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BitTorrent is a protocol supporting the practice of peer-to-peer file sharing that is used to distribute large amounts of data over the Internet.

BitTorrent is a protocol supporting the practice of peer-to-peer file sharing that is used to distribute large amounts of data over the Internet.

BitTorrent is a way to transfer files of just about any size quickly and efficiently. It works by breaking files up into small pieces. The file is downloaded piece by piece from one or many different sources. It's efficient because you can download portions of a file from others who have already download it; they may be closer and less congested than the original download site.

BitTorrent is one of the most common protocols for transferring large files, but the swarming technique of opening multiple streams resulted in it being estimated to have consumed as much as 35% of all internet bandwidth. Although modifications have been made to TCP congestion control, this issue along with the illegal nature of many of the files being transferred in its early years (movies and TV shows), has resulted in a ban on the protocol, and possibly all peer-to-peer protocols at some government agencies and companies.