Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Demophobe]

I have recently installed Pruna on my second system, and a few issues have me wondering.

First, the front page is basically an internet search page, which is typically loaded with flash animation ads, which change regularly, telling me right away that it is certainly adware.

Second, the "updater" that runs before each load, which, if not allowed to run, halts the program. This tells me that it isn't an "updater" in the sense that it looks for a newer build, but I suspect its uploading/downloading other things.

Third, if one does an "adult content" search, (which, just for the record includes some really benign search terms) one is prompted for their Korean ID number. This is obviously uploaded and verified to someone somewhere. This tells me that Pruna isn't a decentralized network at all...there is a "base" somewhere that can/does verify users.

Now, we all know that here in Korea, Koreans aren't the most security-minded folks, and I again suspect that this program is basically logging users. Also, with the Korean motion picture distributors bending under the weight of the US pressure to halt illegal movie downloads, I think that they could easily and probably are also logging file traffic. This can very easily be tagged with IP addresses and thus, a record of all you have downloaded, when and where is most definately being kept somewhere.

Korea is the land of digital anarchy for sure, but I seriously think that this program is just a data miner. It's logging the IP, what files are downloaded, checking content in the form of keywords, uploading on every start and basically isn't a "P2P" program as we know it. It isn't totally decentralized and there is a "central" area where all of this is, if not actively monitored, logged.

I believe that this program relies on the user being in the dark on these things, and I think it's dangerous, or at least potentially dangerous to use this program to download any "illegal" content such as movies, music and games. It does feature fast downloads and stability and has a wealth of content, seemingly more than many other P2P applications, especially if it's Korean content.

If you don't mind having your activity logged/monitored, then the program is great. We are lulled into a sense of anonymity in Korea, as it seems that sometimes the law doesn't seem to exist, or at least it's rarely enforced. This may be true; maybe I am being paranoid about all of this. I have no reason to be worried, as I use program for teaching related materials (it has a mass of good TOIEC and TOEFL stuff). It is however, spyware/adware/data mining.

Who knows how far the program goes? Who knows exactly what information it's uploading? Korean watchdog groups don't seem to exist, and the western ones don't care, as the program is domestic; it's in Korean only, and even a Google only turns up Korean or Italian? site hits. There seems to be nobody watching out for this kind of thing.

Korean intenet is spam heaven. The average Korean computer is laden with virii, adware, trojans and data miners; its the norm here, and most users just don't seem to care, if they are even aware at all. Koreans click on those active x control installation windows faster than I do through a EULA agreement...they just don't care.

Well, I do. It's not about being busted, as I really don't think the Korean police will get out of their cars to kick in my door anytime soon over some copyrighted TOEFL books or MP3s, but it's about saying no to this kind of infringement.

This isn't a factual message at all. I have no proof of my allegations against this software, only years of computing experience with protecting myself and my system from the internet and all of the sharks in it.

This program, in my opinion, is chum.

[inthewild]

Haha thanks for the heads up. I was about to post because I forgot the name of the program but I guess I won't download it after all.

[Sage Monkey]

I use shareaza and it has often given me sources from pruna users. I would suggest using shareaza instead of most p2p programs, expecially since it supports unicode.

[inthewild]

Not worth another thread, but I've been messing around with Pruna... is there anyway to preview a file (ie listen to part of the mp3 or watch part of the movie) before the download is finished?

Ares has something like this built into it's program... thanks for any help.

[mack the knife]

Pruna bites.