What started of as a single person and their idea to enlighten and unplug the community, as well as stick it to the man a little, has grown into global phenomenon. In 2010, Aram Barthol wanted to create “an anonymous, offline, peer-to-peer file-sharing network in public space.” He called them Dead Drops. In the wake of all sorts of anti-piracy litigation, ad campaigns and laws being made, this idea has caught on world-wide to the tune of over 1170 Dead Drop locations!
If you’ve ever wondered why there’s a USB randomly sticking out of the wall, this is why!
Just plug it in and you’re ready to download anything that seems interesting, or upload something of your own.
When you’re done, simply unplug and walk away.
You might not even notice the USB in Pont Des Arts, Paris.
Until you take a closer look!
That’s why there’s photos like these to show you exactly where to go.
It’s like a Treasure Hunt… You never know what you’re going to find!
Here we have one in Folsom, California.
In front of the Palais De Tokyo in Paris.
Hanoi, Vietnam.
Even Dakar, Senegal.
A sticker was left to mark this Dead Drop location in Cagliari, Italy.
Just one map as a sample of the expansion of the project.
Here is a copy of the Dead Drops readme.txt file. It reads, “For everything you do, you are responsible yourself!”
I am excited to look up the nearest Dead Drops on my next vacation. Imagine going on a European trip with some time to kill, you find a Dead Drop location and download some photos with directions to an awesome hidden location! Maybe locals helping you to find somewhere special off the beaten path, new music by up and coming artists, or even scavenger hunt clues and directions; the possibilities are endless and adventures unimaginable.
Yeah, and imagine the viruses that can be on tgese things… go ahead…