Cancel Cable: How Internet Pirates Get Free Stuff

Neighbors with hand-labeled DVD collections. Teenagers with 5000-song iPods. Entire countries sharing the same copy of Windows. Who are these people? They're file sharers and they account for a third of worldwide internet traffic. Their swag is anything that can be digitized and copied.

But file-sharing networks aren't only for pirates. Musicians and writers use them to gauge their popularity. Artists and filmmakers use them to boost recognition. Government employees use them to secretly download WikiLeaks archives. TV producers use them to confirm audience measurements. Politicians and judges use them to make policy and rulings. Traders and marketers use them to spot trends.

• Learn how BitTorrent and peer-to-peer networks work
• Set up a BitTorrent client and find files to download
• Open, play, read, or run what you download
• Know the risks of file sharing and avoid fakes, scams, and viruses