I've finally figured out what exactly this Akamai Netsession program is and where it came from. It was downloaded to my computer when I signed up for
Netflix and watched a movie via their online video streaming. Netflix uses Akamai to quickly and smoothly stream videos with minimal buffering and almost no download time. It's not harmful, it doesn't seem to use a lot of resources (I could be wrong, but it doesn't on my computer), and is necessary for viewing Netflix, and other websites that stream videos online.
I must say how disappointed I was with the lack of helpful info online concerning this program. There were so many responses on various message boards that were links to or copies of the Akamai site's terribly vague faq. Obviously, the program's own website will tell you it's safe and necessary. We're looking for people's personal experience or direct knowledge of the program to give us an unbiased opinion on what Akamai really is, and if it's safe.
Anyway, I got the Akamai program from Netflix and it doesn't seem like it's negatively affecting my computer. And please excuse my rant, I'm just a little grumpy after reading all these posts handing out generic unhelpful information that helps nobody.
Signed, Darlene