2much.net Hit Hard By Software Theft

2much Internet Services has had to change all Live Video Chat services as a result of having their software sabotaged and its source codes stolen, the company stated in a release.

"It was an inside job," said Greg Jones, Media & Communications for 2much.net. The company is closed to further deails due to legal issues.

"We're faced with calling in the RCMP and the FBI," said Jones. "Because of the obviously organized nature of the crime. We have to deal with several parties from both Canada and the United states who were responsible, and who are now facing civil and criminal charges."

Mark Prince, president and founder of 2much.net, said, "It couldn't have come at a worse time. The software was stolen to create another company that could compete with us - and the source code was erased to cripple us."

Source code is the computer language editable by human programmers which is then compiled (or "translated") into far more complex machine-only readable code which cannot be corrected without the original source code, and cannot be "translated" back into that code either; without source code, an error in a program cannot be tracked down or corrected.

Before the sabotage, according to Jones, at least two of 2much.net's customers had abruptly dropped 2much.net's system for another which resembled LiveCamNetwork 1.9 more than coincidence could account for. "Actually, we can see our code and programming in the user-side interface of their new sites," Prince said.

Apparently the testing has interfered with the 2much system in a significant manner. "All chat hostesses logged on got kicked off," said Jones. "With increasing frequency."

When 2much.net's network supervisor discovered that the "new" system was using the 2much video server as well as authenticating users and performers via 2much.

As reported in an earlier article, 2much had been forced to pull the plug on a site which had been operating unethically and violating terms of service contracts. This site was owned and operated by an employee of 2much, who was subsequently fired for misconduct.

"Or he arranged to have a confrontation about his misuse of our software," Jones said. "And didn't like us pulling the plug. So before leaving, upon termination of his contract, he accessed our servers, uploaded our software somewhere - and then erased the code."

Although 2much wants justice done, the company is busy writing the new version 2.0, which is targeted for a January launch, and trying to repair version 1.9, the current sabotaged version.

"We have to do it manually," Prince said. "Since the thieves erased the source code. We don't want our clients, chat hostesses and employees to lose too much revenue over what this guy did."

2much has hired specialists for support and repair of 1.9, as well as to expedite the construction of version 2.0.

"The new version of our chat software will take this situation into consideration," Jones said. "That is, it'll feature a revised back-up structure and more highly secure access, so no one person will have the power of live and death over any part of the network hierarchy - except Mark."

For the moment recover of the 1.9 source code is the company's priority - above and beyond the crime or its punishment. "We're at the point of considering letting go 20 office and studio employees," Prince said. "Which I find unacceptable. These many people shouldn't suffer because of what this one person has done."

"The act was obviously malicious," Jones finished. "Just acquiring the source code would have been enough. It shouldn't have been erased."

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iSN News Raises Expectations With Live Video Chat

(Montreal) November 11, 2004 - www.InternetSexNetwork.com began as a simple site with the idea of being an official outlet for news and press releases of client sites of Montreal-based 2much.net.

These clients, whose sites are powered on the live video chat platform LivecamNetwork 1.9, were mostly interested in the service as a marketing tool. But things began to change.

"I hadn't realized how small a segment of the adult internet live video chat is," said 2much Media & Communications director Greg Jones, who created the site. "It's misunderstood, and only recently with companies like StreamRay, PeekShows and 2much.net did it really take off -- and pay off, for those who chose to use it."

The iNternetSexNetwork changed it's official title from "iSN News: The Link to WildWebcamWomen", to "The Link to Live Video Sex Chat" and added RSS and Atom feeds. Greater interest took hold from outside the circle of 2much customers than from within.

Consequently, iSN News had to shift its focus from 2much to being an outlet for video chat in general, and plans are in the works for coverage of other video chat sites and systems.

"Our goal is to make interaction a bigger feature of the net," said Jones. "To get video chat and performance to be more of a standard than it is." Jones also emphasized raising the standard of video chat itself, which for the most part remains at the slow, choppy level where it started almost ten years ago.

“We had this idea, from the start, just from featuring the LiveCamNetwork solution,” Jones added. “But we can propagate the standard, elevate the quality of live video, throughout the web, if we get the competition involved.”

The adult industry on the net has always been a bastion of friendly competition, and has often worked in congress toward a common goal – for example in the fight against child porn, unethical advertising or censorship.

Lofty goals notwithstanding, the success of and interest in video chat from both standpoints, consumers and successful site operators, has helped iSN News grow as a site in tandem with raising the public profile of high-end, broadband video and audio streaming technologies.

“And we hope the industry will be with us on this,” Jones said. “Once they realize video chat is profitable as well as a legitimate online niche all its own.”

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St. John the Ashcroft Steps Down - an Editorial

iSN Editorial
by Sid Zombay, esq.

John Ashcroft has resigned and left us all porn panderers a little bereft. After all, he was the best and most ridiculous enemy we’d had for years.

We saw him sing a song he wrote himself, cover up art that made him blush with its classical nudity, heard him thump his chest and declare war on porn with the same gravity his boss declared holy war against the oil pirates.

Now he’s gone. And that’s maybe a little scary. Because Ashcroft wore his morality as a badge, we knew where we stood with him.

Who will replace him, now? What new, unknown factor is going to propagate the war against our businesses?

It took a crafty accountant to bring down Al Capone, crafty and creative justice carried out fairly and justifiably. But that kind of cunning can just as easily be borne wrongly against anyone perceived as an enemy – including we the people.

The Ashcroft resignation is nothing if not odd, even suspicious. And the new AG head of the DOJ will have to put up with great scrutiny and screening by the adult industry, if only to understand where the next attacks will be coming from.

After our collective sigh of relief, we cannot afford to breathe too easy.

LiveCamNetwork.com Enhances Live Video Chat

(Toronto) November 10, 2004 - In its quest to remain "the cat's ass in adult online entertainment", LiveCamNetwork.com has added a bulletin board chat forum as a free feature for visitors.

LiveCamNetwork.com was created by 2much.net five years ago as a demonstration site for company president Mark Prince's live video chat solution. "Over the years," Prince said, "We've experimented with a variety of add ons and features but have always gone back to the heart of the site: live and interactive video sex chat."

Whether it was image galleries or adult shopping carts, surfers who were looking for video chat paid little attention to other, static elements added to the site. "Really, you can't compare," webmistress Jen said. "On the one hand you've got a gorgeous, witty brunette sitting there waiting for your reply, joke or whatever, and on the other there's a bunch of still photos of people faking passion."

The BBS is an experiment both Jen and Prince believe should work. "It heightens the interaction. It personalizes an already intimate relationship, and its another form of communication between chat hostesses and their visitors," Jen said.

Surfers often sent search requests for specific performers of LiveCamNetwork.com, looking for personal sites or some means of communicating with already popular chat hostesses such as Deja, Rachel, and Melody. "This just lets them do more of what they want -- hear from and talk to the girls."

Users are able to post on public forums, as well as send each other private messages. As Prince himself wrote in the introductory post on the forum: "Post your comments! Post your love letters! Post your gripes! Most of all, just have fun!"

The BBS, which is just a part of a major overhaul the site will be undergoing shortly, is hosted and administrated at 2much.net and powered by the recognized vBulletin software produced by Jelsoft Enterprises.

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First Halloween Ball Photos Released

(Montreal) November 8, 2004 – 2much and iSN News has finally responded to popular demand and issued a first release gallery of photos of the Halloween Masquerade ball 2much held for the Montreal adult industry community last October 28 at the Montreal Club 1234.

No press release was issued, except for one spokesman to say, "Let the pics speak for themselves for now."

For the gallery, click here.

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