4shared
{{Short description|File-sharing platform}}
{{infobox website
| name = 4shared
| logo = 4shared logo.png
| type = File hosting
| language = English, German, Russian, Korean, Indonesian, Malay, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Persian, Polish, Turkish
| founded = 2005
| screenshot = 4shared screenshot.png
| screenshot_alt = Screenshot of an audio file's download page on 4shared
| collapsible = y
| url = {{URL|www.4shared.com/aboutus.jsp}}
| commercial = Yes
| launch_date = 2005
| native_clients = {{ubl|Windows|macOS|Linux|iOS|Android}}
| headquarters = Kyiv, Ukraine
}}
4shared, also known as 4shared.com, is a file-sharing website.
Features
4shared supports the WebDAV, FTP, and SFTP protocols, in addition to having a web interface. 4shared is a freemium service, with significant usage limitations on non-paying users, such as a daily bandwidth limit of 3 GB.{{cite web |last1=Sharma |first1=Mayank |title=4shared file sharing review |url=https://global.techradar.com/en-za/reviews/4shared |website=TechRadar |access-date=December 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019163730/https://global.techradar.com/en-za/reviews/4shared |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |date=June 17, 2020 |url-status=live}}
History
In 2011, 4shared was ranked the largest file-sharing website, beating out others such as Megaupload and MediaFire.{{cite web |last1=Van der Sar |first1=Ernesto |title=Top 10 Largest File-Sharing Sites |url=https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-largest-file-sharing-sites-110828/ |website=TorrentFreak |access-date=December 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108001753/https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-largest-file-sharing-sites-110828/ |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |date=August 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}
The site was labelled as a notorious market in 2016: "While 4shared provides legitimate file-storage services, the site also facilitates the streaming and downloading of high volumes of allegedly pirated videos, music, books, and video games."{{cite web |title=2016 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets |url=https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2016-Out-of-Cycle-Review-Notorious-Markets.pdf |website=Office of the United States Trade Representative |access-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223214512/https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2016-Out-of-Cycle-Review-Notorious-Markets.pdf |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |page=7 |date=December 23, 2016 |url-status=live}}
In 2019, 4shared's Android app was discovered to be serving invisible advertisements to users, and automatically signing them up for unwanted services. The app was replaced with a non-malicious version on April of the same year, after being removed on Google Play.{{cite web |last1=Whittaker |first1=Zack |title=File-storage app 4shared caught serving invisible advertisements and making purchases without consent |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/02/4shared-invisible-ads-fraudulent-purchases-consent/ |website=TechCrunch |access-date=December 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716163443/https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/02/4shared-invisible-ads-fraudulent-purchases-consent/ |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |date=July 2, 2019 |url-status=live}}