![]() In particular, companies that often work with very sensitive documents rely on this form of file sharing. ![]() They’re also great for secure file sharing, because only authorized users can access files shared over a VPN. VPNs (virtual private networks) are perfect for accessing personal and/or company networks in the home or remote office. You can even use user profiles and shareable links to determine who can upload and edit files in the folders stored there. Measures such as encryption, regular backups, and powerful anti-malware protection are standard with such providers. File sharing via cloud storageĬloud storage platforms such as Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, and HiDrive are very popular solutions for storing and exchanging files, because a lot of emphasis is placed on data protection and data security. However, security standards have since been improved considerably. Browser-based file sharingīrowser-based file sharing solutions such as WeTransfer, HiDrive Share, or Terashare offer a convenient way for you to upload files up to 2 GB in size all at zero cost and then simply send the recipient a download link.Ī few years ago, this method, also known as drag ’n drop file hosting, was not considered particularly secure. Some providers also delete older messages in your inbox and outbox after a certain period of time if you only have a free account. However, if you email larger files, you are limited because most email providers (like Gmail, Outlook, and Thunderbird) limit the size of files you can send - with data-hungry videos, photos, or presentations left hanging. The advantage is that you can clearly identify the sender based on the address. Small documents such as text files, images, or PDFs can be easily and securely exchanged via email. ![]() You can share files with others in a variety of ways. Peer-to-peer technology is now also used for completely legal file sharing thanks to improved reliability, but more on that later. Here, too, the music industry responded in 20 in various countries with mass lawsuits against individual users of file-sharing services, such as the users of Kazaa. This form of network decentralization improved the system’s reliability - and made it more difficult to identify who was legally responsible for any illegal data traffic. In case you didn’t know, peer means “equal”, which is quite an apt name for the technology behind P2P-based file sharing. In parallel to these server-based file-sharing platforms, pure peer-to-peer or P2P networks were also used, which work(ed) without a central server and in which each participant can be client, server, user, and provider at the same time. However, the music industry also sued them and so they had to shut down their platforms just as quickly as they had appeared.Īnd although some server-based successor networks, such as eDonkey2000, Gnutella, and Gnutella2, as well as protocols such as BitTorrent, had significantly more traffic than even Napster had at its peak, they’ve been on the decline for years since the legality of the servers is more than questionable. Just a few months after this service launched, which spread rapidly among music lovers, the Recording Industry Association of America filed a lawsuit against the operators, leading to the closure of Napster in July 2001.Īfter Napster, other providers such as Audiogalaxy and OpenNap tried their luck. In fact, file sharing in the sense of the computer-based sharing of information and creative works already existed in 1999, when Napster, the epitome of file sharing, enabled the exchange primarily of music files via a central server. Napster and Co.įile sharing isn’t some new fad that’s only been around since the corona pandemic, when many employees worked from home. The files are either located on the computers of the individual users or on servers that all the users can access.Īccessing them usually requires special file-sharing programs - also known as clients - which allow you to access the company network via your computer, or another device, and exchange data with others. What is file sharing?įile sharing refers to the direct transfer of files between internet users via a file sharing network. Read on to learn all you need to know about how it all works, the services, methods, and risks of file sharing as well as tips on how you can use file sharing platforms more securely and legally. We also share files of all kinds, whether in a professional or private context. Fast forward a good few thousand years, and sharing has become a booming business: From Uber and Airbnb to Omni and Hubble, these are just a few examples of the offerings that come under the umbrella term of the sharing economy. Ultimately, our early ancestors could only survive in a group, so they shared all their tasks and resources with each other. It was already common in the Stone Age to share items and resources.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |