Sharehoster

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Sharehoster , one-click hosting , file hosting services or Cyber Locker will file hosting - services refer to operations where the user can store files directly with or without prior registration procedure.

The upload is usually done via the provider's website . Apart from a web browser , no additional program is usually required for transmission. The user then receives a URL under which the file can be viewed or downloaded. It is often possible to delete the uploaded file using an additional code (delete URL). With file sharing services , it is possible to replace uploaded files with other users.

restrictions

safety

Usually there is no search function so that a file can only be downloaded if you know its address (URL). However, there are websites in the warez scene where users can publish the addresses, as well as search engines for published addresses.

Some sharehosters save the IP addresses of the uploading computers together with the time and date.

Many service providers automatically delete the file if it has not been accessed for a period of time; files from paying customers are excluded. As a result, such services are only suitable as online data storage media in certain circumstances . Services known as cyberlockers are usually designed to store files for a longer period of time and thus function as a kind of virtual online hard drive.

Transmission speed

Many sharehosters limit the range of functions and the transmission speed for non-paying users and alternatively offer paid access that has fewer or no restrictions. In some cases, banner advertising is also used.

Upload

Most providers limit the maximum file size to a few hundred megabytes . Occasionally, up to two gigabytes are possible free of charge . Larger volumes are usually chargeable.

Download

For users of the free offer, many share hosts have a 3 to 150-second waiting time before loading, during which advertising is often displayed. Some providers also ask you to enter a captcha in order to prevent automated retrieval by the download manager . After retrieval, the IP address of some filehosters often remains blocked for non-paying users for several hours before another file can be downloaded.

Image host

An "image host" is a service that stores images within a network (coll .: " hosts "). In a more precise sense, it is understood to mean an offer located on the Internet that enables the images to be uploaded, viewed and distributed by downloading. Registration is sometimes necessary. Some services limit their offer in terms of content or for certain user groups. In particular, many publicly available image hosts prohibit offensive or illegal content.

Proprietary services

The popular image hosts include Flickr , ImageShack , Imgur , Fotocommunity.de , Directupload , locr and Photobucket.com . Some image hosts offer additional options, such as managing different resolutions. It is also possible to call up your uploaded images via a lightbox , as long as the target website, such as forums, supports the integration of scripts and HTML .

Other possible uses

Sharehosters are particularly suitable for transferring larger files to certain people, as sending by email often fails due to the technical framework. Many free e-mail providers limit the maximum size of e-mails to be sent to a few megabytes, which is not enough, for example, to send a photo album created with a digital camera.

Some sharehosters offer special functions such as photo galleries and the playback of multimedia content.

The links are often also distributed publicly in order to make the file available to a larger audience or to relieve the burden on one's own server. Thus, at times the Sharehoster Step Load by the operators of the German Qip - site to provide a new software version as a mirror used ( "mirror"), since the own server capacities were insufficient.

controversy

Due to the enormous technical infrastructure of some sharehosters, these are also used for the illegal distribution of copyrighted content ( software , music , films ) and are therefore often criticized by rights holders.

The share hosting market was fiercely competitive in some areas, so some providers tried to lure and motivate users to upload with premium offers: Registered users could take part in an affiliate program in which rewards were paid out according to certain volumes of the files they uploaded. This led to further criticism (cf. web links), as money was thus partly earned by distributing works protected by copyright.

In January 2012, Megaupload , one of the largest sharehosters, was shut down by the FBI in international cooperation at the instigation of rights holders, and the operators were arrested. In a reaction to this, according to media reports, there should have been panic reactions from other share hosts. As a result, many providers blocked loads of user accounts and files, froze their affiliate programs, closed their services for public use or partially stopped the service.

The Swiss provider Rapidshare also had a legal dispute with GEMA that lasted several years . He ceased operations in 2015.

See also

literature

  • Daniel Hofmann: Secret giants on the net - community pooling around sharehosters using the example of an online swap exchange . GRIN Verlag , 2008, ISBN 978-3-640-21181-4 (76 pages).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Internet for Beginners: Cyberlocker: What Is a Cyberlocker? Why Are They Considered Music Pirate Tools? , written by Paul Gil, accessed January 28, 2012
  2. ↑ FBI: Justice Department Charges Leaders of Megaupload with Widespread Online Copyright Infringement , January 19, 2012, accessed January 28, 2012
  3. ↑ Heise online : The first sharehosters to withdraw , January 23, 2012, accessed on January 28, 2012
  4. ↑ Heise Online: After Megaupload raid: Sharehoster in Panik , January 24, 2012, accessed on January 28, 2012