The US is pondering a crackdown on peer-to-peer file sharing programs after details of a Secret Service safe-house location for President Barack Obama and his family were found being traded on LimeWire.

A senior US lawmaker has said that it may be time for the Government to regulate companies that provide online file-sharing services after several people managed to access confidential information.

Still smoking ... Barack Obama. Credit:Reuters

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Edolphus Towns said during a hearing on the safety of peer-to-peer software that he was astonished at privacy breaches involving LimeWire, operated by the Lime Group.

LimeWire is used by internet users to find and share media files, which for the most part consists of illegally copied movies, music and games. However, sometimes personal documents were shared inadvertently.

