Ethical Oversight

As mentioned earlier, iTorrent could run into problems because of the credit system that, after sharing numerous media with other users, would essentially allow users to download media free of cost. There are other issues that should be touched on as well concerning the ethics of iTorrent. First of all, BitTorrent is commonly associated with copyright infringement. Not only is this a fair association given what the client is now/has been in the past, but it could potentially hurt the credibility of iTorrent. Here is a link that cites an example of BitTorrent's alleged copyright infringement.

http://news.com.com/This+week+in+copyright+infringement/2100-1026_3-5722887.html

Although copyright infringement is a problem with BitTorrent and thus supporting BitTorrent on iTorrent, there are also users who do not infringe on copyright laws and would continue to be "legal" about what they share on iTorrent. It is important to have a service like iTorrent for honest users, who deserve faster, more efficient technology for their file sharing endeavors. The "Betamax Case" provides a good example of this concept. A thorough overview of the case can be found here:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/464_US_417.htm

Another ethical issue with iTorrent is that, by using BitTorrent, it is possible that iTunes would have to deal with the lack of control over the files that are shared between users. Undesireable programs (i.e. Spyware) and/or viruses could be passed throughout the system, disguised as files that users are actually trying to download. Graphic media, i.e. pornography and strong language, would most likely be shared as well. The two issues here are whether or not iTorrent would be responsible for what its users are doing with the service, and devising a method for possibly securing the system from these forms of media.