Introduction

This topic examines the argument of file sharing on the internet and why this concept is potentially harmful.  File sharing is the means of exchanging digitally stored information with friends or colleagues over the internet.  This may include such items as video files, data or information files, music or audio files, e-books or computer programmes.  There are varying means of exchanging or sharing files over the internet , these often referred to as Peer-to-peer networks or P2P.  Another popular method is by means of bit torrent  mainly used for the downloading of large music or video files.  Whilst the sharing of information over the internet is not an illegal one, nevertheless there are numerous instances of breach of copyright particularly with music, books and films.

Why file sharing is considered bad

Copyright infringement :  A large number of the public are guilty of  copyright infringement particularly prevalent in the distribution of media files i.e. music and films.  Whilst individuals seem less concerned about this, the net effect is that it deprives artiste’s of revenue for their work. The impact on the music industry for example ” Music sales dropped globally from approximately $38 billion in 1999 to $32 billion in 2003, and a number of studies have found that file sharing has a negative impact on record sales” (Zentner)

Transportation of virus’s  Many of the original copies of media files come from very dubious sources.  As such they often contain computer viruses and these act as another distribution media in the system.  Whilst most of us use anti-virus software, nevertheless there are serious viruses that can escape the scrutiny of the antivirus software and so serious harm to our computers. Although most people would not do this as a deliberate act it is considered anti social to send contaminated files to others over the internet.  One of the worst types of virus is the “Trojan” essentially because it enters your system undetected and can do both your system and yourself enormous damage.  Once activated it can interrogate your data files and report back information to the sender.  If it can obtain a sufficient profile on you, then this could be used for identity theft ” You might click on the link, and you won’t notice any problems. However, a Trojan virus can wipe out your data or even lurk in the background, capturing your activities and reporting them back to another computer” (Roberts)

Release of personal information:  Release of personal information shared on the internet is another potential hazard.  Whilst some of this may be for legitimate purposes, there remains a security of  “hackers” getting this information and using it for illegal means.  There is an alarming trend that shows the youthful hackers of yesterday are maturing into modern day felons turning their talents towards criminal activities for profit.  ” Two days prior, the Today Show reported that more than 150,000 tax returns, 25,800 student loan applications and 626,000 credit reports were all inadvertently made available though File Sharing” (Greg Sandoval)