File Sharing, Info-Anarchy and Indymedia

  • File Sharing, Info-Anarchy and Indymedia
    I found the site infoarnarchy.org when I stumbled on a post outlining “the current state of file sharing.” It’s a good overview of software tools that need to exist, not for the violation of copyright and sharing mp3s, but because there should be no centralized control over information sharing. Information sharing is a key element in the Indymedia movement, although one of its chief weaknesses is that it is still server-based, so that a blow to the server farm in Seattle where a majority of regional Indymedia sites are hosted would bring down a big chunk of the system. Nonetheless, info and memes spread quickly from site to site, since they feature open-publishing and because each regional IMC seems to monitor others, especially during times of crisis. Peer-to-peer file sharing takes the centralized server out of the mix and I think could serve as a vital information nd news distribution method if centralized servers, or even much of the web itself, were to become compromised. They are complementary ideas and technologies–for this reason P2P file sharing must be considered and defended for more than its simple ability to exchange mp3s and porn.


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