I don't live in the US, so my ISP doesn't really seem to care what I torrent, but the megathread vehemently recommends to always use one. Since VPNs aren't cheap and I'm on a strict budget (wouldn't pirate otherwise), is it really that dangerous to torrent without one?
Yes, you need some way to hide your IP when torrenting in the US unless your ISP doesn't care about copyright letters. If you don't want to use a VPN, a debrid service or I2P are other options as well that can hide torrents from your isp. Another option is to not torrent and stick to ddl and streaming
You're probably fine, but I recommend just getting a free VPN to keep your ISP at bay. I don't like Proton, but they do have a free VPN. Google around and you can find some others too, if that one is too slow
Yes, it is really that dangerous. People recommended VPNs for a reason. Whether you personally are realistically at risk is an unknown - relatively few people are actually the targets of anti-piracy action. As others have pointed out, copyright trolls generally operate in specific countries and regions.
Still, I would never recommended engaging in copyright infringement without some form of protection. I understand you are poor but it really is a silly risk to take. The way almost all pirates get caught, at least from what I've seen, is through stupidity or complacency (one could argue they are the same thing). This is why the megathread tries to recommended best practice wherever possible.
Look into a seedbox. They can be had for very cheap in some places and then you're not torrenting anything at all to your local network, you're just transferring everything over an encrypted ftp connection. I use whatbox and absolutely love it. I'm sure there are cheaper options though.
You are fine without a VPN until you aren't anymore. Torrenting was fine in basically every country until it wasn't anymore. And then some people got burned without a warning.
So you can roll the dice, it might take years until people start caring in your country and you are fine until then. Or they might start caring in a few months. If you aren't, there is a chance you will have time to react to the news when other people first get hit in your country or you will be one of the first. If you are already using a VPN you can rest assured that you won't be one of the first.
@SpaceCadet2000 holy shit i didnt know this existed! also if i see something here that i didn't torrent does that mean someone in my apartment be torrenting?
Yes, if you have a static IP address. If you have a dynamic IP address you can just be seeing the other people who previously had that IP address. It will depend on your ISP.
Anonymous mode is NOT enough. It is just meant to enhance protections by anonymising your traffic as much a possible. But your data still leaks and is enough for people to persue you. For example, if you live in a flat share and you and your flatmate torrent, by turning on Anonymous mode your client's unique "finger print" is not shared, so it would be difficult to determine which of you did the downloading if you both use it. But you're still leaking information on what you're downloading so it can still be traced to your flat.
You need to use either a Proxy service or a full VPN service. And if you're sharing with other people then encourage them to do the same, or secure your internet connection at the source (you can set up VPNs to work on your router so ALL internet traffic is secured)
I personally wouldn't take the chance. Mullvad is €5 a month, and is worth it to me. My ISP completely shut off my service before ever giving me a notification. I had to completely restart service after going full Karen and blaming it on "my kids." I would do a few searches and find posts or info relevant to your area or ISP.
But barely anyone else provides it too. Proton has it kind of but the amount of servers are restricted so yeah great higher ping/slower speeds depending on where you are from
It (possibly) adds a layer of security. Of course you're just passing your traffic through them. Should they get summoned to court or ordered they could turn over your information and show you were trafficking through them. I'd say to read into how your nation persecutes copyright. How strict are they, how often have people been legally attacked cause of it, etc. If you're in Japan for example, I'd say 100% use a VPN. Copyright is extremely serious there.
Very true. Not all VPNs are created equal and it's important to research, but ultimately you are putting your trust in them with your data. They provide anonymity but you need to trust them that they don't compromise your security. And of coruse you should still do everything else you can to maximise your security on the internet.
Right. I keep having to remind myself and others all a VPN does is pass traffic elsewhere. Still at the whims of whatever security measures your VPN does or doesn't do.
@Alextheacceptable In Germany, there are lawyers specialised on torrents. They collect German IPs from the peers list and mass-sue them over distributing copyrighted material. They always ask for a settlement payment of more than 5000€. It can usually be escaped by taking it to court, but I recommend not going through that.
So, depends on your location. Over here, download one movie without a VPN and you have a shit ton of legal crap coming your way.
Would that really matter, though? Afaik, they could still just.. ask your ISP who that IP was assigned to, which is what they're going to do with IPv4 anyways.
@SolOrion They don't deal with ISPs outside the country, because they can't sue them at a German court.
So they need to know it's a German ISP beforehand so they can request personal information accordingly. But maybe they could still figure it out from IPv6 address ranges... I'm not entirely sure.
You get an IPv6 prefix from your ISP. This way you have thousands of public addresses for yourself, but they still can identify you by the prefix.
Maybe even better as with IPv4. Because nowadays most people have DualStack Lite which means you have unique public IPv6 addresses but only a shared IPv4 address.
Do you live in a country where the authorities are taking action against torrenting? Yes, you should absolutely be using a VPN, because otherwise you're presenting your identity on a silver platter.
Do you live in a country where the authorities don't give a fuck? Then no, a VPN won't be necessary.
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