Early-2000s utility LimeWire repurposed to distribute episode
As Americans rushed to circulate the “Inside CECOT” story—expecting CBS to quietly remove uploads—a formerly blacklisted early-2000s program surfaced as a dependable way to keep the broadcast available online.
On Reddit, users posted a LimeWire torrent link, drawing laughs from people astonished that the peer-to-peer client—infamous for infecting parents’ computers with malware in the 2000s—had been resurrected in 2025 to dodge feared US government takedowns.
“Yo what,” one commenter quipped, emphasizing only the word “LimeWire.” Another user, whose profile picture ironically featured the LimeWire logo, replied, “man, who knew my nostalgia prof pic would become relevant again, WTF.”
LimeWire launched in 2000 and quickly became a favorite for pirating music until record labels won a 2010 injunction that disabled all file-sharing features. As the Reddit thread pointed out, some LimeWire users were targeted in individual lawsuits.
For a time after the injunction, a small group of users kept the network functioning by running older versions of the software that weren’t immediately shut down. New owners acquired LimeWire in 2022 and officially relaunched the service. The about page now states that “millions of individuals and businesses” use the global file-sharing platform, though for many early internet users the name still feels like a blast from the past.
“Reviving LimeWire to illegally distribute copies of reporting suppressed by the government is pure cyberpunk,” a Bluesky user wrote.
“We need someone to stand up to the blackout,” another Reddit commenter echoed. “I’m with LimeWire.”
