According to some estimates, Netflix Watch Instantly video streaming accounts for as much as 30 percent of total Internet traffic at peak hours of any given day. Even at 22 percent, Netflix’s traffic is more than any other single source, but number two on the list is BitTorrent at 21 percent, a strong indication that illegal file sharing is not going away anytime soon.
The hope of many who want to rid the world of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing in all its forms is that online video streaming services will make it unnecessary. After all, Netflix offers a ton of movies and TV shows for as little as $8 a month, far less than a cable subscription. But to truly cut the cable cord, you would need to add a Hulu subscription or also rent shows and movies from Amazon or iTunes. Add all of it up, and you will be paying quite a bit to watch all of the content you want.
But cost is just one of the reasons illegal file sharing is here to stay. Here are four others:
