Sharing computer files using torrents and the BitTorrent protocol is becoming increasingly popular. Not only are torrents much more efficient when it comes to distributed file sharing than more traditional methods such as HTTP of FTP downloads, but it is also a lot easier. The torrent files themselves are the key to the process – a user just finds the torrents he requires, downloads to his computer and then opens with a compatible client – and they can easily be created by anyone wishing to distributed files.

In November 2006, BitTorrent Inc. introduced its “Publish Torrent” service, which creates and hosts a torrent file (seeded from an existing web-hosted media file) and tracks the downloads. This made file sharing with torrents that much easier.

While use of an FTP client, or owning a server to place a file upon for subsequent download may well be out of the technical reach of many Internet users, creating and using torrents and BitTorrent clients is, even to some technologically challenged users, becoming a commonplace activity.