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The greatest method to torrent securely is to use a VPN. A VPN accomplishes two things: first, it re-routes all of your online activity through a server in a country of your choice, which changes your real IP address to one used by hundreds or thousands of other people. Looking to learn everything about torrenting with a VPN? Then read our mega guide and find out how you can use a VPN and which one is the best for using when your downloading with torrents.
Ben Grindlow is the founder of ProXPN, a company that provides reviews about VPN products and services. Ben's interest in cybersecurity and privacy led him to start ProXPN, which has become one of the most well-respected VPN providers in the world. Ben is passionate about his work, and he is constantly exploring new ways to improve ProXPN's in-depth guides.
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The act of downloading content via torrents may not receive as much attention as it once did, but this does not imply that the activity has been eradicated entirely. The same sound advice should still be followed: users who download torrents should protect themselves by connecting to a virtual private network (VPN). Here, we will explain how.
There are a few criteria that should guide your decision when selecting a virtual private network (VPN) service provider, particularly if you often use torrenting software. The fact that you are able to download torrents is undoubtedly a first for the company. This is not the case with all virtual private network (VPN) service providers. It is likely that further information may be found on their website.
In addition, it goes without saying that having a fast connection is essential in order to ensure that the exchange of data goes as smoothly as is humanly feasible. You may get the highest speeds possible by utilizing one of the many VPN companies that designate a portion of their server capacity just for BitTorrent traffic.
Additionally, it is recommended that you make use of a VPN service provider whose software comes equipped with a feature known as a “kill switch.” In the event that the connection to your VPN provider fails for whatever reason, a kill switch like this one will cause your whole Internet connection to be disrupted. Therefore, your IP address will continue to be concealed in this manner.
In conclusion, it goes without saying that you should look for a VPN service that places a high priority on your privacy and adheres to a “no logs” policy. Everything you download, together with the time you download it and the method you use, will be totally safeguarded in this manner. To help you out, we created a list of the best torrenting VPN providers of the moment:
Our initial recommendation is NordVPN. The business possesses a huge inventory of servers in addition to providing a high data transfer rate. Although not all of NordVPN's servers are appropriate for BitTorrent, those that can be used for torrenting are easily identifiable in the program and have been tuned specifically for the activity. In addition, NordVPN has a kill switch, which makes it possible to pirate in an even more risk-free manner.
Be aware as well that the headquarters of NordVPN are situated in Panama, a nation in which it is extremely difficult for European organizations that protect intellectual property rights to track down user information. In any case, there is not much to gain from using NordVPN because the firm adheres to a rigorous “no log” policy. If you are very concerned about maintaining your anonymity, you even have the option of paying for your NordVPN membership using cryptocurrency, since the firm is willing to take this form of payment.
Lastly, the Socks5 protocol may be used with NordVPN as it is compatible with it. This provides an additional layer of protection for your identity; nevertheless, for the highest level of safety, it should be used in conjunction with a virtual private network (VPN). While not all virtual private networks (VPNs) are compatible for this, NordVPN is.
Surfshark is still another option that torrent users can consider using because it provides a great speed, in addition to a diverse selection of servers. Similarly to NordVPN, Surfshark allows users to download torrents even on their mobile devices thanks to the availability of applications for both iOS and Android. Additionally, the program comes equipped with a kill switch.
The British Virgin Islands are home to the headquarters of Surfshark, which is another company that does not maintain logs. Therefore, IP addresses, browsing histories, session information, time stamps, and network records cannot be retrieved from this location. In addition to that, Surfshark accepts cryptocurrency payments for subscriptions and is compatible with the Socks5 protocol.
As a last point of discussion, we would also want to bring up CyberGhost. This service provides an excellent value for the money, since it possesses both rapid transfer rates and reliable connections. In addition, CyberGhost provides programs for mobile devices like smartphones and servers that are designed for P2P traffic. CyberGhost, much like its two competitors in the sector mentioned above, guarantees that it does not record any information about its users or the user sessions that they participate in, and that its software has a kill switch.
In addition to this, its headquarters are located in Romania, a member state of the European Union that, although being a part of the EU, has its own stringent privacy policy and does not enforce some EU regulations (such as the Data Retention Directive). Additionally, CyberGhost is compatible with Socks5 and acknowledges cryptocurrency as a valid method of payment.
In the interest of completeness, let's begin at the very beginning: what exactly are torrents? The so-called BitTorrent protocol is utilized in the process of file sharing that is known as torrenting.
A small group of computer nerds came up with this protocol at the turn of the century in order to facilitate the speedier and more straightforward transfer of data across the Internet. The fact that these data are traded in a “decentralized” way is the primary factor that contributed to the acceleration of the process.
That is to say, the file is not stored at a singular location, and there is no predetermined destination that every user must travel to in order to retrieve it. The Peer to Peer (P2P) model is at the heart of how BitTorrent operates, with each user contributing to the overall distribution of the file.
When one person has the file, they immediately begin the process of sharing it with other users as soon as they can. The conclusion is easy to draw: the more users there are, the more quickly files can be transferred between them. When using other techniques, an increase in the number of users will result in a decrease in speed since everyone will be waiting in line to download.
It is necessary to have both a torrent application and a torrent file in order to download a file using the Bittorrent protocol. Utorrent, Deluge, Transmission, and Vuze are just few of the well-known brands in the world of torrent applications, which are available for practically any operating system. The torrent file acts as a sort of traffic management system to route the downloading and sharing of content in the appropriate direction. It is important that you do not get it confused with the file that you are attempting to download.
The necessary torrent files might be located on notorious websites such as The Pirate Bay, IsoHunt, Kickass Torrents, and Mininova; however, the majority of these websites have been taken offline by the authorities in recent years.
We use the word “almost” because the protocol is far from being fully extinct, despite the fact that BitTorrent may have had its golden age in the past. Torrent file downloads with complete anonymity On the other hand, there is evidence to suggest that BitTorrent is seeing somewhat of a resurgence of late, particularly in the past few years.
The explanation for this is straightforward: in recent times, a large number of new streaming services have been introduced, which means that it requires a significant investment of time and money to gain access to all of the relevant material. Then, a “free” alternative such as BitTorrent can once again be considered by a large number of people as a viable option.
By the way, as we discussed up top, when you use Bittorrent, you are not only a downloader, but also an uploader, because you are sharing the file that you are downloading with other users of the network. This means that you are a downloader as well as an uploader. In addition, the individuals who are responsible for the uploading of content that is in violation of the law have come under increased scrutiny in recent years…
The owners of the rights to films and television series naturally dislike the idea that content to which they hold the rights (and for which they have paid significant sums to obtain the rights to distribute in other countries) is being illegally distributed without the owners receiving any compensation for their efforts.
Consequently, in order to achieve a satisfactory resolution, they are utilizing specialized tools in an effort to track down the uploaders and downloaders who make use of peer-to-peer file sharing platforms such as BitTorrent. And the IP address of those users is pretty much the only method to find out about it at this point in time.
Therefore, Internet service providers cannot be coerced into handing up the information that is hidden behind IP addresses for the time being. There is now a case that is being considered by the Supreme Court of Belgium, which is the equivalent of the Court of Cassation in the United States, although it is not yet known when this will take place.
Just be careful. For a period of five years, for instance, film studios are permitted to maintain a record of the IP addresses that they have gathered through BitTorrent services. A deluge of penalties, or more accurately, requests for peaceful settlements, might still follow even if the Supreme Court declares that the action can be litigated anew and a court decides that these addresses must be published.
It's easy: simply connecting to a server over a Virtual Private Network, or VPN. When using a virtual private network (VPN), you will log into a server owned by your VPN provider.
Germany, The United States, The Netherlands, Belgium, or some other nation may be the location of this server. At that same time, all of your Internet traffic (and, consequently, your Bittorrent session) is being encrypted and anonymized while it is being directed via that server. If you then begin a torrent session, other users of the protocol will be unable to discover your IP address due to the fact that it has been disguised.
Second, a “no log” policy is implemented by the vast majority of VPN service providers. That is to say, they do not even attempt to monitor who is making use of their services at any one moment or the specific actions that person is carrying out.
Because there are no user logs to begin with, it is of little value to remind people to pass them over, because there are no logs at all. Note that not all virtual private networks (VPNs) have such a policy, thus there are those that do keep track of when each user was engaged in a certain activity. If you wish to maintain your anonymity when using the internet, you should avoid using certain services.
The use of a virtual private network (VPN) is moreover associated with a number of benefits that cannot be denied, particularly those that pertain to online safety. After all, entertainment businesses aren't the only ones that could be interested in your Internet protocol (IP) address.
This can also be useful information for hackers, who can use it to search your IP address, looking for open ports or smart devices that can be added to a botnet, for example. If you use a virtual private network (VPN), you can essentially remove this danger.
Because a virtual private network (VPN) conceals the IP address associated with your device, any information you share or websites you access while connected to a VPN cannot be linked back to your actual computer. And this is something to be thankful for in this day and age, when online businesses are attempting to compile as much information as they can about Internet users.
Therefore, utilizing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in conjunction with torrenting is an absolute no-brainer. Your online anonymity will be preserved, your privacy will be protected, and it will be much more challenging for hackers and other online criminals to get into your system as a result of the fact that your Internet traffic will be encrypted and your IP address will be concealed.
Is it possible to use BitTorrent with my VPN? Most VPN services are fine with you using BitTorrent or P2P applications while utilizing their solutions. File sharing is not prohibited by any of our top-rated VPNs. Even the torrenting-friendly services have limits, however.
Because your ISP can't see that you're torrenting, it can't make the decision to restrict your connection. As a result, if you notice connections severely slowing down when downloading, a VPN might help you get back up to speed.
You can connect to the internet through a VPN provider's gateway after you've connected to the internet, and then join other VPN clients. Because there is so much system downtime as a result of this, the system performs very slowly.
ISPs can't tell if you're utilizing BitTorrent at once, and they can't determine what you're downloading on it. Most torrent clients include some form of encryption, making it more difficult for ISPs (and your home router) to identify that BitTorrent traffic.
The encryption procedure, on the other hand, usually increases usage by around 5-10%. The speed of your VPN is limited to your internet connection. When using a VPN, slight reductions in speed ranging from 10-20% are typical.
