MANILA, Philippines – In an effort to bring BitTorrent further legitimacy as digital distribution and content sharing network, BitTorrent announced on Monday, April 15, that it was releasing a beta version of BitTorrent Surf for the Chrome and Firefox browsers.

BitTorrent Surf essentially turns the Chrome and Firefox browsers into torrent downloading clients, allowing users to search for torrent files and suggested content from partner clients of the BitTorrent network.

The move hopes to increase the exposure of independent content creators, as well as to help creators and fans connect over content. According to TechCrunch, the recommendation engine holds the content bundles BitTorrent makes with artists, and when someone searches for and begins downloading certain content, relevant artists in a bundle get preferential positions and get bumped up in recommendation listings.

Will the experiment be a success? That may depend entirely on how people choose to use the new technology presented in front of them. – Rappler.com