Is using torrents even worth the risk anymore?
Let’s delve into the category of miscellaneous again and ask, “Is it even worth getting fined or going to jail over using torrents with all the streaming services these days?” Do people actually even have cable TV when you can watch your favorite TV shows on torrent sites like EZTv?
Nowadays your privacy on what you do online is not even a thing now with ISPs handing over your Data to anyone they can make a quick buck with and especially when law enforcement comes looking for suspected criminal activities like downloading copyright content.
And since production and record companies don’t like it when you steal their stuff because you are basically stealing their money, they actually hire copyright trolls to hunt people who download copyright content down and report them to their ISPs. More on that later in this article.
That brings me to point out how important it is to protect yourself with a private VPN like Nord VPN. And if you are torrenting these days I strongly recommend that you get a Private VPN now.
With more than ten years of experience, NordVPN has established itself as a leading VPN service provider. Not only that, but it is also considered the fastest VPN in the market – its NordLynx protocol offers blazing speeds and unlimited bandwidth. Moreover, it is not only a VPN as it offer antivirus features too!
What is a Torrent?
The word “torrent” in the tech world, usually refers to a computer file that contains metadata holding various information – BitTorrent. A torrent file normally comes with the extension .torrent but it does not actually contain the actual contents data to be distributed.
The information in the .torrent file will then be used by BitTorrent software such as uTorrent, Transmission, or BitTorrent for the “real” distribution of data – which essentially allows users to easily download torrent files to their personal computers. A torrent download can be done in fragments, so you’re actually downloading bits of pieces of the full content which is later reassembled when all of the pieces are received.
The torrent file acts as a key to initiating downloading of the actual data. When someone is interested in receiving a shared file (i.e. books, music, documents, etc.), they must first obtain the corresponding torrent file (.torrent) – by either downloading the .torrent file directly or by using a magnet link.
The BitTorrent software will then request to open this file/link and once the BitTorrent software scans the torrent file/link, it will then need to find the locations of all the seeders (servers or people) that are sharing the corresponding file. To do so, it will attempt to connect to a list of defined trackers (from the torrent file metadata) and attempt a direct connection. If it’s successful, the appropriate data will then begin downloading to your computer.
Is Torrenting dangerous?
Downloading torrents/BitTorrent can be dangerous because of the fact that other peers will be able to see your IP address. Lots of production and record companies hire people, called copyright trolls, to go in and report all these IP addresses being found downloading torrents so that they can be passed along to your ISP and your ISP could then throw you under the bus, and that’s not a gamble we recommend taking. The ISPs will then cooperate with law enforcement agencies to prevent the BitTorrent file from being downloaded further, which may include incarcerating the operators or users.
Connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) would allow you to change your IP address and keep you anonymous while downloading torrents. This is a crucial tool to use when downloading torrents so that your ISP does not know what you are doing.
So is it worth the risk?
With all these streaming services popping up all over the internet, why even bother downloading movies or music? Is it still because you don’t have the finances to join every single streaming service out there just to keep up with your favorite TV shows, or just want to watch that one movie so why commit to a subscription service you will only use once? Well, that’s my excuse also. So I usually torrent my TV shows because Cable TV is crazy expensive and I keep myself hidden by using Nord VPN and for all the reasons above, you should be too.
We hope you found this article informative and useful. Please feel free to share it with your friends or family that want to know more about torrenting and BitTorrent!
POLL…
[TS_Poll id=”3″]
About The Author
