ZeroPaid.com was[2] a website concerning news, computer software, community, and file sharing. It offered news, software reviews, links, and a user forum. Its main news staff consisted of Jared Moya since 2005 and Drew Wilson since 2007.

History

ZeroPaid launched in by Jorge Gonzalez and Chris Hedgecock.[3] ZeroPaid's early focus was on the peer-to-peer space including file sharing, Napster, Gnutella, Usenet, and BitTorrent.[4]

Early popularity can be attributed to features like the Gnutella "server of the moment", which allowed users to connect to a node of the decentralized network. This feature has since been built into desktop clients.[5]

ZeroPaid gained notoriety in 2000 for its "Wall of Shame"[6] listing of IP addresses of users who allegedly attempted to download child pornography from the Gnutella P2P network.[7] The site continues to be a source of original content and analysis. The website features interviews, including those with WinMXWorld,[8] FilesTube,[9] the Open Rights Group,[10] the Pirate Party of Canada,[11] the Free Software Foundation,[12] Renaud Veeckman,[13] Russell McOrmond[14] and Michael Geist.[15]

ZeroPaid developed into a news and technology website featuring daily news on tech and copyright, a free software catalog, and user forums. The website has been mentioned and its founders quoted in The Economist,[16] E! News,[17][18] USA Today, and Wired.[19][20][21]

As of 2018, the website appears defunct.[2]

References

  1. ^ "About Zeropaid.com"
  2. ^ a b c Wilson, Drew (2019-02-02). "Did Filesharing News Site ZeroPaid Quietly Shut Down in 2018?". Freezenet.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  3. ^ "About Zeropaid.com"
  4. ^ "Zeropaid.com on June 20, 2000". archive.org, June 20, 2000
  5. ^ "arstechnica.com forum".arstechnica.com, July 28, 2000
  6. ^ "ZDNet: Gnutella porn surfers exposed" zdnet.com, May 4, 2000.
  7. ^ "Gnutella's Wall Of Shame" Archived May 7, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. slashdot.com, May 4, 2000.
  8. ^ "WinMXWorld" WinMXWorld Interview, April 24, 2008
  9. ^ "FilesTube" Archived June 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine FilesTube Interview, October 1, 2008
  10. ^ "Open Rights Group" Open Rights Group Interview, January 10, 2009
  11. ^ "The Pirate Party of Canada" Interview with the Pirate Party of Canada, September 10, 2009
  12. ^ "Free Software Foundation" Free Software Foundation interview, July 30, 2010
  13. ^ "Renaud Veeckman" Renaud Veeckman interview, August 28, 2010
  14. ^ "Russell McOrmond" Russell McOrmond interview, August 31, 2010
  15. ^ "Michael Geist" Michael Geist interview, May 21, 2012
  16. ^ "41 more sued over music downloads". The Economist, Dec 13, 2003
  17. ^ "Netizens Cope with Post-Napster Trauma". eonline.com, Jul 27, 2000.
  18. ^ "The Offspring: Pretty Sly for a Web Buy". eonline.com, Sep. 15, 2000.
  19. ^ "Program Lets P2P Users Roam Free" Archived December 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. wired.com, May 06, 2003.
  20. ^ "Hackers Smack Anti-Piracy Firm Again and Again" Archived January 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. wired.com, Sept 09, 2007.
  21. ^ "Apple TV Fails to Tap the Net's Limitless Library" Archived August 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. wired.com, Oct 17, 2007.
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