BitTorrent Sync Launches API and iPad App

BitTorrent Sync is a cross-platform way of sharing files without using the cloud. Currently, it’s in beta with over 1 million users, and is just now settling into its life as a mobile app as well. It works through QR codes to set up a secure connection between two devices to transfer data, and is trying to build its interface out with mobile apps and an API to develop external apps that utilize the file transfer system, in the hopes that it can compete with the likes of Dropbox. It’s a bold move to monetize and publicize a platform that – even with its noble attempts to create an open system of sharing – is still associated with torrenting as piracy, and speaks to the larger trend of file sharing as common medium of legal exchange.