P2P File Sharing

File sharing is the practice of distributing information in the form of a digital file to another entity. P2P -- Peer to Peer -- file sharing is "the distribution and sharing of digital media using P2P technology [which] allows users to access media files" according to Wikipedia. Users can allocate information to the desired recipients without a distribution server. Some examples of P2P file sharing include BitTorrent, which is one of the most known and successful file sharing sites on the internet. In fact, "more than one-third of all data sent across the internet" is attributed to information shared on BitTorrent according to Thompson. BitTorrent can download a large file in minutes, such as a movie, while it may take hours for a regular computer to intake the movie onto its drive. Other P2P file sharing sites include PirateBay, and online textbook sharing sites as well. 

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Works Cited:

"Peer-to-peer File Sharing." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer_file_sharing>.

Thompson, Clive. "The BitTorrent Effect." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.wired.com/2005/01/bittorrent-2/>.