It has now emerged that Microsoft's Windows Media Player keeps track of all CDs and DVDs played; the client also sends back a unique identifier to the CD/DVD title server when downloading track information. Microsoft currently claims to have no plans to sell the data to any of the concerns who'd be interested in something like that.

Privacy experts said they feared the log file could be used by investigators, divorce lawyers, snooping family members, marketing companies or others interested in learning about a person's entertainment habits. It also could be used to make sure users have paid for the music or movie, and have not made an illegal copy. "The big picture might be the owners of intellectual property wanting to track access to their property," said Peter Swire, a law professor at Ohio State University.

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