This is a peer-to-peer filesharing network

posted Oct 30th 2010 8:49am by Mike Szczys
filed under: misc hacks

[Aram Bartholl] is building his own filesharing network that screws those fat cats who want to control your freedom. He’s added file cache devices throughout NYC (five so far but more to come) that are anonymous and free to use. Upload what you want, download what you want. They’re completely offline which means monitoring who’s doing what gets a lot harder and quite possibly requires a warrant from a Judge (we’re obviously not legal experts, your mileage may vary).

As for the slew of comments that are sure to point out the dangers of malicious USB device; We think everyone knows they’re taking on some risk when connecting to a USB plug protruding from a brick wall.

[Thanks Neckbeard]

Comments [114]

tagged: filesharing, flash drive, network, peer2peer, usb

114 Responses to This is a peer-to-peer filesharing network

Andynonymous says:

November 1, 2010 at 11:50 am

I’ve always thought that a server on the moon (placed next to the Apollo 11′s landing site) would be a great way to share files…
They would need to jump start the space program to shut it down… Or they could blow it up… ALONG WITH A SYMBOL OF THE USA’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!

But the logistics of that would be incredible, expensive and just not efficient… This is a better way to do it…

ALL HAIL THE SNEAKERNET.

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D_ says:

November 1, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Why not wireless was my first thought Wifi because probable every portable computer that goes out the door is wifi capable Bluetooth could serve cell phone. from the videos I have been shown USB glory hole probably best describes the health risk to the computer connecting connecting to this.

There always is that original P2P method of using the POTS. Has bulletin board software been kept updated? A lot of conspiracy theorists are going to need something, if the predictions come to pass

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matt says:

November 1, 2010 at 3:32 pm

omg all the dangerous and joys of a real glory hole!

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joman says:

November 2, 2010 at 2:24 pm

My first thought: some vandal is going to smash these things. And also what happens when a clumsy person accidentally lets their comp fall a little? Its a nice idea but this isn’t a good way of implementing it.

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Krash says:

November 2, 2010 at 3:32 pm

an0n1m0us,

You are either very young, or very mentally challenged.

http://www.SixWise.com, says “Historically speaking, it’s a one in 9.3 million chance” of dying in a terrorist attack.

There’s a 1 in 85 chance of dying in a vehicle collision.

You are vastly more likely to die driving to the location than a booby trapped usb drive.

@everyone,

Geocaches are ubiquitous. If I could find a buttload of flash drives cheap, I’d just start distributing them to all the geacahces I visit (labeled, of course, “DO NOT REMOVE!”).

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Mikey says:

November 2, 2010 at 4:48 pm

Okay, so this will last until the first time it rains or snows or gets too cold or hot out and ruins the drive in some way… or even less longer when some kid walks by and breaks it off for fun… or spray paints on it and covers the contact leads so they don’t conduct anymore…

And, what kind of file sharing can you do here? Only one person can use it at a time, and they’re not linked together on some sort of sub-ternet (though if there was a sub-ternet I would use it!)

This is just plain worthless and stupid and I give it a life expectancy of 5 days.

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szutsg says:

November 3, 2010 at 6:13 am

Remember Cyberpunk RPG? This is it.

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tristan says:

November 8, 2010 at 11:10 pm

ima mortar one in my wall wired up to 120vac

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fartface says:

November 10, 2010 at 11:54 am

Not new in any way. we had Hacker data drop points like that in the 80′s. 1/8th inch headphone plugs were really rs232, plug in, upload or download data, unplug and flee. the cool part was they are less obvious, far more robust than a lame usb plug hanging out and you needed a password so the ankle biters could not use them.

Good to see you youngins using an ide we had decades ago and was published in 2600 before they were a print mag.

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darkore says:

November 15, 2010 at 3:22 am

I sure hope there aren’t many dogs that piss on that wall…

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Snarl says:

November 17, 2010 at 12:01 pm

Combine the ideas of the drive – but hidden/camoflauged – with Geocaching. That way at least it would take some general intelligence to find and make the discovery and use of such a device that much more fun.

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Krash says:

November 19, 2010 at 8:19 pm

Anybody know where to get a bunch of usb flash drives cheap? Walmart? Best Buy? Frye’s?

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Girrrrrrr2 says:

November 21, 2010 at 9:50 pm

Krash, Newegg has a deal on them right now
and I know that everyone has sales on them at one point or another…

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Necromant says:

November 29, 2010 at 3:44 am

> Anybody know where to get a bunch of usb flash drives cheap? Walmart? Best Buy? Frye’s?