Using a blockchain to store files?

[Bizmark13]

Would it be possible to have something similar to Bitcoin but instead of having each computer download a public ledger of transactions, each computer would instead download a public record of all the files that was submitted to the network? The 'blockchain' in this case would contain things like leaked documents, novels, music files, etc. Basically anything that people want to upload. Files can be made to expire after a set number of days and removed from the blockchain in order to keep the blockchain from getting bloated*. The length and chronological order of the blockchain, and the contents of the files which comprise the blockchain would be enforced by the network and would be impossible to change except via a fork or a 51 percent attack.

I know it is already technically possible to embed data into the Bitcoin blockchain. But a Bitcoin-esque network that functions primarily as a constantly-evolving store of data rather than a cryptocurrency might be quite interesting.

*Or alternatively, a fork could be released every few months and users would migrate from the old blockchain to a new one but the old blockchain would still be available for everyone to access in read-only format.

Just a thought.

[medUSA]

I think there is an alt coin that does that, or something similar. Forgot the name though...

[counter]

I'm not sure and I could be way off but I think namecoin does something similar to this.  Don't quote me on that just thought for some odd reason that was the case and figured maybe it deserved a mention.

[railzand]

was it called datacoin?

[medUSA]

was it called datacoin?

Yes! That's it... just searched it and read that the original dev seems to have disappeared. So it is kind of not active.

[sana8410]

That would be great. Not just files but websites and dns. That way it would be very hard to close a site.

[softron]

U should check datacoin.

[hilariousandco]

There was something like this with Feathercoin: https://forum.feathercoin.com/index.php?/topic/4481-ann-link-the-blockchain-file-sharing-protocol/