Suffolk University does not condone or approve of any illegal or inappropriate use of material in any medium as dictated by federal and state laws, and/or University policies.

Peer-to-peer software can make file sharing seem easy, but illegal downloads and copyright infringement can lead to serious consequences.

The dangers of file sharing

The consequences are serious:

• The University can and will impose disciplinary action.
• Civil penalties can be devastating. You can be held liable for actual or statutory damages—as much as $150,000 or more per infringement.
• On top of civil actions, criminal penalties could include up to ten years imprisonment depending on the nature of the violation.
• Your computer could become infected with viruses, spyware, bots and other malware that destroy your data and infect others.
• Other people could copy files that you did not intend to share.
• Your identity could be compromised or stolen.