Chattanooga: BitTorrent ignites peer-to-peer controversy

Legal action against online pirates has driven music and movie fans to think twice about their downloading habits, but while many have given up free files for 99-cent songs on iTunes, a revolution in file sharing has swept the Web.

BitTorrent, a program that can pull pieces of songs, films and software together from across the Internet to create a single download, is the hottest file-sharing development, technology experts say.

“It just works better, which is why it has caught on so much,” said Lang Martin, a senior developer at Coptix, a Web development firm in Chattanooga. “It downloads faster. It is just designed better. It has avoided the culture of viruses. But you can get in trouble.”

BitTorrent technology, first released in 2001, has attracted millions of users in the past few years. The file sharing does not expose users to the viruses or spyware that plagued programs such as Kazaa and LimeWire.

The technology has become so popular that the primary cable provider here, Comcast, which also provides Internet service, ran afoul of the Federal Communications Commission when it tried to limit the high traffic BitTorrent created, which slowed Internet service.

Music and film copyright holders also are concerned that the deluge of BitTorrent downloads supports the theft of copyrighted materials.

HOW IT WORKS

In the past, peer-to-peer file sharing has functioned a lot like this: Someone who wanted a copy of the newest Batman movie looked for someone who offered the whole file in a program such as Kazaa or LimeWire and downloaded it from a single source.

With BitTorrent, a person downloads a single file that is created by pulling bits from hundreds of hosts across the Internet. The fragments then are pieced together by software that can be downloaded for free online.

Daniel Johns, a 23-year-old cosmetology student at Chattanooga State Technical Community College, uses BitTorrent to get movies and music for free.

He said he likes the variety of downloads available through the program, and he finds independent files and music artists that are unsigned.

“(Torrents) are like magic,” he said.

Unlike Kazaa and LimeWire, BitTorrent works by uploading files as a download is occurring. In other words, as you are collecting pieces of your favorite movie, you also are sending pieces out across the Web for other downloaders, Mr. Martin said.

The swarm of uploads from the growing use of BitTorrent prompted Comcast, one of the nation’s largest Internet service providers with more than 14.4 million customers, to slow down file-sharing activity, an action the FCC questioned, said Charlie Douglas, director of communications for Comcast.

Fifty percent to 60 percent of Internet service providers’ bandwidth is used for peer-to-peer file sharing, but only 5 percent of Internet users engage in the activity, Mr. Douglas said. So, to preserve high speeds for most Internet users, Comcast planned to delay the file requests of peer-to-peer downloads, including BitTorrent, during peak traffic times, Mr. Douglas said.

However, the FCC recently stated that Comcast is not allowed to do that.

Comcast since has announced plans to comply with the FCC order — though it also plans to appeal the FCC decision — and said the company will change to a different network management system at the end of the year. The new system will target high-volume users, who represent fewer than 1 percent of Comcast customers but who can clog up the system with overuse, he said.

“Their activities will be delayed,” Mr. Douglas said. “They will have sluggish download and surfing experience only until they change their behavior.”

USEFUL TECHNOLOGY

Though some Internet service providers are concerned about torrent files spreading across the Internet, Mr. Martin said there are many legitimate and legal uses for the new technology.

Businesses can download free software quickly and safely using BitTorrent, and scientists and academics can trade large files using the protocol.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, many peer-to-peer providers and more than 20,000 users have been sued by either the Recording Industry Association of America or the Motion Picture Association of America for file sharing.

BitTorrent does not necessarily provide any protection for users downloading pirated music or films, Mr. Martin said. A computer’s IP address can be checked just like with any other peer-to-peer program, he said.

“As a technology it is a really neat thing,” he said. “But a lot of what it gets used for is pirating movies, and that can get you in trouble.”

WHAT IT IS

BitTorrent, created in 2001, is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol. A person uses it by downloading a single file that is created by pulling bits of the file from hundreds of hosts across the Internet. The fragments then are pieced together by software that can be downloaded for free online. For more information, go to www.bittorrent.com.