A few tips for safe torrenting
The internet is a didactic mind field of the addiction, the legal and the illegal, often dubbed the modern Wild West. The way you are traversing the murky depths of the web, your activities are being recorded in a public sphere, and can often be viewed. Downloading online content has become our daily task, but more downloads mean being more prone to getting infected by a virus and/or getting caught for Piracy.
One of the easiest ways to get movies, songs, books, and games is via torrents, but unfortunately, the nature of torrent-sharing is a grey area. Also, torrents increase the possibilities of getting your device infected by viruses or those of getting caught while pirating illegal content.
Torrenting is known for Piracy, and Piracy is definitely illegal. But this is a common misconception.
Torrenting is not necessarily Piracy, it can be used for better reasons like sharing a large MB file which you cannot send to your colleague, friend or family member via email, skype or google drive. Therefore, torrenting itself is not illegal, but piracy is.
The legality of content is not always immediately apparent on torrent, some falls in a grey area; so you may find trouble unwittingly. Following are handful of handy tips and their intensity reduction measures, that need to be avoided to keep yourself and your virtual identity safe and secure:
1. Don’t Open Zip Files Which Are Locked With A Password
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Zip files are of great importance because they compress data and can contain multiple files in a single file. Unfortunately, a zip file is the spammers, scammers and phishers’ best friend. Numerous validity usages make zip files more inclined to abuse or misuse. The critical problem is the hidden content/data present in the zip file that you can only see after unzipping. In case of malicious material, it is too late. Torrent is an open platform, that doesn’t ask you to give passwords to open any file. So, if you see a file with a password and special instructions, then that is a phishing bait, don’t open to let malware ruin your machine.
2. Don’t Click Any unnecessary .exe files
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A dot-EXE or any other executable file is an application. Clicking such files means installing an application and in case of torrenting, installing disguised scam on your computer. EXE files are giant red flags, and have to be avoided for an enjoyable torrenting experience. In fact, EXE file is a sign that you better find another torrent elsewhere to download your respective content. We would recommend you not to open such files.
3. Review Comments Before Downloading
This is not the hard and fast rule to assess the credibility of any torrent, but comments would help you in deciding the scam-free torrents. Reliable torrents must have more seeds and hence positive user-comments. If the site is missing any of these it’s likely fake. The presence of viruses can easily be observed from the comment section, and this will help you to protect you and your system from being threatened.
4. Use VPN For Torrenting
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Install best torrent VPN before torrenting to keep your IP secure and hidden from the digital criminals, and enjoy seeding and leeching. VPN replaces your IP with a dummy IP that act as your IP and your digital footprints remain anonymous in the digital world. We advise you to take precautions before it’s too late. Don’t risk your identity at the cost of downloading a movie. And if you are a frequent downloader, you should be more careful your ISP keeps track of all your activities.
Spammers, scammers and dishonest P2P individuals phish users’ identities, trick them to get ransom, or ruin systems using malware infections by using false torrents. Luckily, you can’t be one of them due to the obvious signs that indicate the presence of malware and other spyware that’s if you play torrenting carefully. Breaching identities is the common practice of hackers by merely using torrents, as mentioned earlier that torrents are prone to getting infected.
