Bogus Files, Infected Files, Bad File Names

The strength of P2P is also its weakness. P2P file sharing networks are decentralized, which means RazorPop, the developer of TrustyFiles, has no control of or knowledge over what is being shared among our users. And we don't want to know, since that's none of our business. We want to protect your privacy.

The networks are also open - anyone can use them. This allows you access to billions of files. It also means you must rely on others on the network for the authenticity and quality of the files. Unfortunately there are a few people who abuse the network and insert bogus and other bad files. These abusers include the recording and movie companies, advertisers, and other malicious parties. There is nothing we can do to stop this.

Here are a few tips to improve the experience for you and everyone else.

• Some files, such as popular music, movies, and software, are protected by a copyright. It is illegal in the United States and many countries to infringe copyrights by downloading or sharing such files. The copyright holder may be distributing fake files to deter downloads. Please respect copyrighted content, do not share or download such content, and buy high quality, trusted, and reliable files through legal services like iTunes.
• Use personal file sharing to send and receive verified files with friends.
• Use public link directories like TopP2P. They generally contain files that are legal to download and share, and have been verified and often rated.
• Use file review sites like Bitzi that rate files and provide magnet links for P2P downloading. You can run Bitzi run from inside TrustyFiles. Just select 'Web Search' in the Network area and then select 'Bitzi'.
• Inspect your search results. Typically files with more sources are legitimate so try to download those files first. Don't limit yourself to just one file. Downloading multiple similar files maximizes your change of getting files and getting a good one.
• Be vigilant. If there are files in your search results with incorrect sizes, that's a clue they are not valid or complete.
• Be a good neighbor. Make sure files that you share have correct and descriptive file names.
• Always check files after you download them because you're uploading them to the network at the same time. Delete files if they're poor quality or fraudulent, or insert 'BOGUS at the beginning of the file name to warn users away from other sources with the file. If the file name is inaccurate, correct it.
• Make sure you are using TrustyFiles' file virus scanning support feature.