It definitely doesn't have aesthetics going for it

In talking to people since OiNK, one of the most popular private BitTorrent trackers, was shut down by police a year ago, I’ve come to suspect something. In particular, that a combination of more stringent measures to deter torrents as well as the loss of perhaps the most well-run tracker on the internet was causing people to turn to alternative methods of file-sharing. Well, it looks like I may have been on to something.

ars technica reported earlier today that not only is P2P traffic slowing down, accounting for a lower percentage of overall internet traffic than it used to, but DDL (Direct Download) services like Rapidshare and Mediafire are growing at a stunning rate. DDL allows people to simply download a file stored at one location by clicking on it – that’s it. There’s no sharing involved, no having to reassemble pieces of downloaded files, no having to wait for seeders – it’s just there for the taking, plus it’s often very fast. And, of course, there’s one major allure.

Unlike with P2P traffic, investigators can’t easily grab the IP addresses of those downloading DDL files, and they can’t grab copies of the files themselves in order to look for copyright infringement.

P2P, despite the ire directed against it by content owners, at least allows them a window into online behavior. DDL services close the window and plaster over it, and only a sledgehammer from a subpoena (or the cooperation of an ISP) can open it back up. 

I’d be really curious to see the first case where the RIAA or MPAA tries to sue someone for downloading from a DDL service. Not only is it difficult to locate IP addresses of people downloading off DDL and acquire “evidence” (since you’re not sharing, they can’t download your files as evidence of wrongdoing), but these DDL services have legitimate uses at heart; they’re really file transfer sites. To try to restrict DDL traffic in the same way that ISPs do with torrents by throttling their customers would cause many legitimate transfers to be disrupted. It’s like opening and examining everybody’s mail simply because there’s the possibility of something illegal being sent.

BitTorrent is far from dead, of course, as it’s still the preferred file sharing method for millions. However, this is just the latest example of the file sharing hydra staying ahead of the game. The loss of OiNK and the sudden uncertainty surrounding private BitTorrent trackers has caused some to take the next step and look for something that will take the authorities even longer to crack.

Once they figure out it exists, that is.

P2P growth slowing as infringement goes deeper undercover [ars technica]