Zippyshare
 | |
Type of site | File sharing |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 2006 |
| Dissolved | 31 March 2023 |
| Current status | Defunct |
Zippyshare, also capitalized ZippyShare, was a free file-sharing website.
Features
[edit]Zippyshare allowed users to upload an unlimited amount of files with a size of up to 500 MB each. No account registration was required to upload or download files, and there was no limitation on the number of times a file can be downloaded. However, files were deleted if 30 days passed without them receiving any downloads.[1]
History
[edit]Zippyshare was founded in September 2006.[2] Zippyshare was noted by TorrentFreak to have outlived many similar websites, such as RapidShare, Hotfile, and Megaupload.[3]
Zippyshare was listed as a notorious market by the Office of the United States Trade Representative in 2015, with the report writing that Zippyshare was "well-known for downloads and distribution of allegedly infringing music" and warning that the website had been known to install malware on users' computers.[4] Zippyshare was also noted in the Recording Industry Association of America's report to the Office of the United States Trade Representative in 2018, with the RIAA recommending Zippyshare be listed as a notorious market in that year as well, writing particularly that while the website respected takedown notices, there was no mechanic to prevent re-uploads of infringing content.[5]
In March 2019, access to Zippyshare was blocked for visitors in the United Kingdom, with a HTTP 403 error message displayed. No reason was given for the block, and it was unclear why Zippyshare decided to block users from the UK.[3] Zippyshare became similarly unavailable in Germany in April 2019[6] and in Spain in June 2019, also with no explanation.[7]
On March 19, 2023, the site administration wrote a post on the blog explaining that the site was going offline by the end of the month. The administration claimed that they could no longer maintain the site. They also cited decreased activity, higher energy bills and ad blockers.[8] Zippyshare ceased operation on March 31, 2023, and now displays a message directing users to alternative services.[9]
Reception
[edit]Writing for TechRadar in April 2020, reviewer Mayank Sharma gave Zippyshare a 2/5 rating. Sharma wrote that the lack of an ad-free option and privacy settings for uploads, restricted Zippyshare to being useful mainly for sharing unimportant files which are too large to be attached to an email, unlike other file-sharing sites which can be used for file synchronization between various devices. Sharma also criticized the site's ads as being a "major turn-off", especially since there is no paid option to remove them, and pointed out that the site included pop-up ads.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Sharma, Mayank (April 3, 2020). "ZippyShare review". TechRadar. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ a b Van der Sar, Ernesto (March 15, 2019). "Zippyshare is Blocked for UK Visitors, But Why?". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "2015 Out of Cycle Review of Notorious Markets" (PDF). Office of the United States Trade Representative. December 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ "2018 Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of America. October 1, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Maxwell, Andy (April 26, 2019). "Zippyshare Shows 'Forbidden' Message to German Visitors". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Van der Sar, Ernesto (June 9, 2019). "Zippyshare's "Forbidden" Message Spreads to Spain". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Maxwell, Andy (March 20, 2023). "Zippyshare Quits After 17 Years, 45m Visits Per Month Makes No Money". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ^ "Zippyshare.com - [now defunct] Free File Hosting". zippyshare.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.