File sharing has become really popular over time, with torrent users, multiplying by the dozens every single second. However, such an advantage does not come without its price and here the catch has to do with torrent trackers. With the recent policies and the legislation forbidding piracy and free file sharing options, a lot of users have found themselves in the discomforting situation of having to take full responsibility for their torrent downloading habits.
It is true that you can be tracked during your file sharing, due to the trackers that gather personal information about you and your IP. Of course, the answer to all this fuss is none other than download torrents anonymously. Despite belief, this is not hard to accomplish and therefore you should make sure to learn more about how to download the torrents of your liking without leaving a trace!
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Getting to Know Torrents
By the term of a torrent, we refer to any computer file that is free to be distributed from one place to the next on the web. Using peer to peer technology (P2P), the data is moved among the peers and somebody can download files of all sorts in smaller parts. In this way, a torrent user can grab hold of any document or file, including music, movies and other formats.
Apparently, it is essential to establish a network, in which torrent files are uploaded and downloaded respectively. The most popular and commonly used protocol for sharing such stuff is BitTorrent, which can boast of more than half the overall bandwidth percentage in the field of file sharing.
Why You Need to Secure Torrent Downloading
In order for you to stay away from troubles of being spotted online, you ought to make sure that you engage in anonymous torrent download. One quick and safe way for you to downsize the threats of being monitored while you are downloading a torrent you wish to get your hands on is to delete all trackers from your torrent platform. Below, there is a detailed guide that leads you step by step to your goal:
- First of all, you are encouraged to download a torrent client like μtorrent or Vuze and choose the correct version for your OS and device. There are also premium options for those who are interested.
- Next step involves a torrent of yours that you pick. You double click on the torrent and a menu appears.
- You head to the last option of Properties.
- At the General Tab, you spot all the trackers within the respective box and you delete them.
- At the same tab, you check the Enable DHT, Peer Exchange and Local Peer Discovery boxes (if they are not already checked). Finally, click on OK!
This is a simple process, which will help you lay low and avoid the radars from the torrent trackers. Still, if you want to sleep tight at night and overcome every single problem regarding file sharing, you cannot make any compromises. Instead, you have to learn how to anonymously download torrents. Once you have learn the ropes of that, you will need not worry any more about your file sharing preferences or ask yourself whether or not there will be any penalty or other problem deriving from torrents.
How to Be Kept Anonymous While Downloading Torrents
On the bright side, there are more than a couple of methods guaranteeing that you do not reveal your true online identity. Let’s check them out and enlighten you on what magic you should work!
- VPN: This is the number one solution for masking your IP address and remaining anonymous throughout your web surfing. Standing short for Virtual Private Network, this service is pretty much your middle man when trying to connect to the web. In this way, all the Internet traffic is routed through other portals and a remote server provides you with a brand new IP identity every time. So, even somebody attempts to track you down while downloading torrents, he will run into a false ID that is nowhere close to your real address.
There are both free and premium VPNs available on the market for you to have your pick from. Although the former ones seem appealing to most, they are often too crowded and they tend to deliver slower speed (especially in rush hours with the traffic heading to its peak). Below, we have gathered three well established VPN providers that you can check out.
- HideMyAss VPN: HMA (HideMyAss) VPN is based in the United Kingdom and has got servers in 75 countries, enabling IP masking and smooth transmitting of data. There are monthly plans and longer term subscriptions for the users to choose from, while there is full compatibility and software offered for every OS and device. Read the full HideMyAss review.
- ExpressVPN: Express VPN is another VPN that offers camouflage straight from the US at your doorstep. 72 cities in 46 cities are the locations, where servers are available to generously hand you over shining bright IP addresses. Read the full ExpressVPN review.
- PureVPN: Pure VPN provides quality encryption through the use of more than 350 servers in well over 60 countries. IP amendment is guaranteed, since there are more than 55,000 new IP addresses waiting to be used in the form of disguise. Read the full PureVPN review.
These are just three of the VPN service providers that you can trust for keeping your own IP address a secret from torrent trackers and anyone else!
- Proxies: Besides VPN, there are also proxies that you can trust for concealing your IP and becoming an anonymous torrent client. Similarly to VPN, proxy servers act as camouflage and filter the data you wish to download. So, in this case you continue downloading torrents and at the same time you are perfectly reassured that nobody knows who you are and where you connect from. There are various types of proxies and they all have both pros and cons. You can weigh them and make up your mind, according to your specified needs and your budget.
- DNS: A Domain Name System is able to translate any domain name into an IP address. You can see how it works more analytically here. Smart DNS and Open DNS are proxies that help you remain undercover without fail and thus assist you towards anonymous torrent download.
- Seedbox: In case you are serious about your goal to download torrents anonymously, there is yet another option being the Seedbox. This is a remote server that allows you to download everything at a great speed and without giving your IP away. Instead, Seedbox is dedicated to your torrents and you have got nothing to worry about concerning your IP and personal info leaked by this address.
- BTGuard: Another option that will enable you to anonymously download torrents is that of BTGuard. It’s yet another VPN, as a matter of fact. In this method, you can rest assured that a new IP address is detected by anyone trying to spot your premises through their services. So, you can go on downloading torrents and never hesitate due to security issues.
Overall, there are quite many different and equally effective methods for ensuring that you are perfectly secured and that you download all the torrents of your preference anonymously. Feel free to check them out and discover how you can empower your safety in a blink of an eye!
Top-right image via: Wikipedia Commos
At one point in the article it is mentioned to enable DHT but you would get banned in lot of private trackers if you do that , SO keep that in mind.
I highly recommend trying http://www.torrentleecher.ga
It downloads your torrents online so you won’t have to worry about DHT, since a remote server is grabbing the file for you.
We wouldn’t recommend going to this site. First of all it doesn’t have any site data. And more importantly, it doesn’t allow users to connect with a secure connection. That is, no HTTPS. So stay away.
Hi Ali, It’s a great article. You did not mention logs in VPN. A torrent user should use a VPN that does not keep logs of user’s activities. For example, I use Ivacy, it is good for torrenting and does not keep logs.
Thanks for the knowledge