http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/05/26/lastfm-denies-data-sharing-accusations-again/

UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: CBS responds: “Both CBS and the RIAA have already stated quite clearly, for the record, that absolutely no individual user or listener information was supplied to the RIAA by Last.fm or any division of CBS Corporation in the past, nor do we plan to do so in the future. The story posted by the Web site was based on an unnamed tipster. No inquiry was made to CBS or Last.fm about the veracity of the anonymous source. Those who consult such blogs should be aware of the standard by which such postings are sourced and published.”

The 2nd “Source” would also have went out of his/her way to compliment the first source.

So, make of it as you will.

On a side note, if the sources were just planting false info, one would also have to question the motive for this.

TechCrunch, sponsors including a last.fm competitor, posts something with no verifiable sources, and you (and p2pnet.net for that matter) are just the kind of suckers they’re looking for to spread unsubstantiated accusations as truth.

My big toe on my left foot has supernatural powers. You have to believe it because you read it on the internet. I can make up an e-mail that verifies it too!

Meanwhile, last.fm staff states that it’s not only false, but that it would be a violation of law to do this. That CBS has no direct access to the data, and that the only way they could get the data was through the staff member who said it was never asked for nor given to them.

The RIAA themselves have stated that they never asked for such data. They as well as anyone with an IQ above 2 can see that easily-falsified (via ID3 tag) data is completely useless to them.

http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/02/riaa-denies-rumors-that-lastfm-turned-over-data.ars

Quote from the arstechnica article (conveniently left out of TechCrunch’s drivel): The RIAA has finally chimed in as well, categorically denying that any such request was ever made. “[We're] not sure where that rumor came from,” RIAA spokesperson Cara Duckworth told Ars on Saturday. “It’s not true.”

But you keep on believing some proven-false-several-times-before blogger on TechCrunch whose articles consist of unsourced information and so many “I/we believe”-nonfacts. I believe the word you’re looking for is: foolish.

Don’t get your panties in a bunch. Even if (and the burden of proof, actual proof, lies on TechCrunch now) such a data transfer happened, the ability to easily change ID3 tags in files and submit that you’re listening to whatever (Now Playing: P2Pnet.net – I Copy the False Allegations as Truth to Make the Whole World Zing!) makes any such data inadmissable in front of even the dumbest judge, whom they’d have to go through to get access to any name behind any IP address.

Come on people, stop taking everything you read at face value, and use your head to actually stop, look at the opposing facts as opposed to the article’s non-facts, and just for once in your life, think.

Last.fm might have had a chance to continue had this not happened. It will never get an good recommendation from me in any manner due to the problems of big brother.

Go back, read the link I just posted above… a response from a much more reliable source than the National TechCrunch Enquirer who provided no facts whatsoever, just pretended that they were.

Also note in that same thread (partway into page 6 of it) that TechCrunch is summarily deleting all responses on their site that are even remotely in opposition of their non-fact attack. You’ll see several quoted messages that were deleted, and even a few screenshots linked.

The only people hiding anything here are at the National TechCrunch Enquirer. They’ve gotten themselves trapped in a lie, and now they’re having to delete every response that calls them on it rather than dare respond.

You should read this first. Tech Crunch should be added to your list of unreliable trash.

How sweet.