Explain torrent privacy concerns

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2024-02-05 16:54:16 +01:00
parent 1cb0945022
commit c73a8934f3

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@@ -162,22 +162,33 @@ const copy_magnet = () => {
<p>
Your torrent client will make sure that the files you receive from
your peers are actually what they say it is. This makes it just as
safe as any other form of downloading. Like any other form of
downloading files you still need to be aware of what you are
downloading. Don't just blindly trust any file anyone sends you.
safe as any other form of downloading. Like always when downloading
files you still need to be aware of what you are downloading. Don't
just blindly trust any file anyone sends you.
</p>
<h3>Is it private?</h3>
<p>
When downloading a torrent file you will be part of the so-called
'torrent swarm'. Anyone in the swarm can see each other's IP
addresses. This is not a bad thing on its own, but there a few cases
in which this can be abused. If you are downloading copyrighted
material (which I do not condone) then rightsholders will be able to
see your IP address. In most cases this is not a problem because
your ISP will still protect your identity. But there are some
countries (notably the USA) where your ISP will not respect your
right to privacy and the rightsholder will be able to contact you.
If this worries you then you should look into VPN services to
protect your privacy, like <a
in which this can be abused.
</p>
<p>
Anyone in the swarm will be able to see what you are downloading,
even across different torrents. This is something to keep in mind
when downloading torrents. If someone can link your IP address to
your identity then there are ways to find out which files you have
downloaded in the past (provided that your IP address has not
changed since then).
</p>
<p>
If you are downloading copyrighted material (which I do not condone)
then rightsholders will be able to see your IP address. In most
cases this is not a problem because your ISP will still protect your
identity. But there are some countries (notably the USA) where your
ISP will not respect your right to privacy and the rightsholder will
be able to contact you. If this worries you then you should look
into VPN services to protect your privacy, like <a
href="https://mullvad.net">Mullvad</a>.
</p>
</details>