P2P

Individuals have an incessant need to share and receive information.  Technologies, such as the internet, have facilitated the manner and speed in which information is shared.  According to the essay "Online Piracy and the Emergence of New Business Models" by David Choi, in its earliest of days the ARPANET was established as a platform to connect computers so that information could be shared for the mutual benefit of its users; in essence this was termed file sharing.  Thus, file sharing is a manner in which information is distributed, allowing users to get access to information and content that is digitally stored.  

The growing popularity of file sharing and its ease of use and access through mediums like the internet have led to breakthroughs in file transferring technologies, such as peer to peer file sharing (P2P).  P2P allows for file sharing, however it does so through the use of a program used through a medium like the internet, this according to Choi.  

As mentioned in the article "Digital Pirates Winning Battle with Studios" by Brian Steller and Brad Stone, one example of P2P file sharing is RapidShare.  RapidShare is largely used by advertising agencies to show potential clients around the world their campaigns. In order to get access, users get the use of passwords, given that the content has limited public access.  RapidShare is an example of how P2P sites make use of new file transferring technologies to expedite access to information.  However, given the digitization of nearly everything, books, music, movies and such, it has also given rise to ethical concerns and issues of piracy.  For example the once largely popular, and controversial, website Napster was built on the pillars of P2P as well.  Napster made it possible for users to access and upload the files stored in the hard drives of others's computers.  Moreover, it "used the internet as a channel for copying" those files; Napster became a repository of "hundreds of thousands of bootlegged audio files donated by users."  

Clearly file sharing and its evolution to P2P has demonstrated to be useful, popular and beneficial for users.  Yet, there are various ethical and legal implications that need to be considered and handle appropriately; needless to say this is greatly difficult given the popularity and widespread conception that it is the new 'norm'.