Because pic post affiliates have an incentive to post and repost multiple versions of the same file, or torrented file, there should be a rule to limit the posting of an original file.
Once upon a time there was an ethic where you could NOT repost a torrent without acknowledging the original. These days, all anybody needs to do is modify the byte length of a file so it passes a checksum, and they are granted "Original Poster" status.
I suspect the original sources of these files will agree. They post/torrent an ISO or a HQ encode, then a spammer, and they are spammers, STEAL attention away from these HQ sources.
Please do not ask me what I think must be done. I am only acknowledging the issue. Others with agree or complain. I am only here to spray paint an obnoxious symbol on the wall.
1) We need to protect the original sources. Hence the 7-day rule for file posters.
2) We need to ban reposting of original torrents. Only 1 torrent is needed. That's the point of torrented files. Duh!
3) We need to ban reposting of low-quality files that only serve to compete with the original hq file.
Please understand I am not suggesting banning choice. Lower quality, smaller, iffy-files are WONDERFUL. That's an increase of choice. I'm referring to the flood of pic-post spammers which are simply cut-n-pasting source files and sucking-up valuable bittorrent swarm resources. P2P depends on choices but unfortunately the more choices of low-quality .torrent files there are the LESS choices there are for swarm network connections due to network segmentation. THIS IS THE OVERRIDING ETHICS OF BITTORRENT. Always has been. Pick a source and stick to it.
Mods, and users, please:
1) Figure out a way to make sure the best possible, original, source is reposted.
2) Lesser quality sources are required to be described as such. Drive-by reposting of shit should not be tolerated.
3) Simply require all poster to describe the source of their torrent, or simply say "I don't know." Downloadus Emptor.
Personally I think all files should be required to be hashed, with a minimum of 10% parity or erasure code. The internet is moving to a named data network structure so it would do good for the AO community to get used to it.
My name is jwiz,
I am awesome.
:bow-pray: