Downloading torrents without a vpn

Dear Lifehacker, My favorite private BitTorrent tracker, Demonoid, has apparently gone down for good. I was so dependent on it for its quality, security from viruses, and protection from prying eyes. Where can I torrent safely now that Demonoid is gone?

Dear Lost, This is an interesting question, and the answer is going to go in directions you may not have expected. First, we need to clear up a few common misconceptions, about BitTorrent and about Demonoid specifically.

We've already recommended more secure ways to share files online—like the much safer Usenet set it up in three easy steps here or the truly private BitTorrent trackers—so I won't get into that here. The main thing you need to know is that Demonoid, while a fine site, was likely not nearly as safe and anonymous as you probably thought. Ali Raza September 9. Ignore the warnings, however, and the fines will start. Again, these vary from country to country, with some setting fixed amounts while others depend on a civil suits being filed.

You read that right: in some places, when you download a torrent you are starting a process that might involve you needing to hire a lawyer. These kinds of strong-arm tactics have become popular in Holland, for example. Torrenting is not entirely illegal, but downloading unauthorized copyrighted material is.

Some of the files fall in a grey area so that you may find yourself accidentally on the wrong side of the law. Your ISP and copyright trolls of the BitTorrent network can take actions against you if they catch you illegally torrenting. You may simply get a warning letter or even get your internet connection slowed down as legal actions. But the last step is very rare. VPNs play a critical role in protecting your privacy when torrenting.

Therefore, we recommend using a VPN whenever a user is torrenting files. Torrenting without a VPN is still possible, but there is a considerable risk. It means your ISP can see your online activities, such as sites you visit and contents you view. In some countries, including the US, ISPs share this information with third parties like intellectual property owners. If you still want to risk torrenting without a VPN, we have a few suggestions. These options will help you to be anonymous while torrenting.

Anomos is a torrent client that uses end-to-end encryption. Overall, if you want to really, really be sure a VPN properly hides your torrent traffic, it needs to have the following:. Many people are under the impression that using a VPN alongside torrents is a complex process only tech-savvy people know about. Anyone can use a VPN — including your grandpa or a year old. Not at all. Also, they can see your real IP address in the torrent client. So make sure you always use a VPN when you download torrents.

Even more confusing, is the downloading and sometimes sharing of copy-protected works may be legal depending on what country you live in. But in most countries, frequent torrenters will risk running afoul of copyright law. Unprotected BitTorrent users or open to a range of potential penalties ranging from inconvenience, to civil lawsuits, to criminal punishment in the most extreme cases. It also allows them to throttle slow down or block certain traffic.

And repeated torrent downloads can even cause your ISP to suspend your internet access altogether. There has been a growing epidemic of copyright trolls targeting bittorrent users. This is especially true of small pornography production companies and some independent film studios. And the business model is simple:. One notorious troll Prenda Law extracted millions in settlements until collapsing from a criminal probe.