ZapShares is an innovative program that seeks to protect users from copyright infringement lawsuits resulting from peer-to-peer file sharing. Although we can't promise that the program provides complete legal immunity, we did find it easy to use.

The program is based on the theory that the people who tend to get sued for copyright infringement are the ones who make files available for download, not the ones who do the downloading. ZapShares protects users by making sure that file sharing is disabled in their peer-to-peer software; in other words, files can come in, but they can't go out. The first time the program is opened, users are guided through a wizard that checks for files that are available for sharing on a P2P network. The program moves these files to another folder and then creates what it calls a Secure Vault--a folder into which newly downloaded files are saved that prevents them from being shared. We downloaded a song with LimeWire while ZapShares was running, and once the download was completed, a small pop-up appeared from the system tray alerting us that our song had been saved to the Secure Vault. We will leave it to you to decide whether it's fair that some users on a P2P network are assuming all the legal liability to provide files to other users who aren't sharing the risk; after all, if everyone used a program like ZapShares, there wouldn't be any content on P2P networks to begin with. If your conscience allows it, ZapShares appears to be a good way to keep your downloaded files to yourself.

ZapShares is free. It installs desktop icons without asking and leaves a folder behind upon removal. We recommend this program to all users.

Publisher's description

Using P2P file sharing software such as LimeWire, uTorrent, Azureus Vuze, BitTorrent, FrostWire, eMule, or Ares to share free music, movies, or software can expose you to lawsuits by copyright holders and identity theft. P2P software automatically shares files you download with other P2P users, and copyright holders routinely file lawsuits against these people. ZapShares works in conjunction with any P2P file sharing software you currently use and solves this problem by creating a secure vault, which automatically stops files you download using P2P file sharing software from being shared with other P2P users. This allows you to continue downloading any files you want while protecting you against expensive lawsuits. ZapShares also protects you against identity theft by alerting you about any sensitive files you are accidentally sharing with other P2P users, such as your tax returns, bank account details, and other private information.