Circa BitTorrent

BitTorrent is a popular peer-to-peer file-sharing protocol that enables users to freely share data and large files, such as movies, programs, and audio files, over the internet. BitTorrent was launched in 2001 and, despite not being blockchain-based, has long been a pioneer in decentralized technology due to its peer-to-peer architecture. BitTorrent Inc. was formed in 2004 to manage the ongoing development of the protocol, and in 2018, it was acquired by Justin Sun, the founder of Tron. In February 2019, BitTorrent released a dedicated native token, BTT, to help expand its protocol and incentivize the network's participants. In December 2021, BitTorrent announced the launch of BitTorrent Chain, which is a heterogeneous cross-chain interoperability protocol. It adopts PoS and leverages sidechains for the scaling of smart contracts.