Nowadays, keeping your internet behaviour private can seem impossible, especially if you torrent. This type of file sharing is strongly discouraged by both ISPs, which may throttle your internet connections if you are detected, and government organisations, which are looking out for copyright offences.
So, what's the solution if you still want to torrent? A VPN (virtual private network). A VPN not only hides your traffic inside a private tunnel, preventing prying eyes from tracking you, but it also encrypts your data for further security. Below, I'll explain how torrents operate, if a VPN truly covers your torrent activity, and whether using a VPN to torrent is good for you.
What is torrenting?
Torrenting is a method of sharing files across a decentralised, peer-to-peer (P2P) network. Rather than downloading a full file from a single source, a torrent file is divided into "packets" that are downloaded/uploaded from multiple sources on the network simultaneously. This strategy minimises network load and accelerates the download process.
Torrenting is an excellent method for efficiently sharing and downloading files. However, decentralisation might have consequences. Torrenting is typically prohibited by internet service providers (ISPs) because it is frequently used to share pirated content, creating a liability for the ISP; and torrenting can consume a significant amount of bandwidth on the ISP's network.
Furthermore, downloading and sharing data from many sources via torrents puts you at increased risk of malware and infections. When torrenting, you should use both a reliable VPN and efficient antivirus software to help mitigate these threats.
Role of VPN
When you use your regular home internet connection, your ISP can monitor everything you do online. As previously stated, ISPs dislike torrenting (regardless of the content), and if you torrent regularly, your internet connection may be throttled. If you download something you shouldn't, your ISP can see it and may report your conduct to government officials, potentially resulting in a DMCA violation email and a significant penalty.
It just goes to explain how closely this type of conduct is being monitored. By employing a VPN, all of your traffic is diverted through the VPN's private servers rather than your ISP's, ensuring that your ISP cannot snoop on your online activities while connected.
The VPN encrypts data to create a private tunnel. Most VPNs employ military-grade AES-256 encryption technology or something similar for all data that passes through their servers. This makes it unreadable to outside organisations, providing an additional layer of protection, especially when downloading torrent files.
Finally, because your traffic is routed through VPN servers, the IP address allocated to your computer by your ISP is changed to that of the VPN's servers, ensuring that your activity cannot be traced back to your house.
Furthermore, if your VPN has a certified no-logs policy, as it should, no record of your activities will ever be gathered or retained for further review. This is significant because law enforcement's most common data sharing request to VPN providers is for information on DMCA violations.