Peer-to-Peer "P2P"

File sharing basically allow individuals, end-users from private/public corporations to store and share small amount of data like musical and video files, office applications, documents, photos etc. amongst their peers/colleagues. Prior to internet technology, the most common forms of file sharing were diskette, peer-to-peer or a centralized Ethernet network that provides shared network drives and maybe USB flash drives; However for P2P, which can also be referred to as "peer-to-peer" is a web-based application that allows individuals to share, transfer and download files VIA the internet. P2P; itself is an internet technology. From Security and IT perspectives, P2P can be very evasive, prone to misuse, uses excessive bandwidth, and comes with various vulnerabilities such as spyware, malware, and threats. P2P technology as it is, can be very disruptive and there are several concerns whether or not it helps promulgate internet crimes such as privacy, infringement and copyright. As a matter of fact and based on personally experience, P2P applications are denied on most network, be it a private/public company or even in schools and this is simply because of its characteristics. There are several peer-to-peer tools available out there, the popular ones are 'BitTorrent', 'Torch', 'Napster', 'Kazaa' etc.. According to the article Should Online Scofflaws Be Denied Web Access? by Eric Pfanner "PARIS — Is Internet access a fundamental human right? Or is it a privilege, carrying with it a responsibility for good behavior? That is the question confronting policy makers as they try to bring Internet access to the masses while seeking to curb illegal copying of digital music, movies and video games."