each time Kazaa opens. BullGuard P2P cannot protect you from viruses not listed in the virus definitions of your BullGuard P2P application.

III. Download Premium, High Quality Content (Gold files)

Files marked with Gold icons come directly from our premium content providers, and are of high quality. Gold files can include authorized music, movies and videogames as well as content that is considered suitable for adults only. Premium content that is of an adult nature will be blocked by the Adult filter, if it is activated. If you have the adult filter turned on within Kazaa, it is extremely unlikely that Gold files including adult material will appear in search results.

IV. Always Use Virus Protection Software.

If you are not already using virus protection software please use a virus protection tool such as those listed below to scan any files ending with file extensions such as .exe .vbs and .scr before opening them. Good virus protection utilities include BullGuard (www.bullguard.com), Norton Antivirus (www.norton.com), McAfee (www.mcafee.com) and many others.

4. What do I do if I accidentally find inappropriate material?

Kazaa is a peer-to-peer software application that allows people to share any files they choose. Sharman Networks has no ability to control files shared. It is the responsibility of each individual user to participate in safe, responsible and legal sharing.

If you identify material you believe to be illegal or inappropriate, do not download that material. Downloading and/or possessing illegal adult material is a criminal offence in many jurisdictions. Contact your local law enforcement agency to report the incident.