Altnet is an application to share copyrighted digital media. Usage of the application results in building a profile at Altnet servers. Brilliant Digital Entertainment, an advertisement company and owner of Altnet, may have access to these servers. If not cautious, the user profile may be shared with other companies. Altnet is bundled with Kazaa and Grokster but not a required component.
Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it may block the file from running, move it to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or ask you to select an action.
A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:
Check for the latest database updates
First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.
Submit a sample
After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.
Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
Exclude a file from further scanning
If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.
Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.
Altnet sells and distributes digital media with the help of P2P networks. As a customer, the user also becomes a distribution centre for Altnet. Brilliant Digital Entertainment owns Altnet, hence the name AltnetBDE.
Altnet collects basic information when signing up to their network. The full name, e-mail address, gender, age and location are required to register as a user. While using Altnet, information about which files you have purchased, what you have shared and so forth are collected by Altnet. Unless a user opts-out, this information may be shared with a third party. It is unclear if 'opt-out' is sufficient enough from leaking the collected information to the parent company, Brilliant Digital Entertainment (an advertisement company).
Altnet has constructed a virtual payment system based on points. As a user, these points can be used to buy the rights to play digital media, such as a song or movie clip. When the digital media is purchased, Altnet searches for a second user that already has bought this digital media. The software then peer-to-peer downloads the digital media from the second user and the media is re-signed to the new user. The second user is then awarded with points for sharing this media. A user is also able to buy digital media with real money using credit card or other payment arrangements.
F-Secure detects Altnet because the software may disclose private information, letting Altnet build a profile of you. The software is also usually received while installing Kazaa or Grokster and was not desired in the first place. In many cases, the user was not aware Altnet Peer Point Manager represents an extra application, but assumed it was a part of the wanted application. Altnet's software can be removed without crippling Kazaa or Grokster.
If you understand what Altnet is and how it works, feel free to use it.