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1. Blog
2. VPN & Privacy
3. What is Torrenting and is it Safe
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WHAT IS TORRENTING? IS IT SAFE? IS IT ILLEGAL? ARE YOU LIKELY TO BE CAUGHT?
Looking to find out more about torrenting? We explain exactly what torrenting
is, how to torrent safely, and what to do if you get caught.
Paul Bischoff TECH WRITER, PRIVACY ADVOCATE AND VPN EXPERT
@pabischoff UPDATED: January 18, 2022
Three questions I’m often asked are: Is torrenting safe, is torrenting legal,
and what happens if I get caught? This post answers those questions and looks at
the methods torrenters use to stay safe and anonymous.
WHAT IS TORRENTING?
Torrenting is the act of downloading and uploading files through the BitTorrent
network. Instead of downloading files to a central server, torrenting involves
downloading files from other users’ devices on the network. Conversely, users
upload files from their own devices for other users to download.
Torrenting is the most popular form of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing, and it
requires torrent management software to connect to the BitTorrent network. Such
software can be downloaded for free for a number of different devices.
Everyone downloading or uploading the same file is called a peer, and
collectively they are known as a swarm. Because of how BitTorrent works, a peer
can download a file from several other users at once, or upload a file to
multiple other users simultaneously.
Torrenting is often associated with piracy because it’s frequently used to share
files that are protected by copyright, including movies, games, music, and
software. However, torrenting has many legitimate uses as well, such as
lessening the load on centralized servers by distributing the hosting burden
among users.
TORRENTING SAFETY AND LEGALITY: IN SHORT
Is torrenting legal or illegal? Torrenting itself isn’t illegal, but downloading
unsanctioned copyrighted material is. It’s not always immediately apparent which
content is legal to torrent and which isn’t. Some fall in a gray area, so you
may find yourself unwittingly on the wrong side of the law.
Your internet service provider (ISP) and copyright trolls monitoring the
BitTorrent network can take action if they catch you illegally torrenting. This
can range from a warning letter and throttling (slowing down) of your internet
connection speeds to legal action – although the latter is increasingly rare.
Digital privacy-conscious torrenters will use VPN services, or virtual private
networks, to keep their internet activity hidden from their ISP. With a wide
range of applications, some VPNs are better suited for torrenting than others.
If you want to keep your ISP from snooping on your activity, choose a VPN
connection that: a) doesn’t keep a log of your activity, b) isn’t based in a
country where the legal system can be used to demand customer records, and c) is
fast enough that it won’t slow entire downloads. We’ve rounded up the providers
that fit these criteria and others in our list of the best torrenting
VPN services.
HOW TO TORRENT SAFELY
It is relatively simple to torrent safely and keep your online activity private.
Note that while a VPN for torrenting will keep your activity private and safe
from prying eyes you may still be susceptible to malware from some public
torrent sites. Follow these 5 steps to torrent privately with a VPN.
Here’s how to torrent safely:
1. Download and install a VPN matching the criteria mentioned above. We
recommend NordVPN.
2. Enable your VPN’s kill switch, if it has one.
3. Connect to a VPN server, preferably in a P2P-friendly country
4. Once the connection is established, open your torrent client and start
downloading as usual
5. Your online activity is now encrypted by your VPN
WANT TO TRY THE TOP VPN RISK FREE?
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month—great if you want to try its P2P-optimized servers first-hand.
There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide
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trial here.
TORRENTING WITHOUT A VPN
Torrenting without a VPN means your internet service provider (ISP) can see your
online activity including the sites you visit and the content you view. In
certain countries, including the US, ISPs are allowed to share this information
with third parties including intellectual property owners. A VPN will keep your
online activity private from your ISP.
IS UTORRENT SAFE?
uTorrent is the official torrent client from the creators of the BitTorrent
protocol. It is proprietary—not open source—software maintained by a legal US
company. Like BitTorrent, the uTorrent software itself is legal, although it can
be used for digital piracy. The official uTorrent is free of malware and can be
used safely and privately in combination with a VPN. It does not, however,
prevent users from downloading malicious files that can infect their device.
IN DETAIL
The BitTorrent protocol rose to become the most popular medium for peer-to-peer
file sharing in the world after the demise of centralized services like Napster
and Limewire. Unlike those services, torrenting is almost completely
decentralized save for the trackers that allow users to search and download
torrent files and magnet links. Torrent files and magnet links are used to find
other users on the network who host the desired file or files but do not
actually host those files for downloading.
IS BITTORRENT SAFE AND LEGAL?
The BitTorrent protocol is not in itself illegal or unsafe. It is just the means
to share any type of file, and plenty of legal torrenting services do exist. The
most popular torrent trackers, such as ThePirateBay and KickassTorrents,
however, operate in a legal grey area, offering users free access to copyrighted
content. Sharing and downloading copyrighted content by BitTorrent, or other
means, is illegal in many countries and can be unsafe since sites including
KickassTorrents have been shown to host malware.
These trackers would argue that they simply find and organize information that
is already out there, and they do not illegally host any copyrighted content on
their own servers. Just like the BitTorrent protocol itself, they are the means
to an end. Not everyone is convinced. Major trackers have come under heavy legal
scrutiny from content creators and distributors who argue the trackers enable
and encourage theft.
The blame ultimately shifts to the users, the millions of individuals who host
files on their personal computers, downloading and uploading movies, games,
software, music, ebooks, and more. Users connected to the same tracker are
called peers, and they fall into two categories. A leech uses a torrent file or
magnet link to download the file from other users on the network who already
have the file. These users who already have the file are called seeds. When a
leech is finished downloading a file (or even just part of a file), he or she
becomes a seed, allowing other leeches to download the file from his or her
computer. As a general rule, it’s considered proper pirate etiquette to seed as
much as you leech.
Comparitech does not condone or encourage any violation of copyright law or
restrictions. Please consider the law, victims, and risks of copyright piracy
before downloading copyrighted material without permission.
Legally speaking, seeding and leeching copyrighted material fall into different
criminal categories. Think of it like buying illegal drugs: purchasing the drugs
for personal use is definitely a crime, but a relatively minor one. Turning
around and selling those drugs to others is a much more serious offense. Finding
the original source of the drugs, or in this case the HD rip of the new Avengers
movie, would be the best case scenario for law enforcement, but that isn’t
always possible. The trackers act as the shady back alley marketplaces where all
of these transactions go down, but they don’t personally handle any of the
drugs.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE CAUGHT TORRENTING?
The prosecution of torrent users has been sporadic. The chances of actually
going to court or having to pay a settlement are pretty slim, but the penalties
can be extremely high. The frequency of copyright holders suing torrenters for
copyright infringement peaked in the late 2000s. Copyright pirates were sued for
wildly disproportionate amounts of money, and most settled out of court.
These public scare tactics shone poorly on the recording and movie industries
because they were portrayed as petty millionaires bullying poor college
students. Direct lawsuits are much less common these days, but the campaign
against torrenters is far from over.
COPYRIGHT TROLLS
Now the job of going after individual copyright pirates has been outsourced to a
growing number of small businesses known as copyright trolls. These companies
locate torrenters who illegally download copyrighted content through their real
IP addresses. They then approach the copyright owners and sign a deal that lets
them take legal action on their behalf. Others are hired directly by Hollywood
production companies to sniff out pirates.
With legal leverage and a list of names, the copyright trolls then go after
torrenters via mail, email, or even by going door to door and handing out
settlement letters. These letters are not legally binding documents or
injunctions. Copyright trolls use intimidation, fear, and shame to make
torrenters pay without ever going to court. A common tactic is to threaten to
sue for over $100,000 but only ask for $3,000 or so in the settlement. That
makes the $3,000 look like a good deal, but going to court is costly and risky
for them, so don’t give in if you receive such a letter.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU RECEIVE A SETTLEMENT LETTER
The most common way to receive a settlement letter is through your internet
provider. A copyright troll will go through the court system to subpoena your
ISP and force it to email customers with a legal threat and hand over personal
details.
According to US law, an IP address is not a person. If you were contacted
through your ISP, chances are that’s because the copyright troll doesn’t know
your actual identity yet. If the letter doesn’t contain any identifying
information on you, keep it that way and do nothing. Your case could be
dismissed before the date that your ISP is set to reveal your personal details
to the troll. If you respond and identify yourself, that gives the troll a more
direct means of targeting you.
This is a game of probability for copyright trolls. If they send out 1,000
threatening emails and 50 people reply, they only need a handful to actually
cough up money to make it worth their time. Chances are it’s more cost effective
for them to move on to the next swarm of torrenters than pursue the remaining
950 people.
If things escalate and you decide to take action, lawyer up. Here’s a list of
attorneys compiled by the Electronic Frontier Foundation that specialize in
these sorts of cases.
ISP PENALTIES
Depending on your ISP, it may take actions against you on its own behalf. That
could mean throttling your internet connection or threatening to hand over
personal details to a copyright troll. Why does your ISP even care? Because
torrenting takes up a lot of bandwidth, and that bandwidth costs ISPs money. On
top of that, an ISP could be receiving kickbacks from content owners and their
associates.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
To avoid any legal ramifications, it’s best to simply not torrent. However, if
you insist on torrenting, take the time to protect your online privacy and keep
copyright trolls at bay.
USE A VPN WHEN TORRENTING
The best way to torrent safely is by using a VPN. A VPN accomplishes two things:
first, it re-routes all your internet traffic through a server in a location of
your choosing, which changes your real IP address to one used by hundreds or
thousands of other people (assuming your VPN uses shared IP addresses, which
most do). This adds a significant layer of anonymity and makes it much more
difficult for anyone to track you. Second, a VPN encrypts all your torrent
traffic before it leaves your computer. That means your ISP cannot monitor your
internet activity, nor can anyone else. And because all your traffic heads to
the VPN server first, ISPs can’t even tell where it’s going.
Using a quality VPN is key; don’t settle for a “free” service or VPNs that log
your activity, cap your bandwidth and data, or don’t provide sufficient DNS leak
protection. Not all VPNs tolerate torrenting. You can check out our list of the
best VPNs for torrenting here, which are services with fast download speeds and
a focus on online privacy, security and anonymity like NordVPN, Surfshark, and
ExpressVPN among others.
OTHER ALTERNATIVES
If you don’t want to pay for a VPN, you might be considering Tor. Tor is similar
to a VPN in that it routes your traffic through several volunteer “nodes” while
encrypting traffic. We recommend a VPN over Tor for a couple reasons. First, Tor
is slow, and usually best for simple browsing and other low-bandwidth activity.
Second, connecting to Tor could actually draw more attention from your ISP and
law enforcement, as it’s a well-known tool for hackers and criminals.
Another popular app among torrenters is Peerblock. Peerblock is a desktop
firewall with a regularly updated blacklist of IP addresses. These IP addresses
belong to entities that try to track your activity online, especially on
peer-to-peer networks. Unfortunately, the blacklist is only updated once upon
installation. After that, users must pay to keep them updated. Even if you’re
willing to pay, it’s unlikely that the blacklist could contain every possible IP
address for copyright trolls, universities, and law enforcement. A copyright
troll just needs to connect to the swarm–all the devices connected to a single
torrent–with an IP that isn’t on that blacklist to get your IP address.
USENET
Instead of torrenting, another alternative is Usenet. Usenet is a paid
service-usually between $10 and $20 per month–where you download files from
centralized servers instead of a network of peers. Usenet downloads are much,
much faster; often as fast as your ISP can handle. Usenet is more private as
well. The connections take place between you and the provider’s network of
servers, and the best providers offer an SSL-encrypted connection. Some even
throw in VPNs for good measure. Torrents, on the other hand, require that you
share at least some identifying information to connect to the tracker and peers.
Finally, downloading a Usenet file doesn’t mean you have to seed it for other
internet users afterward. Legally, this makes you less of a target because
you’re not supplying strangers with copyrighted content, at the same time
consuming fewer computer resources and internet bandwidth.
Usenet providers make files available for a certain number of days. How many
depends on the provider, but the standard is 1,200 days after the original
posting. Until that time is up, users have full access to that file. Torrents
only stay up as long as people seed the file.
We’ve rounded up some of the best Usenet providers here.
PUBLIC VS PRIVATE TRACKERS
A “tracker” is like a search engine that indexes files on the BitTorrent
network. Trackers can be private or public, and the former usually requires an
invitation from an existing member.
ThePirateBay, KickassTorrents, and Demonoid are all examples of public trackers.
Anyone can just go to their respective websites and search without logging in or
requiring any sort of authentication. Likewise, anyone can upload files for
others to download. These uploads are not moderated, so users must judge whether
a download is safe and accurate based on comments and the reputation of the
uploader.
Private trackers are more exclusive both in terms of who can upload and who can
download within a group. They vary wildly in terms of content and quality, but
many members of private trackers attest that they have higher quality files,
faster downloads, longer retention, and an overall more consistent and safe
experience.
The law views private trackers the same as public trackers. Internet piracy is
piracy whether you do it in public or within a private group.
STREAMING VS TORRENTING
Many people have moved away from downloading entire files through BitTorrent and
opt instead to stream video content either on their web browsers or through
customized programs like Kodi. When it comes to safety and the law, what’s the
difference?
Legally speaking, you’re probably still breaking the law when you stream illegal
content from a pirated source. However, this depends largely on your country. In
the UK, it’s outright illegal. In India, a court ruled that it is absolutely not
illegal. In the US, it’s still a grey area, as there’s been no precedent of
anyone being convicted for copyright piracy after streaming copyrighted video
content from an unsanctioned source.
Those who upload the videos without compensating or asking permission from the
copyright holder do so illegally. That’s pretty much standard no matter where
you are.
Not only do laws tend to be more lenient toward streaming content, but it’s also
more difficult for copyright trolls and law enforcement to catch users in the
act. When you download a torrent, you can see the IP addresses of everyone else
you’re uploading to or downloading from. But streaming transmits a video
directly from a website to your device, with no third parties involved.
Don’t get too comfortable, however, as there are still risks. The website could
be logging IP addresses or other information about its users, which it could
then hand over to law enforcement or a copyright troll. Your ISP could monitor
your activity and see that you are watching pirated content. These are risks
that can be mitigated by connecting to a reputable VPN.
When it comes to security, streaming video carries just as many risks as
torrenting. Websites that stream pirated content tend to be chock full of
intrusive ads, malware, and phishing threats. Kodi users are subject to
man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and other threats from the add-ons they
download.
MORE TIPS
As a rule of thumb, avoid downloading movies that were released on DVD and
Blu-Ray in the past 60 days, especially big-hit blockbusters. That’s when movies
make the vast majority of their post-box office money, after which their income
significantly drops off. Copyright holders will put most of their anti-piracy
resources into going after torrenters of new releases to minimize the financial
damage. The same goes for TV series, shows and video games.
Users of Popcorn Time, the free movie-streaming app, should tread just as
carefully as torrenters. Many Popcorn Time users don’t realize that the app
actually streams directly from torrents and will even seed a file so it is
uploaded to other users. All the risks associated with Popcorn Time apply in
equal measure to torrenting.
Choose your torrents wisely. The most popular torrents on ThePirateBay and
KickassTorrents are probably the ones being most closely monitored by copyright
trolls. However, don’t pick totally unpopular ones either. Read through the
comments section, where users often run virus scans on torrent downloads and
post the results. They will also give you a general review of the quality.
Even if the comments are positive, run your own virus scans as well. Ideally,
use multiple antivirus programs to run an array of scans, as each of their virus
libraries can differ. Not all antivirus programs play nice with each other,
however, so mixing two or more must be done with care. We recommend Bitdefender
to scan all downloads before opening. This is especially important when
downloading games and software, which are often “cracked” by the uploader.
Cracks make it easier to bypass DRM schemes that validate content with the
publisher, but they also make it easier to distribute hidden malware, spyware,
and viruses. Check out Comparitech’s antivirus reviews section here.
TORRENTING FAQ
WHY DID BITTORRENT INSTALL ADWARE ON MY COMPUTER?
BitTorrent is a network and protocol used to share files, so BitTorrent itself
cannot install adware on your computer.
However, the programs used to connect to the BitTorrent network and download
files, called torrent managers or torrent clients, can and often do come with
adware. The files you download can also contain malware and adware.
Stick to reputable torrent managers and, if prompted, refuse any offers to
install additional software alongside them. These additional programs are often
adware.
Likewise, be sure to only download and upload torrents you trust.
IS DOWNLOADING A SHARED TORRENT FROM GOOGLE DRIVE ILLEGAL?
If you're downloading something from Google Drive, then it's not a torrent. It's
just a download. The file might have originally been downloaded through
BitTorrent, then uploaded to Google Drive where others can download it.
Semantics aside, if the content of the file is protected by copyright, then yes,
it is illegal to download pirated files from Google Drive.
CAN I JUST DOWNLOAD A TORRENT FROM A PUBLIC PLACE?
Most torrenters use public trackers to find and download files through
BitTorrent. So in that sense, yes, you can download a torrent from a public
place provided you have a torrent client installed on your device.
The files themselves are downloaded from other BitTorrent users who have
downloaded the file and are now uploading it to fellow users.
Private trackers are also available and are often safer, but typically require
an invitation from an existing member.
CAN I GO TO JAIL FOR TORRENTING?
It depends on the circumstances, but no, it’s highly doubtful you would go to
jail for torrenting. Most lawsuits regarding torrenting are civil suits, not
criminal ones, so if a penalty is levied, it’s usually a fine or some other
monetary compensation.
That being said, it also depends on what country you’re in, what you torrent,
and whether you also seeded the file so it could be downloaded by other users.
Check your local laws and regulations.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF TORRENTING MUSIC?
The music recording industry has, on occasion, aggressively targeted torrenters
who engaged in music piracy. These days, litigation is mostly done by copyright
trolls who target torrenters on behalf of recording studios. They’ll send out
settlement letters demanding hundreds or even thousands of dollars to torrenters
whom they can identify. They usually go through internet service providers to
contact torrenters. Your ISP could throw you under the bus, and that’s not a
gamble we recommend taking. By using a VPN, you can greatly reduce the risk of
being identified by a copyright troll.
WHAT LEGAL USE CASES CAN I USE TORRENTS FOR?
There are plenty of free ways to use BitTorrent. Here are a few examples:
* Open-source software, such as Linux distros, are often available for download
via BitTorrent. This saves the organization maintaining the distro from
having to host the files themselves.
* Public domain media, like old movies, books, and music for which the
copyrights have expired, can be found and legally downloaded through
BitTorrent
* Independent artists making movies, games, books, and music often post their
content for free on BitTorrent.
* BitTorrent is a convenient way to access fair use materials from various
media
WHERE DO PEOPLE GET TORRENTS FROM?
Torrents are usually found on BitTorrent trackers, which are essentially
searchable websites that index torrents uploaded by users. Users can download
the small torrent file, which your torrent client uses to find other users
uploading and downloading the same content.
Trackers can be public or private. Some torrents are linked to directly.
WHAT ARE SEEDERS AND LEECHERS?
A seed is a user who uploads files to the BitTorrent network for other users to
download.
A leech is a user who downloads files from the BitTorrent network from other
users.
A typical user starts as a leech by downloading a file. Once the file is
finished downloading (or even before), the user transitions to being a seed and
starts uploading the file to other users.
A common courtesy among torrenters is to seed as much data as you leech. So if
you download a 1 GB file, you should seed that file until you’ve uploaded at
least an equivalent amount of data. However, this guideline is in no way
enforced.
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WHAT'S IN THIS ARTICLE?
* What is Torrenting?
* Torrenting safety and legality: In short
* How to torrent safely
* Torrenting without a VPN
* In detail
* What happens if you are caught torrenting?
* How to protect yourself
* Public vs private trackers
* Streaming vs torrenting
* More tips
* Torrenting FAQ
Show More
28 COMMENTS LEAVE A COMMENT
* Frank LL says:
July 2, 2018 at 5:01 am
Things not yet mentioned.
Private vs Public tracker:
Public trackers are open for anyone to use and monitor. This is where the
evil trolls live because the door is open to all. Private trackers on the
other hand are invite only, have strict rules and are highly watched over by
the tracker admins, sysops and moderators. They stand guard at the door for
user and tracker protection. This does however make it hard to become a
member but so worth it when you are. Private trackers often have better
quality and availability of media, some even specialize in what they offer.
A Seedbox:
This is a monthly service that can cost anywhere from $10-100s a month. It is
a remote torrent downloader (typically rtorrent with the rutorrent interface)
that you access in your browser. All uploading and downloading happens on a
server somewhere else in the world and is usually very FAST. To get the files
you can use several safe methods of transfer or even stream it depending upon
the service purchased. Many of the providers include additional services like
SSH, FTP/SFTP access as well as plex and kodi streaming and even VPN access.
There are many of these providers available today and they range in capacity,
speed and bandwidth quota. Note, most seedbox providers DO NOT allow public
trackers to be used on their servers!
If there is one piece of advice to give it would be simply to not use public
trackers for any non-public domain material, especially TV, movies and games
without some method of hiding your real IP address, no exceptions!
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
July 3, 2019 at 8:47 pm
Thanks Frank!
Reply
* Bubblegumfun says:
June 23, 2018 at 12:49 am
I’ve decided to quite and removed all my torrents and deleted Utorent. Is
that enough to almost completly disappear and not be traced for past
downloads?
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
June 29, 2018 at 9:01 pm
Anyone tracking your downloads will do so while the data is in transit,
meaning during the download. It doesn’t really matter what files or
programs sit on your computer’s local drive before or after. I guess
deleting uTorrent prevents you from seeding, though.
Reply
* nel says:
June 11, 2018 at 7:23 am
I am new to this, i downloaded some movies/torrents without using vpn, coz
i’ve no idea that vpn is needed. What should I do? 🙁
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
June 29, 2018 at 9:19 pm
No use crying over spilled milk. Start using a VPN.
Reply
* lll says:
June 4, 2018 at 12:57 pm
do you have any official resorse about this low ?
Reply
* Anyname says:
April 17, 2018 at 12:14 am
Hello,
Thank you for your great post.
Please I have a question about DMCA notice from ISP.
A week ago I received email from ISP, DMCA notice for downloaded movie.
This is first time and I’m really scary now.
Is that copyright holder will sue me possible?
Thank you,
Below is email notice:
Notice of Action under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Incident Number: * I deleted
Report Date/Time: 2018-04-11 05:27:35.0 UTC
My name and address is here
Dear Internet Customer:
Comcast has received a notification by a copyright owner, or its authorized
agent, reporting an alleged infringement of one or more copyrighted works
made on or over Comcast’s Xfinity Internet or Business-Class Internet service
(the “Service”). The copyright owner has identified the Internet Protocol
(“IP”) address associated with your Service account at the time as the source
of the infringing works. The works identified by the copyright owner in its
notification are listed below. Comcast reminds you that use of the Service
(or any part of the Service) in any manner that constitutes an infringement
of any copyrighted work is a violation of Comcast’s Acceptable Use Policy and
may result in the suspension or termination of your Service account.
If you have any questions regarding this notice, you may direct them to
Comcast in one of the following formats:
Comcast Customer Security Assurance
Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
141 Woodcrest Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 U.S.A.
Phone: (877) 842-2112
Fax: (856) 324-2940
For more information regarding Comcast’s copyright infringement policy,
procedures, and contact information, please read our Acceptable Use Policy
for XFINITY Internet for residential customers, or our Acceptable Use Policy
for High-Speed Internet Services for business customers.
Sincerely,
Comcast Customer Security Assurance
Copyright work(s) identified in the notification of claimed infringement:
Infringing Work: 12 Strong
Filename: 12 Strong 2018 720p WEB-HD 950 MB – iExTV
Infringement Date: 2018-04-11 05:27:35.0 UTC
Infringement Type: BitTorrent
Infringement Method: BITTORRENT
IP Address: my ip here
Reporting Party: IP-Echelon Compliance
Reporting Party Case: xxxxxx deleted
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
June 29, 2018 at 10:44 pm
“The copyright owner has identified the Internet Protocol (“IP”) address
associated with your Service account at the time as the source of the
infringing works.”
That means they only have your IP and not your name, so I would
(hypothetically) ignore it and use a VPN from now on.
Reply
* Hamza says:
April 16, 2018 at 10:39 pm
What about using LibGen or b-ok.org?
Reply
* Wulfmane says:
April 15, 2018 at 6:18 pm
Hi, if I use the vpn to access the torrent website and than after clicking
download and opening my Utorrent I just switch to my normal internet, is it
enough or the whole process of downloading the file should be made via vpn?
Also I use the free VPN called Windscribe with 10GB per month, any opinions
on it? Thx in advance
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
June 29, 2018 at 10:46 pm
The entire download process should take place over the VPN.
Reply
* Ayush Prajapati says:
April 10, 2018 at 4:17 am
I used utorrent on my desktop and downloaded a few movies. But sfter the day
I downloaded the movies, the internet has stopped working. Tried resetting it
but still isn’t working. Can you help?
Reply
* frank says:
May 20, 2018 at 4:15 pm
too vague. ANYTHING could be the cause, but one thing NOT most likely to be
it is because you once used uTorrent the day “sfter.”
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
April 10, 2018 at 3:58 pm
I don’t have enough info about the situation to help.
Reply
* tmoccio says:
March 2, 2018 at 6:19 pm
CAN I USE MY PHONES HOTSPOT FEATURE TO DOWNLOAD TORRENTS. THIS WAY I DONT
NEED MY ISP AT ALL. IT MAY BE A LITTLE SLOWER DOWNLOADING BUT IS IT SAFE.
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
March 16, 2018 at 6:34 pm
Umm, no. Your phone’s hotspot feature just uses your mobile carrier’s
network instead of your home ISP, but your mobile carrier is still an ISP
and is just as likely to take action against you for torrenting. All you’re
doing is wasting your mobile data allowance.
Reply
* frank says:
May 20, 2018 at 4:17 pm
Why is “umm” required?
If you still believe it is, then you must also add “and stuff” to the
end.
Reply
* Apeil says:
February 9, 2018 at 1:37 am
I pay for what I thought was a quality VPN and I’ve never had a
problem….until now. All of a sudden I’ve been notified by my IPS that a
production company is suing and my records are being subpoenaed and they have
identified me as downloading a movie over 6 months ago. How much trouble can
I get in?
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
March 16, 2018 at 6:58 pm
Depends on the movie I guess. If they send you a settlement letter but it
doesn’t have your name on it, just ignore it.
Reply
* sam says:
February 6, 2018 at 8:03 pm
i downloaded some books for my mum on her pc, using copy paste magnet url.
and i forgot to delete utorrent. do you think its ok?
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
March 16, 2018 at 6:59 pm
You don’t need to delete uTorrent, you just need to make sure you only run
it when connected to the VPN.
Reply
* Nick says:
January 28, 2018 at 9:02 pm
Might be worth mentioning that you can also pause the download after its
finished so it won’t start uploading. Most ISPs only care about uploading
rather than downloading. Though this is considered “leeching” and kinda
frowned upon in the piracy community. But it is another alternative to avoid
detection.
Reply
* Some Random Person. says:
August 24, 2017 at 2:15 pm
I am new to this. If you’re in a different country from where the content was
produced, whose law would you be breaking?
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
August 25, 2017 at 1:02 am
Your own country’s law assuming it is illegal there.
Reply
* The Sundance Kid says:
July 29, 2017 at 3:23 pm
What if the films are more than 50 years old, is there any chance of
receiving a settlement letter for downloading that old films?
Reply
* Paul Bischoff says:
August 2, 2017 at 2:26 pm
Films that are in the public domain are fine to torrent.
Reply
* B Morgan says:
March 28, 2017 at 9:03 pm
Thanks for the good bit of information. I use uTorrent & ExtraTorrent & a
VPN. Had to sign up for unlimited internet data because I’ve gone over my
limit several times.
Reply
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