Hi, I was wondering how they do this and if there is a way to “cheat” the amount of data you are downloading or seeding.

  • AphoticDev@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    1 year ago

    The files on Usenet aren’t centralized, they are shared among all Usenet servers, each of which chooses how long to keep that file, usually on the order of 3000-5000 days. Think of it as a torrent uploaded to every single tracker in existence. No matter which Usenet provider you use, you get access to the same files as everyone else, just like your ISP gives you access to the same internet as everyone else. I don’t know if it’s possible for your Usenet provider to infect files, but I don’t think that it is likely they would do that. Running a Usenet service isn’t cheap, and something like that would ruin their business, even if it is possible, which I don’t believe that it is.

    There is definitely a chance you’ll download something that an uploader infected with malware, same as torrents. In that regard, use common sense, just as you would with any torrent, and check the comments on the indexer you use.