Heavy fines are not uncommon, and in some countries you can even face jail time. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Accidentally or unknowingly downloading copyrighted materialĬopyright holders are always eager to crack down on piracy. Always scan downloaded files with the best antivirus. You should take the same precautions when torrenting as you would opening an attachment from an email address you don’t recognize. This is compounded by the fact that many people consider content downloaded on P2P networks like BitTorrent to be safer than files found on the Internet, which isn’t true. As one of the most popular and widespread P2P sharing protocols, torrents are a big target for hackers, unscrupulous advertisers, and other parties looking to infect systems. One of the greatest dangers associated with torrenting relates to the integrity of the files being shared. However, there are a few dangers to be aware of. While sharing copyrighted content is illegal, plenty of music and videos belong to the public domain, meaning they can be freely shared. Sharing public-domain videos and music is another great way to make use of torrenting. Torrent-based file synchronization is lightning-fast and highly secure. Gaming companies like Blizzard also use torrents to rapidly distribute large game files.īecause torrenting is a decentralized type of file sharing, it’s great for syncing and backing up, not just for speed but also for security. Microsoft and other large companies, for example, use torrents to push out large updates or provide users with new software. Torrents are used for a variety of reasons, but are especially useful when it comes to sharing large files or sharing files with a large number of people. Tom’s Guide in no way endorses the use of torrenting for illegal purposes. Just like any other online activity, torrenting isn’t 100% safe, but by using one of the best VPN services available today and taking some sensible precautions, you can safely share files and download torrents online. This has led more and more users to turn to a torrenting VPN to stay safe while sharing files. However, although they may be rapid, there are a few dangers associated with downloading torrents. Torrenting is a highly popular type of file sharing based on P2P, or peer-to-peer, meaning that files are shared directly between users rather than passing through a centralized server.

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