P2P

File sharing is the distribution of digital media, which may include documents, music, video, and images. The problem with file sharing is that these digital media are usually distributed illegally. People usually share the files without permission, thus infringing the copyright act. Another form of file sharing is P2P file sharing, or peer to peer file sharing. This is the distribution of digital media through peer to peer network technology. Some examples of P2P file sharing are Google Drive, BitTorrent, and The Pirate Bay. On Google Drive, people can upload files and choose to allow specific people to have access to these files. According to "The BitTorrent Effect," BitTorrent is "one of the most successful peer-to-peer programs ever." This program allows users to quickly upload and download a lot of data and huge files in torrents. Once the user downloads the torrent file, it connects the user to others who has the file.

"The BitTorrent Effect" by Clive Thompson, Wired, January 2005. 
 http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/bittorrent.html