

For example, purchasing and possessing a firearm may be lawful. In some countries, this is perfectly lawful (for personal use), whereas, in others, it is a violation of copyright law.Īccording to Business Insider, the legality of BitTorrent is comparable to the legality of weapons. However, BitTorrent users get into difficulty using the filesharing tool for unlawful reasons, such as downloading and uploading copyrighted files. It works exactly like any other file-moving computer software. What Makes a Downloadable File Legal or Illegal?īitTorrent has nothing intrinsically illegal about it. It's important to understand the difference between the legality of the technology itself and how you use it. P2P protocol (BitTorrent) is a fully legal filesharing technology. There are certain disadvantages or risks associated with downloading, uploading, or distributing a torrent file. BitTorrent, however, is a distributed transfer protocol, as opposed to HTTP and FTP. Like HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) and FTP (file transfer protocol), it is a method for downloading data from the internet. What is BitTorrent?īitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file-sharing communication protocol that allows users to transfer data and electronic files across the Internet in a decentralized way. This includes torrenting or downloading illegal content. We don't encourage or condone any kind of copyright violation or circumvention of restrictions. This guide will introduce you to being safe and secure online.ĭisclaimer: Torrenting is a great way to access and share content on the internet. Using a reliable VPN can assist in keeping your data secure while masking your online activities, as well as provide other useful features for torrenting. Torrenting demands secrecy and security and is quite straightforward, but you'll need a VPN to ensure you're downloading securely.

But, before you get on the P2P bandwagon, it's a good idea to first grasp the risks associated with torrent downloading. As a consequence, torrent downloads are often quick and easy. Torrents are distinct in that they are not maintained and distributed by a single website rather, those tasks fall to users of peer-to-peer networks, who, once a file begins downloading, immediately begin "seeding" – or giving their downloaded data for upload to other P2P particip ants.

Your computer may get infected with viruses, your ISP may limit your connection, or you may face penalties. Peer-to-peer (P2P) torrenting users face a multitude of risks, ranging from downloading malware to inadvertently downloading unauthorized content.
