Despite ongoing legal debates surrounding online music copyright, peer-to-peer (P2P) technology remains undeniably valuable in practice.
Imagine an ideal information storage system for the entire globe. This system could quickly identify and transmit a file (potentially very large) from millions of files to anywhere in the world. To ensure this capability, the system could be self-configuring and self-repairing, rather than relying on a “centralized control” mechanism like currently popular storage systems. Furthermore, the system must be secure, support millions of simultaneous users, and be “immune” to attacks—both physical and through harmful software or code.
Of course, administrators have always “dreamed” of such a system, especially as the Internet increasingly becomes a crucial factor for success in business. In reality, this ideal system has existed in the form of peer-to-peer networks (such as eDonkey and KaZaA).
P2P technology has been used by millions of digital music enthusiasts to share music files. This reality raises numerous copyright issues and impacts the interests of record companies. In the U.S. and Europe, many music and film companies have lobbied and pressured courts to issue rulings aimed at “eliminating” P2P technology. Not long ago, a group of “victimized” companies even sued the U.S. Supreme Court, demanding compensation from individuals who invented and popularized P2P. Furthermore, some U.S. Department of Justice officials have argued that using P2P networks supports terrorism! This technology has also been condemned as an illegal channel for distributing pornography online.
Of course, P2P has its downsides that require control and limitation measures. However, this technology also has many merits that need to be acknowledged. The argument that the power and security of the Internet will improve due to software accompanying copyright theft may sound strange, but in reality, P2P has endured for many years—despite physical, technical, and legal attacks.
“P2P + digital music copyright theft”—the bad reputation has overshadowed the fact that P2P technology has been applied in many fields: from content distribution, making Internet calls, to storage applications and search support, etc. P2P technology is a new approach that supports the construction of powerful, large-scale computing systems.
From a technical perspective, “peer-to-peer” refers to the direct interaction capability between two computers running the same application software without going through intermediary computers. This connection model may remind many of the Internet; however, P2P has its unique characteristics.
Historically, the Internet was initially designed as a decentralized model. However, as time has progressed, the Internet has increasingly evolved towards a “hub-and-spoke” model. Personal computers in the network connect to a central server to perform tasks such as sending/receiving emails, browsing the web, etc. The network, which once included many peer computers both producing and consuming content, now resembles televisions waiting for signals from broadcast stations.
The Power of the Masses
P2P directly connects computers to each other, and immediately after connection, personal computers can perform tasks that they cannot accomplish alone. Most P2P systems allow users to share resources, including processing capabilities, storage, and bandwidth. In the case of sharing music files, users essentially share a system of files through which everyone participating in the network can download their favorite music files. According to statistics from CacheLogic (a P2P service company based in the UK), over 50% of network traffic originates from peer-to-peer sharing applications. Meanwhile, the Internet research firm BigChampagne (based in Beverly Hills, California) asserts that over 10% of peer-to-peer shared content is legal.
The P2P system operates most effectively, accounting for about 35% of network traffic (according to CacheLogic), under the name BitTorrent. This is an entirely free open-source project that supports the storage and transfer of very large files. Although exploited as a tool for illegal music file sharing, BitTorrent has also become a significant channel supporting companies in delivering large files to users (movies, games, application software like the Linux operating system, etc.).
BitTorrent succeeded partly due to its application encouraging users to give and receive. A study conducted in 2000 on P2P networks revealed that nearly 70% of users had never shared files; additionally, nearly half of the files in the database were contributed by only about 1% of users. According to Bram Cohen (the founder of BitTorrent), the BitTorrent system has fundamentally resolved this issue by prioritizing download speeds for active members who contribute content. Furthermore, BitTorrent employs swarming technology—dividing files into smaller packets that circulate within the network. For example, when two users download the same file simultaneously, they can share the packets they have downloaded to speed up the process.
The effectiveness of P2P networks has spurred many initiatives to develop legal P2P distribution services. LionShare, based at PennState University, uses P2P software to encourage information sharing worldwide. Next is Kontiki, which has been recognized by the BBC as an effective method for distributing online programs. Kontiki places part of large files on the personal computers of members worldwide to accelerate sharing. Similarly, Red Swoosh operates a P2P network to share legal, copyrighted content. “Why can’t we turn the technology that the entertainment industry fears into something they actually need?” asks Travis Kalanick, President of Red Swoosh, “The issue seems very complex legally, but it is quite simple if we go in the right direction.”
One organization that relies on P2P is the Internet Archive—a nonprofit digital library co-founded by Brewster Kahle, who runs a business based in San Francisco. The data repository uses five P2P systems, allowing it to distribute both audio and video without worrying too much about bandwidth issues. According to Kahle, without P2P, only large companies with abundant financial resources would be able to afford to distribute large amounts of audio and video online.
Adopting a P2P approach helps eliminate inherent weaknesses of the Internet. Specifically, using applications like BitTorrent, content that is in high demand is “delivered” to users at increasing speeds. However, one reality that needs to be considered is that P2P is much more versatile than a typical file distribution application. Clearly, the “P2P idea” has evolved significantly from KaZaA to Skype—a voice-over-Internet service using a P2P structure. Groove Networks, another company, uses a P2P simulation system to provide network space for coordinating online activities. Simply put, Groove Networks’ system allows two or more people to edit a file simultaneously. The P2P system is also the most effective solution for conducting backup services for files on the Internet. Additionally, you can build search engine tools that make recommendations for documents based on user feedback (e.g., Amazon suggests good books based on the number of purchases, etc.).
“P2P is a completely natural and perfect evolution of the Internet. In fact, P2P has brought the Internet back to its original form—true to the vision of the original founders of the Internet,” Ian Clarke, founder of the FreeNet network (an anonymous P2P network), asserts.
Even when discussing the origins of the Internet as a military objective, the U.S. military is researching P2P applications on the battlefield. Instead of distributing information via a hierarchical model, it would be more effective for soldiers to share information through a peer-to-peer network. Some military radios have operated under a P2P mechanism: radios utilizing self-configuring technology called “Mesh Networking”—where each radio can act as a relay and transmit signals to neighboring radios.
Along with the trend of decentralization and sharing resources, you might be drawn into the idea that the Internet is becoming a vast, harmonious community. However, Huberman, the information director at Information Dynamics Lab (HP), counters: “P2P is a structure; what we need is a market mechanism.” Under this mechanism, P2P users need to be compensated for the computing cycles, storage capacity, and bandwidth they share. Huberman’s research also developed a system called Tycoon, capable of quantifying and “auctioning” excess computing power from users’ computers. This feature, according to Huberman, is crucial for developing P2P from “volunteer” applications into serious applications chosen by major companies.
Peer Pressure
Clearly, the threat from legal lawsuits remains the biggest challenge to efforts to promote P2P. In the case of Napster, when the peer-to-peer music sharing network, operating since 2001, was forced to shut down, many investors hesitated to invest in P2P technology (even in legal forms of P2P). This is understandable.
Meanwhile, programmers continue to toil with lines of code. P2P does not need a “deal” to validate its legitimacy. P2P is just a technology; you can take it out of the box or temporarily set it aside,” one programmer remarked.
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