Although µTorrent, one of the most widely-used torrent clients, is not inherently illegal or unsafe, it is frequently used to download “copyrighted” content from free public torrent download websites, such as ExtraTorrent and YiFyMovies.
These materials often include expensive software, movies, games, and TV seasons. Downloading copyrighted material from torrent sites is illegal in many countries, as it infringes on the financial interests of the copyright owners. As a result, regulatory agencies in numerous countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, all European countries, and the United States, monitor user activity on leading torrent sites to prevent illicit downloading.
To avoid detection by Internet Service Providers and copyright holders, such as RIAA and MPAA, many µTorrent and BitTorrent users seek ways to download files anonymously.
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How Your Activities Are Tracked
Your ISP
Anything you transmit over the Internet through your device can be read by your Internet service provider (ISP), and some ISPs even sell your web browsing data to marketing companies.
Moreover, your ISP can monitor anything you transfer over the Internet through your device, and some may also sell your browser data to data analytics and internet marketing service providers.
Typically, your ISP keeps an eye on your traffic, and if they detect any illegal torrent activity, they may throttle your Internet download speed.
Creating Counterfeit Torrents and Distributing Torrent Trackers
Copyright management organizations, such as RIAA and MPAA, have partnered with leading ISPs to establish and execute the “Copyright Alert System.”
Under this system, a user who is found to have downloaded copyrighted material online is issued a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) notice.
The anti-piracy unit responsible for enforcing copyright collects the IP addresses of users who download copyrighted material from the web. By creating counterfeit torrents, they can easily track torrent users and monitor public torrent trackers.
The details obtained by the anti-piracy division are then provided to the relevant Internet service provider, which issues a copyright alert to the user.
Tip #1: By using ipMagnet, a tool that enables users to track the IP addresses that their BitTorrent client is sending to seeders and leeches, users can monitor their torrent activity.
Tip #2: To prevent their torrent activities from being monitored by their ISP, users can utilize private torrent trackers, which provide a higher degree of privacy and anonymity.
Downloading Torrents Anonymously
If you wish to download any content using torrent clients such as µTorrent or BitTorrent securely and anonymously, it is highly recommended to utilize a VPN or a SOCKS5 proxy server.
To learn more about using torrent safely, read this article about using proxy servers in your µTorrent application. In that guide you will find ways to properly use proxy servers in the torrent client and a comparison of proxy servers and VPNs for this task.
Millions of torrent users rely on those services to safeguard their privacy while accessing torrent sites.
The Benefits of VPN for Anonymous Torrent Browsing and Downloading
To download files from a torrent site, two essential things are required:
- A torrent client for downloading the torrent file.
- A web browser for browsing and locating the .torrent file or a magnet link to directly initiate the torrent application for downloading the file.
As previously mentioned, the ipMagnet tool can be used to monitor the IP addresses being transmitted by your torrent client to seeders and leechers, thereby tracking your torrenting activities.
In the image above, various IP addresses are displayed alongside corresponding country flags. These IP addresses belong to users who are either downloading or seeding the torrent.
Copyright holders collect these IP addresses and submit them to the ISP, which then sends a copyright alert to the user.
The Techniques Used to Trap Torrent Users
- While searching for a torrent file to download a favorite movie or game on sites like PirateBay, you may have come across many fake torrents that are either empty or have very few seeds. These files are often created by spammers, but they can also be made by copyright managers such as RIAA, MPAA, and others, who use them to trap torrent users and collect their IP addresses.
- If you’re using a public torrent tracker, your information can easily be tracked by ISPs and copyright holders. To avoid this, it’s recommended to use private torrent trackers, which provide greater privacy and security for your torrenting activities.
Conclusion
While torrent clients like µTorrent and BitTorrent are not inherently illegal or unsafe, they are frequently used to download copyrighted content, making them the target of regulatory agencies and copyright holders. To avoid detection by ISPs and copyright holders, it is essential to take measures to download files anonymously.
Private torrent trackers provide a higher degree of privacy and anonymity, while utilizing a VPN or a SOCKS5 proxy server can safeguard privacy while accessing torrent sites. Tools like ipMagnet can be used to monitor the IP addresses being transmitted by your torrent client to seeders and leechers, thereby tracking your torrenting activities. It is important to stay vigilant while downloading torrents and avoid fake torrents created to trap torrent users and collect their IP addresses.
By following these guidelines and taking the necessary precautions, you can enjoy torrenting without the fear of detection or infringement of copyright laws.
