Torrents are a widely used method for downloading files that are hard to find online. They are popular and have a large community of users who share these files. It’s estimated that around 30 million people share about 5 million torrent files daily. This is due to their ease of use and lack of limitations. Any file size can be shared without problems.
Torrents work through a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network. This system lets files on one computer be shared with another computer. Simply put, when you download a torrent, you connect to someone else’s computer, and the file comes from there. If many computers have the file, your download will be faster. But if only a few computers have it, the download will be slower because the file is harder to find.
While it may sound like torrents are the solution to all your problems, there are many drawbacks related to them which is why using safe torrent sites along with a trusted VPN is highly recommended.
1. There are a lot of fake websites and spam content out there:
Unless you are careful about your sources and the content you download, you can end up with a lot of viruses and worms on your computer.
2. Your computer can be attacked/hacked:
Your computer is open to the world, basically since you are on a P2P network your computer is easily accessible and this makes your computer vulnerable to attacks.
3. Torrents are a legal grey line:
In some countries torrents are illegal and users may be liable to fines and other legal repercussions.
4. Finding Torrents is Difficult:
There isn’t an official site or directory for torrents. You need to search for them yourself using different search engines. New and popular files are easy to find, but older ones are much harder to locate. Most people use torrents to download movies and TV shows, and despite the risks, they often choose this method because they don’t have a better option.
Safe torrenting sites that you can use for downloading:
Here’s a list of countries along with their stance on torrenting:
| Legal Status Of Torrents | Countries |
|---|---|
| Torrenting is under surveillance, while several sites are banned | Romania, Greece, Brazil, Uruguay, Egypt, Denmark, Czech Republic, Mexico, Philippines, Israel, Argentina, Canada, Netherlands, India, Singapore, Columbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Iran |
| Torrenting is 100% banned | Portugal, the US, Russia, Malaysia, Latvia, South Africa, China, Italy, Australia |
| Torrenting can be used for downloading content | The UK, Germany, France, Japan, Finland, and the UAE |
| Torrenting can be used for downloading content for personal use | Spain & Switzerland |
