I think it’s better to be safe rather than sorry. I use an M4a to Mp3 converter to convert iTunes files into normal MP3 files & strip out all possible hidden information. I find no audible loss in sound quality, at all.

What really burns me up about this is how Apple are doing something which no one else is doing! 7digital, Amazon, emusic etc. sell legal Mp3’s with no personal information stored in the file what-so-ever, but Apple insists on invading my privacy!

I’ve always disliked Apple & this action has only served to confirm my dislike.

First, you’ll need to clear the Apple ID field (usually just your email address) and purchase date (which is different from the iTunes “Date Added” field)
- Download AtomicParsley [http://atomicparsley.sourceforge.net/] and unzip it.
- Open a Terminal window (it’s in Applications/Utilities)
- Drag the AtomicParsley application’s icon into the Terminal window. Do not hit enter.
- Drag the m4a file into the Terminal window. Do not hit enter.
- Enter the following command. Note that the dashes before “manualAtomRemove” are double dashes, even though they may not be displayed as such here because of HTML encoding.
–manualAtomRemove “moov.udta.meta.ilst.apID” –manualAtomRemove “moov.udta.meta.ilst.purd” -W
- Hit Enter

Now, you still need to remove your name:
- Install HexFiend [http://ridiculousfish.com/hexfiend/]
- Open the file in HexFiend
- Find your name
- Replace those characters with the exact same number of periods.
- Save the file

Also, your iTunes purchased songs “may” contain all of your iTunes account info such as credit card number !!

It will not be possible to easily find the data watermarked within a song, so Joe Downloader will not really be able to get at your info. However, if a nefarious person/group does create a utility to grab the watermarked data, it would be very likely that it could be used to steal your identity.

What’s that? You would never share your songs!?! Ever had your computer stolen ??

Metadata strippers already exist for iTunes tracks – find them yourself.

If you are peer to peering the music, you deserve to have your email out there. People like that make products (like music) more expensive for everyone. If your not doing that, then there’s really no issue. It’s a way for Apple to keep track of your purchases and if they are played on your own equipment then no one gets your info who doesn’t already have it.

Last comment – I have seen many many many cases of entire hard drives of data lost because of Limewire. The files you get may carry malware or just plain be corrupted, and the files you serve can cause a lot of excess wear and tear on your drive. You get what you pay for. Pay for your entertainment. This “music should be free” attitude is a disgusting commentary on modern society.