File Sharing: Useful, Controvertial, and Possibly Unsafe.

File sharing is the ability to make data which was on your computer, tablet, or cellphone available to others. File sharing is a very useful tool that would allow one to share information online for easy access without requiring direct physical transfer device such as a flash drive or a transfer cable. This is a highly convenient and efficient way of giving and getting data. File sharing however, does have its controversies and risks. The sharing of files has drawn the attention of copyright holders. File sharing allows people to attain data which is supposed to be paid for, for free. The term for this is called internet piracy, as they are taking intellectual property without paying for it. One example of an action taken was when megauploads.com, a popular file sharing site was taken off the net. However the impact of such action may have been minimal, as this did stop piracy in other file sharing sites. As for risks there is no certain way to determine whether or not a file on the internet has malicious software. Preventative measures for this could include having an anti-virus software installed that has internet screening capability or making sure the source that the file is safe.