That's not what it's supposed to do: it's just sniff the protocols used on your computer and report them to Hadopi. If at the same time your IP is found on a tracker sharing "illicit" files and Hadopi or one of its affiliates can download a portion of the file from you, then you're in for one of the strikes.

... because it's the only way to "prove" that your 'net connection is "secured".
Let me explain: with Hadopi, they also created a new felony title "Internet connection securing fault" ("Défaut de sécurisation de connexion" in french) which means that if your IP is marked by Hadopi as copying illicit files, then your only mean of defence will be that this software was running at the time of the marking on your computer. Usually, in France, you're innocent until proven guilty. So usually when you're sued, it's the other party that have to bring proofs of what you're accused. They added an exception for this for speed tickets on road when they deployed automatic speed cameras. And they've used this loophole to do the same with Hadopi.

Net result: if you don't run the software and somehow you're IP ends in Hadopi lists, you're automatically ticketed for 1500€ and your only defence is this frickin' spyware.

And the most beautiful of all this: Hadopi is already active and they're just working on the specs of the spyware. Draw the conclusion yourself.

--
Arkan, fed-up with the way France is going those days

This is like putting a price on one's life. Even asking such a question is disgusting, and shows a complete lack of humanity.

I can't even imagine the mindset that can push someone to formulate such a question.

I think this is an huge hint that our society as a whole as gone south. Prove me wrong, please prove me wrong.

The reality is bit uglier than what the article might say. When your IP will be caught exchanging one of the 10.000 referenced files on a p2p network - the HADOPI being the one who will be monitoring the p2p networks - this addendum to the three-strikes law will trigger the following events:
  - under a special, fast track process akin to the one followed for a speed ticket, the judge might order your ISP to cut your connexion, or (logical OR, not XOR) have you pay 1.500â. This is not a trial, it's a judge statement, and you'll have to go to court to defend yourself, but not before having your connexion cut and the fine paid. Btw, you'll still pay for the connexion that have been cut. You can get protection from this though: you need to install a (today inexistant) HADOPI-certified spyware (read network packet scanning, email reading spyware) on your - Windows - computer. This will magically make you not liable of this part of the law
  - you're still liable under the DADVSI (counterfeiting) law which can, on another judgment, get you up to 300.000â fine or (logical OR...) 3 years in prison
  - and then I don't see anything in the words of the proposed law that would prevent the copyright owner from suing you for lost revenue

For the smart among you all, you'd have already noticed that everything is trigger by just one thing: an IP on a p2p network. The IP. Something absolutely, positively unfalsifiable, that can't be spoofed. Right?

And soon, if LOPPSI goes through and you've used an encrypting bittorrent client, you'll also be sued under the premise that you're planning terrorist actions.

The most fun part is that this addendum in it's current state allows for the HADOPI commission to "read" your - and I quote - "electronic communications". Not "p2p connexions", not "bittorrent connexions": "electronic communications". Email, web, IM, VOIP: it's electronic, it's scanned. The french government is just passing a law to get a legal eavedropping right on all national internet communications.

I love being french those days...