WHAT IS TORRENTING

WHAT IS TORRENTING?

You’ve probably heard of Internet piracy and copyright infringement and that it’s made possible by something called torrenting. But what is torrenting exactly? How does it work? In this article techonwares is going to explain to you what torrenting is, the risks associated with torrenting and how you can get started up- and downloading files yourself.

Before we start, realize that torrenting is a kind of file sharing and is not inherently illegal. However, most of the stuff you find on torrent sites is copyrighted material and downloading it is very much not allowed; if you torrent a movie, book or game, you’re breaking the law. What you do is up to you, but know you’re doing it on your own lookout.

Torrent files are small files that contain information on how to download a larger file using BitTorrent protocol. The protocol, unlike HTTP/HTTPS, needs a torrent client for downloading the client. We’ll take a quick look at how BitTorrent works and if files downloaded using them are legal and safe.

Techonwares explains torrents as follows; in a single word, torrents are simply ‘files’ that hold information related to other files and folders that are to be distributed. When you download a movie torrent, this ‘torrent file’ contains necessary information which will let you get that movie.

When you start downloading the files associated with that torrent, you might also see a file that is not familiar with those other chunks of data. That are values which are used to verify a file. Now that we’ve helped separate fact from fiction

How Torrenting Works?

it is time to explain how these torrents work by Techonwares.

While understanding the working of Bittorrent, that a torrent is a file that has a size that is not bigger than a few kilobytes of data. However, these tiny files are able to commence the downloading of even bigger files and this is done through one system or another.

In short, when you’re ‘torrenting’ a file, it pretty much means that you are transferring a file over a P2P or Bittorrent network. A P2P network in the simplest explanation means a network that is created when two or more computers are connected to share resources without going through a separate server computer. Think of this like an adhoc network but a lot more complex.

The files are then transferred in tiny bits but they are completely downloaded on your system after going through a verification process. The end result is the files present on your storage.

If you want to get your hands on the files through torrenting, those files should be present completely with one person (which is also known as a seed) or in bits and pieces divided among other people. To aid this, Bittorrent clients are running on the user’s system or smartphone.

When you download something off the Internet, you usually click a download button and the files comes onto your computer like manna from heaven. Torrenting works differently from that: rather than taking a file from a single server and downloading it one whole go, a torrent (also called a “tracker”) will break up the big file and chop it up into little pieces, called “packets.”

These packets are on a server in their entirety (called the “seeder”), but are also shared throughout a network of computers also downloading the same file you are. These “peers” (or “leechers” in torrentspeak) all have slightly different parts of the same file. The torrent file you downloaded keeps track of who has which packet and alternates where you’re downloading from.

Each leecher acts as a tiny mini-server. This reduces overall network load significantly and makes it very interesting for people that are running on limited bandwidth; the downside is that while you’re downloading, you’re also uploading, increasing the strain on your Internet connection.

As a result, the download process averages out as slower than with a direct download; generally it is a lot slower in the beginning and then starts to speed up as you go along. This has to do with the fact that your download speed and upload speed are linked up to a certain degree: the more you can contribute to the torrent, the more you can soak up in return.

Another factor that slows down torrents is that the download connection is generally a lot less stable, so expect to see more interruptions than you’re used to with direct downloads. If you’re on a very fast connection the difference is negligible, but people with slower connections may find themselves getting frustrated at the constant slowdowns.

Risks of Torrenting?

There are very few risks associated with the actual process of torrenting: since you’re downloading it from a network of peers, the chances of a computer virus hitching a ride are smaller than they are with regular downloads. The torrenting community also helps with this, as most people will leave comments below a torrent telling you whether it’s good or bad.

Still it pays to look out for trolls putting up virus-laden files and remember that when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. It’s best to stay away from uploaders you don’t know and also from torrents that have no comments under them or you may find your computer has fallen victim to cybercriminals or a particularly nasty prank.

Torrenting and Copyright Infringement

As we said before, downloading copyrighted material is illegal and the threat of being sued is probably the biggest risk when torrenting. Anti-piracy activists claim that copyright infringement (most of it done through torrenting) is costing the U.S. economy $250 billion per year and they are not taking it lying down.

Whether that figure is correct is disputed, but the crackdown on copyright infringement is definitely a reality. Several countries have shut down access to file-sharing sites like The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents completely, while people across the U.S. have been sued for downloading movies illegally. Generally these suits come to nothing, but you may get unlucky and get a judge that will make it stick.

The best way to dodge that particular bullet is to either stop torrenting or, more likely, use a VPN to mask your digital footprint. We have compiled a list of best VPNs for torrenting, but if you decide to use a different one know that not all VPNs are created equal in this regard.

You need a VPN that hides your down- and upload trail, not just the sites you visit and preferable has a kill switch as well, so you don’t find yourself torrenting across an open connection when the VPN drops. DNS masking is a handy bonus, too, as are any other security measures.

Torrent clients help to transfer files from one system to other. Here is how they work teach by TECHONWARES!

Torrent clients ranging from the likes of uTorrent, BitTorrent, and several others are a bridge that helps you get the files from other seeders and download them to either your mobile device or computer.

During this process, you do not have to move a single muscle as the torrent itself has all the necessary information where the bits and pieces of the ‘to be downloaded’ files are present on different computer systems. In simple terms, if you do not have a torrent client, then you will not be able to download the larger data associated with that torrent.

What is the difference between seeds, peers, and leechers?

Before downloading any file, you will come across three terms that are very important inside the realm of torrenting; they are seeds, peers, and leechers. Just like we’ve explained the basic terms before in this discussion of how torrent works, we are going to clear the dust and differentiate between these three terms.

What is a seed?

A seed is a person that has the complete file with them and not bits and pieces lying around.

What is a peer?

Peers are people who do not have the complete file but bits and pieces of them instead.

What is a leech?

Leechers are individuals that download the actual files but do now allow other users to download those files from them, whether those files are in bits or in their complete form. In short, they do not share the love with others.

Should you continue to download torrents? Is it legal?

From a legal perspective, downloading a TV show, movie, or even a game without actually paying for it is considered a crime. But, as torrenting is an activity that is widespread across the globe, users believe it to be harmless. Several countries do not have strict and concrete laws to prevent the downloading of torrents and their respective files. Even torrent uploaders occasionally encourage users to purchase those specific files if their experience with that data has been positive.

However, if you’re torrenting and avoiding the use of a VPN, you’re inviting trouble. You can use a reputed VPN solution like Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN to safeguard your privacy.

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