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Is Dropbox planning a P2P option? New patent suggests it’s looking beyond the cloud

January 5, 2016

Dropbox has been granted a patent on a new peer-to-peer file-sharing technology that suggests it may be planning an alternative to its existing cloud-based service.

Designed to facilitate file sharing across devices without the need for content to go through its own cloud servers, the new technology promises faster download speeds, Dropbox said.

It can “eliminate bottlenecks, thereby increasing the speed” at which content items can be shared among individuals, Dropbox explained in U.S. Patent Application 20150358297. Cryptographic keys, meanwhile, add security and prevent conflicts during synchronization.

The patent was published last month but only came to light this week. Dropbox did not respond to a request for further detail.

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