The Shadow Internet behind P2P

Wired has an article on the internet piracy scene that will peel back your eyeballs with revelations. Think Kazaa, LimeWire, Morpheus and their ilk are the be all and end all of the P2P sharing? They're the crumbs. They're what lame internet users like you and I have to contend with. Distributing a movie, an album or a piece of software just with those networks is a monumentally slow task. The RIAA and MPAA would have you think that you and I are the evil culprits that buy a movie, rip it and post it on the internet, and that we're bad, bad, bad! That's debatable, but besides the point. As Wired reveals, there's a shadow internet out there, behind the scenes, that obtain copies of media and warez to be pirated long before they are even officially released to the public. Once obtained, the material is painstakingly converted (if necessary) and have to survive a quality control step before making it on to the pirate networks. Once they are ready to hit the back alleys of the internet, they get posted on secretive topsites, that are responsible for propagating the files down a pyramid of servers towards the bottom, where the P2P servers live. Those topsites are heavily protected. If you're not part of the in crowd, forget trying to get it. Security is high. The sites are constantly being moved. Encryption is utilized to prevent hacking in. Logon IDs and passwords are constantly reset. And you must be coming from trusted IPs to get in. Even after making it in, you can't download anything unless you have credits. Credits can only be obtained if you pirate something at the topsite, or, donate equipment, such as servers, harddisks or $10K video cameras. Why do they do it? So they can download stuff for free -- but mostly, because it's fun, provides fame and stardom in the underground network. Want an eyeopener? Read the article.