P2P is short for peer-to-peer and is the name of a comparably recent development in computer networking. More traditional client-server based networks organize users around one central system that hosts a large catalogue of files. In a P2P structure the software program connects users and creates a network of all the different hard drives. Users are able to access files from each other’s computers and offer the contents of their shared folders in a network of peers. In a peer-to-peer network users can upload and download files as long as they are connected to the Internet. The structure of a P2P network that relies only on a shared software application makes the sites hard to monitor and control. One such site, WinMX, used a central server for organization and facilitation, and was officially shut down under legal and financial pressure from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) but re-opened days later as a user organized and operated network. The site still allows illegal downloads, but there is now no central authority to hold responsible.
The general community of people uploading and downloading a particular file is called the ‘swarm’. In the swarm, those uploading files for other users are called seeds, and those who are downloading are called leeches. The more seeds there are uploading a file, the faster the file can be downloaded.
There are numerous benefits of P2P networks. Users can access a wealth of information and data and are they are able to exchange files freely and without restriction.
The most popular P2P sites today include Rhapsody and iTunes, which both offer monthly memberships and a variety of options and are legal sites that charge a fee for downloads. Other popular sites like LimeWire and Kazaa allow users to share files without fees and are not legal. Another kind of P2P site that is very popular uses BitTorrent technology that works the same way as P2P networking, only it breaks large files like movies and albums into smaller chunks so that they can be uploaded and downloaded faster.
There are also drawbacks to P2P sites that offer illegal downloads. There are ethical and legal issues to consider when using these sites. Since the files are covered by copyright laws and since they are protected by property laws, unless the site is paying royalties to the artist or the recording studio, downloading them is not legal. It is difficult to enforce these laws, but the American government has arrested and charged several people for “distribution” of files without copyright permission.
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