P2P File Sharing

File sharing is a method online users can use to share files online. There is a database full of information and users can share their files. A great example of a file sharing site is dropbox. Users use dropbox to store their data online and to share it with their friends.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) on the other hand, is file sharing 2.0. The files aren't stored on one particular computer. They are stored on many different computers and when you want to download a file you can access the data from a network of different computers. This allows the file to be transmitted faster and allows access to the file at all times. Some P2P sites include Kaaza, Limewire, Napster, and BitTorrent. According to the article "File Sharing Joins the Mainstream" BitTorrent is one of the most popular P2P sites. In fact it is responsible for 40-50% of all internet traffic. The question that remains is the legality of these sites and most of the files that are being transferred are illegal and pirated.