Tec Tale

"Do you know where I can download audio files? I am looking for the new song by Madonna. Do you know any home page that has the song?" Sunny asks me.

"Are you talking about illegal download? I am not sure if you are able to find one. Hosting an illegal file on a home page is no longer popularly practised. Internet users now depend on blogs and file-hosting sites to keep their files, to share with other users," I answer him.

Sunny nods. "I am just curious about the song. If the song is good, I don't mind paying for it. I felt cheated in the past paying for some crappy songs. Now, I prefer to test it first, and then buy, if I like the product. So, can you recommend me any free site? Or any old home page where I can still download such file?"

"Why don't you try samples? There are web sites that host legal samples of the audio files. They run for less than a minute each. You can decide by then if the song pleases you. If you still want to download the full song, perhaps you should try free file-hosting sites such as Mediafire and 4shared. They have their own search engines, where you can type down the files you are looking for. You have to know that the moderator of such site may be quick to delete files that are considered as illegal," I say.

"You mean a moderator may do that? Why should a moderator delete files that internet users upload?"

"Well, I don't think any site owners want to get into legal battles with the companies that own the copyrights. So, it is a matter of 'better safe than sorry'. I should inform you that these companies are able to track down users who download. So, be careful," I warn Sunny.

"I am not worried. I don't think they are going to hunt me down just for one file. So, which site should I use? Mediafire or 4shared? I do not want any complicated web site," says Sunny.

"Well, you should try 4shared then. Its web design is simple enough for new users to use. You'd better think twice. It's not a laughing matter when you are caught."