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Has The PirateBay being used for criminal activities?

Yes, unfortunately The Pirate Bay has been used by criminals. One strategy used, has been to upload a magnet or torrent and create many seeders. In this manner, the file looks as it is being downloaded by many and probably safe. However, when someone downloads the file, the computer is contaminated with malicious software, such bots or other type of malware. This is another reason why it is so important to use a good antivirus, when obtaining material from The Pirate Bay. Even more, if anyone has this experience, he / she should leave some comments on The Pirate Bay, in order to alert others.

Who are the ‘pirates’?

“Pirates” are the users of The Pirate Bay. It can also only refer to those registered users who contribute with magnets and torrents. The amount of “pirates” has increased enormously since the appearance of The Pirate Bay, particularly after the raid of 2006. The site now claims to have around 5 million users.

Are old torrents deleted?

On the 20 of February 2012, The Pirate Bay announced that it would no longer accept torrent files, but only magnets. The switch was based on the facts that magnets require lower bandwidth and are also better from a legal point of view.

This is due to the fact that users will no longer have to download torrent files, but links to them; thereby, making The Pirate Bay a more “pure” search engine from the copyright point of view. It should be noted that requiring lower bandwidth may have a significant impact on the use of proxies, and thus, on the access to The Pirate Bay from countries where the site is blocked.

The Pirate Bay also announced that it will delete all torrent files, with the exception of those shared by less than ten people.

Are the files from The Pirate Bay free of malicious content?

No one can assure you that the files that you will download are free of malicious content. The Pirate Bay only provides a search machine, and the client torrent program that you may use won’t check the contents that you want to download. Therefore, it is a good preventive measure to have a good antivirus program on your computer, which can detect any malicious content on the downloaded files.

Can I get 3D print software for guns?

Yes, you can get 3D blueprints for guns on The Pirate Bay. There is even a special section available at https://thepiratebay.org/browse/605 for 3D blueprints of guns. However, be aware that The Pirate Bay doesn’t guarantee the proper functioning of any of these programs, and that basically anyone may upload a torrent pointing to these files without having to go to any screening process. Moreover, it has been reported that many of these guns do not function at all or they do it improperly, thus it is quite dangerous to try any of them.

What is Kopini?

Kopini (pronounced “copy me”) is a project aimed at providing a copyright alternative, based on free and uncensored Internet sharing. The project includes The Pirate Bay, a blog site named BayWords, an image-sharing site called BayImg, a paste-bin service named PasteBay and an e-mail identity hiding service called Slopsbox. All these sites can be accessed from The Pirate Bay main page. In an interview with TorrentFreak, Marvin de Kaminski, a member of the Kopini project, said that the Kopini project is formed by a close group that has been working on similar ventures since 2000.

Do I need to reveal any personal information in order to access The Pirate Bay?

No. Access to The Pirate Bay only requires a browser and an Internet connection. Only registered users need to provide some information, such as a username and a valid email address. But, as an email address may not lead to its real owner, there is basically no personal information required. However, you must take care of hiding your IP address, as it can be used to track your computer, and thus you.

Yes, comments are of great help to those trying to find “uncontaminated” material on The Pirate Bay. These comments include aspects such as the quality of the file, download speed, seeders availability, and more.

Comments also describe the content and their usefulness. For example, they can provide details about the origins of a book or movie, information about their authors, actors, or data about previous versions of the same book or movie. In the case of programs, they can provide information about its quality and problems found. Many times, they also provide information about the registered user who uploaded the magnet.

There are several sources of information about The PirateBay, and most of them can be easily accessed by googling on the Internet. However, three reliable and updated sources are Wikipedia, Torrentfreack and The Pirate Bay’s blog.

The Wikipedia page is usually frequently and promptly updated with events surrounding The Pirate Bay. Thus, it is a good starting source. Second, Torrent Freak which is an online publication with reliable and usually up to date information. Lastly, The PirateBay’s own blog, which although not very frequently updated, contains information that comes directly from the official site.

Another good source is the social news site Reddit, which is usually updated on what is happening with The Pirate Bay. Moreover, there are many other web sites that continuously monitor the status of The Pirate Bay, and which can be easily found via an Internet search.

Do I need to download any software?

The Pirate Bay is a normal website, so the only tool you need to visit it is a browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer. However, this site is only a search tool that allows you to access torrent files and magnets. Thus, in order to download any material you will need to have a torrent client program such, as BitLord, on your computer. There are many torrent clients, and many of them can be freely downloaded from the internet. In addition, it is recommended that you have a good antivirus program on your computer, as you don’t know the state of the files that you are downloading, and The Pirate Bay does not check for malicious content.

Is The Pirate Bay available in languages other than English?

Yes, The Pirate Bay site is available in more than 35 languages, including English, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, Bahasa Indonesian and Chinese, amongst others. Different languages can be selected by clicking on the “Language / Select language” link available on the site’s page. The link will prompt you to a page containing a wide variety of languages. Once there, just select the one of your preference, and do your search.

What sentences were handed down to The Pirate Bay founders?

Swedish prosecutors filed charges on 31 January 2008 against the three Pirate Bay founders: Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm and Peter Sunde; and the Swedish businessman Carl Lundström, who had helped with the initial financing of the site. The court sentenced each of them to a one year prison term and to a joint fine of 30 million SEK. After an appeal, their prison terms were reduced to ten months for Fredrik Neij, eight months for Peter Sunde, and four months for Carl Lundstrom, but the joint fine was increased to 46 million Kronor.

What can I do if my country of residence has blocked The Pirate Bay?

There are 29 countries whose governments have blocked ThePirateBay access to their residents. If you are living in one of these countries, you can still access this web page via one of the many mirror and proxy sites available on the Internet. Mirror sites provide access to a “copy” of The Pirate Bay, whereas proxies redirect their users to the official site of The Pirate Bay. As these proxies and mirrors are mostly located in countries that do not block The Pirate Bay and they have a different URL, you can have access to the services of The Pirate Bay even if your government has disallowed it to the public. However, a word of caution: hide your IP address, as in some countries visiting The Pirate Bay is against the law. For example, in order to remain anonymous, you can subscribe to a VPN. In this manner, your risk of being caught decreases.

How do I register?

It is very easy to register to The Pirate Bay. The only thing that you need is to do is to click on the link provided on The Pirate Bay page and labeled “Register”. After clicking on it, you will be prompted to a page asking for certain information. The most important data that you need to provide are a username and an email. The email will be used to verify your existence. However, you can remain anonymous as you won’t be required to produce any specific data that can identify you, such as your real name or actual address.

What ‘sharing is caring’ means?

“Sharing is caring” is a phrase that summarizes the vision and goal of The Pirate Bay, which is to share information in the form of digital files, irrespectively of who you are, where you reside, or whether you can pay for it or not. This “mantra” is used by many “pirates”, who identify themselves with the philosophy of The Pirate Bay.

What is the difference between seeders and leechers?

Seeders and leechers are the names used to describe diverse types of torrent client users. They differ in the manner that they share resources. Seeders, after completing their download, make the file available for download by others. Differently, leechers opt for not allowing others to download files from their computers after completing their download.

Usually, you can choose on your torrent client program what type of user you want to be. Otherwise, if the torrent client by default makes you a seeder, you can cancel this status. Generally, this has to be done for each file individually.

What are The Pirate Bay’s best alternatives?

Even though The Pirate Bay is perhaps one of the best known search engines for shared digital content, it is not the only one available. These alternatives can come in handy, particularly when the official Pirate Bay site is offline. A brief list of some of these alternatives is found below:

1. RARBG: a torrent site available since 2008.

2. 1337x: according to Wikipedia, the third most popular torrent site.

3. YIFY: a very popular torrent site, particularly for those searching for movies.

4. TorLock: owned and administered by Jack a student from Australia, the site is very popular for those looking for movies and TV series.

5. KickassTorrents: commonly known as KAT, this torrent site was shut down by the US Government in July 2016, but was promptly revived by its staff in December of the same year. At its peak, its popularity even surpassed that of The Pirate Bay.

Has The Pirate Bay ever been hacked?

Yes, there was at least one well known instance where The Pirate Bay was hacked by a group of Argentinian hackers in 2010, who obtained access to site’s administration panel. They deleted some torrents and exposed some of the users’ IP-addresses, emails and MD5-hashed passwords.

In 2012 The Pirate Bay suffered a DDoS attack, and its services were hampered for 24 hours. The PirateBay declared that they did not know who was behind the attack, but that they had their suspicions.

Are the movies available through The Pirate Bay of good quality?

In general yes. However, The Pirate Bay does not check the quality of the files, as it only provides torrents and magnets. That is why it is a good idea to read the comments left by other users about the torrent that you want to use. Usually, happy users leave information about the quality, ease of use and other facts. Thus, the more positive comments that you can find, the higher the probability that your movie will be of a good quality.

Pirate Bay Alternatives

Introduction

Pirate Bay is a site that allows you as a visitor to search the internet, identify and download files on the internet ranging from movies, games, software, animations shows, pictures, series and TV packs. It is an enormous site that is known to many as one that associates visitors to torrent files and magnet links. It also facilitates the peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing of files among the users of the Bit Torrent Protocols. Over the previous months, Pirate Bay experienced some troubled waters that caused inconveniences to the all-time lovers of the platform. The Pirate Bay platform is back online to many; however, it is still banned and inaccessible to various people around the world due to such issues such as the controversy that surrounds the infringement of its copyright standards.

If you happen to be among the victims that lack access to the platform, you do not need to worry. There are a couple of reliable alternatives relative to the Pirate Bay platform that may serve your purpose as well as Pirate Bay. This article is here to help you with a list of 10 alternatives that will serve you as well as the Pirate Bay platform.

Best Alternatives to Pirate Bay

RARBG

It is a Pirate Bay-like torrent platform that was found in 2008. It provides magnet links and torrent files that also enable P2P file sharing through the protocols of BitTorrent. It has a simple user interface for you to use, where the movies and TV shows come with a preview and thumbnail for ease of navigation. It has movies available in high definitions of 720p and 1080p for your watching convenience.

You can access the platform through this link https://rarbgget.org/torrents.php?r=71259680

to

This is another reliable alternative that was launched in 2007, which has a dedicated team of uploaders and users that keep the platform updated with all the files and movies that you need. It has a clean and simple User Interface and dedicated sections for each distinct type of content that ranges from movies, music, software, games and animations. It has a button at the bottom of the screen that enables you to filter the contents and the various types of torrent files.

You can access the platform over this link; https://1337x.to/

KickassTorrents

This platform is known to many as one of the best torrent download platforms on the internet. However, the platform faced some loopholes that led to the closure of the platform. However, the original team of the platform revived the website with a new address of katcr.co/. It has a simple interface with minimal distractions and a well-rounded catalogue that enables you to find absolutely everything that you are looking for.

The platform can also be found over this link: https://kat.sx/full/

YTS

The current YTS platform is a clone of the previous YIFY, which still has better functionalities. It is also one of the best alternatives to Pirate Bay that acts as the home to an incredible selection of contents. It mainly focuses on HD downloads with smaller file sizes which makes it convenient if you want to conserve data or download content quickly. The layout of the platform is modern and simple to navigate. The platform has an added advantage where you can register with YTS and request for specific torrent files.

The platform can be accessed through; http://www.yts.am/

Zooqle

It is another versatile platform with an enormous collection of TV series and movies. It has a unique feature on subscriptions which alerts you anytime a new episode becomes available. It has a user interface that is quite different from the conventional platforms; however, it is easy and convenient to use in getting your desired content.

To access the platform, click here: https://zooqle.com/

LimeTorrents

This is a platform that was recently launched, and it has been growing exponentially in terms of popularity. It has an enormous library of verified contents that range from movies to games. It is also easy to use and navigate through the added search features and the bunch of available and suggested options.

Click the link to access the platform: https://www.limetorrents.info/

EZTV

For the lovers of TV Shows, EXTV is one of the best platforms for torrent files on the internet. It is packed full with a wide variety of features that enhance your experience in torrenting, such as the built-in anonymity checker that is available on the main page. It is very easy to use and also provides an FAQ section for your convenience.

Click here to access the platform; https://eztv.io/

01Torrent

One of the advantages of this platform is the speed with which it updates on the latest shows, movies, game releases and music among other contents. It also offers eBooks in different formats, including epub, which is another added advantage compared to other torrent platforms.

Click here to access the platform; http://website.informer.com/visit?domain=01torrent.net

GloTorrents

The platform also provides an enormous library of contents, which makes it among the best alternatives for Pirate Bay. It offers streaming and live radio services that help to suit your needs without having to download the content.

Click here to access the website; https://www.gtdb.to/home.php

Torrentz2

It is an alternative torrent platform that is extremely simple to use for downloading torrent files. It is a search tool that has an index of over 61 million torrents which comprises of the best movies, animations and TV shows that you can think of. It searches a variety of databases at a go which makes it to be fast and convenient without any frills.

Click Here to access the site; https://torrentz2eu.org/

Final Thought

For every site that goes down, there is always an alternative that will get you what you need. Therefore, do not sit back when a site fails or lack access to the site. Explore the above sites and be assured of getting whatever you need in one of the above. Remember, it is always advisable to use a VPN for security purposes on the platforms.

Has someone gone to jail for using The Pirate Bay?

The only reported case of people being sentenced to jail for issues related to The Pirate Bay is the trial of its founders. No other person has been reported of having to spend a period of time in jail for using The Pirate Bay. The users, who have been sentenced for using it, have usually been required to pay fines or reparations. In many cases, the problem was solved via a negotiated settlement, which seems to be the preferred way for institutions such as the Dutch antipiracy organization BREIN.

You must download a file in its entirety before you can compress it

If you download items from The Pirate Bay using a mobile device, then you may find spatial limitations that could prevent you from accessing some torrents.

Although most of the available items are under 1 GB in size, different software packages or large-content items can exceed 50 GB. Even if you have a 128 GB smartphone or a 256 GB Chromebook, the size of the torrent may be more than what your storage can manage.

Although you can compress a file once you have it in its entirety, there is no way to start that process until everything is in your possession. Torrents must finish downloading before you can begin to reduce its size. You can try raring it or zipping the files into parts, but that often requires more steps than a magnet link provides on The Pirate Bay.

That means your options are to create enough space for the file size as indicated by the uploader or to look for a different option.

It is essential to remember that most torrent files are already compressed, which means sending it through another compression could reduce the quality of what you receive.

Although the April 2020 update removed the comments feature from file listings, expectations are that The Pirate Bay will return them as soon as possible. When this option is available, it can be another quality control mechanism to know if the torrent is useful.

Users are quick to leave notes about files that are not working after downloading with this feature. You’ll also see issues with bloatware, spam, and similar problems that can happen if malicious content was part of the file structure.

When the comments feature was active, it was not unusual to see excellent seeder-to-leecher ratios without any notations on the file. If this option returns for users to have on The Pirate Bay, then it is an indication that you’re accessing high-quality content.

The rating system is still useful on The Pirate Bay right now to indicate the files that have a low-risk profile. If you don’t see a skull-and-crossbones on a torrent listing, then you should avoid that content entirely.

Know what to do if your ISP receives a summons about your torrenting

The Pirate Bay is not going to do anything about your torrenting. It provides magnet links that don’t even cause the platform to host the content. Although DMCA takedowns can request the removal of a URL, the legal consequences are somewhat minimized.

If you get caught accessing content without the correct licensing, then your ISP may receive a summons that notifies the company of your traffic. Most users receive an email saying that they cannot continue to access restricted content. Some internet service providers take the extra step to block you from The Pirate Bay and similar websites.

Some users report that they received a settlement offer from an agency representing a copyright or intellectual property holder. The letter threatens legal action and a significant lawsuit, but it also suggests a settlement that can be as low as 2% of the amount in question.

If you receive an initial settlement offer from anyone because of your activities on The Pirate Bay, then you should consult with an attorney. Most legal systems have a clear distinction between people who occasionally download a file and those who make it available or consume it constantly.

The most common outcome that people experience in this situation is a reduction of their Internet speed – if anything happens at all.

Are the ads dangerous?

The Pirate Bay uses advertisements as a means to obtain the necessary funding to keep the site alive. As such, many ads are shown on its search results pages. Although these ads have not been associated with any specific danger, they have been disapproved on the grounds that many of them display content related to porn products. They have also been criticized by many as confusing, as many people have reported having clicked on them involuntarily.

Use a VPN to protect your critical data

A virtual private network creates tunneling online that protects your identity, IP address, and geographic location. If you experience content blocks because of where you live, then this resource can help you to access files that wouldn’t be available to you otherwise.

Several countries block access to websites like The Pirate Bay at the ISP level. If you try to visit the site, a blank screen on your browser indicates that this issue may exist in your region. Having VPN services can help you to get around this obstacle because it routes your traffic to a country where the national-level block doesn’t exist while encrypting your traffic.

Imagine that you’re in the UK, trying to access The Pirate Bay. Your ISP forbids traffic to the site, which means a VPN could be useful. You log in to your provider, route access to the United States, and then get to start using the torrent files that you want.

Free VPN services are available, but it is usually better to work with paid providers who offer protection guarantees. Data leaks are a common issue when using freemium software to protect your identity.

What is P2P?

P2P stands for “Peer To Peer”, and it is basically a network of users or “peers” that connect to each other via the Internet. Thus, they can share files without resorting to the use of a central server. This type of network became very popular after the appearance of Napster in 1999.

One of the factors that has led to the success of this technology is the fact that those who want to participate only need a computer and a P2P program. Common P2P programs include Kazaa, Limewire, BearShare, Morpheus, and Acquisition; and they are easily available on the Internet.

When was The Pirate Bay founded?

The Pirate Bay was founded in 2003 by three members of the Swedish think tank Piratbyrån. They were Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, and Gottfrid Svartholm, who used the nicknames Brokep, TiAMO and Anakata respectively. The Swedish businessman Carl Lundström provided the initial funds. These four people were later sentenced to one year in jail and the payment of a fine of 30 million SEK. Their aim was to provide a tool that allowed free sharing of information around the world.

Where can I get help?

There are many places that provide help, such as forums, blogs and social sites. In order to find them, the best thing to do is to search on the Internet. A good starting point is Wikipedia, as it provides basic and advanced information and links to other resources. The online publication TorrentFreak is also full of information, not only on The PirateBay , but also on other alternative torrent sites. The social news site Reddit is a useful source of information as well. Finally, you can post your questions and read the ones posted by other people on the questions-and-answers site Stack Overflow Although this last resource doesn’t have many questions related to The Pirate Bay, you can always try your luck.

Can I find my textbooks on The Pirate Bay?

Yes, there are many textbooks available on The Pirate Bay. Although you many not find some texts which are highly commercialized, particularly in areas related to finance, accountancy and banking, on The Pirate Bay you will be able to find a good selection of textbooks in many other areas, be it for graduate and undergraduate levels.

Similarly, there are many best sellers available on this site. The wide selection includes fiction and non-fiction titles alike. Thus, The Pirate Bay can be a great source of material for those doing research, studies at postgraduate level or just looking for some interesting read.

Use the categories option on The Pirate Bay to find what you need

The Pirate Bay offers users a series of generalized categories that help you to navigate toward the content you want to access. Each root menu provides a set of subcategories that help to refine the results of your search.

Using the Videos category as an example, it breaks down into the following subcategories for consideration: movies, movies DVDR, music videos, movie clips, TV shows, handheld, HD movies, HD TV shows, 3D, and other.

One of the best categories for browsing on The Pirate Bay is labeled “Other.” It comes with the following subcategory options: ebooks, comics, pictures, covers, physibles, and another “other” selection.What can you find in the “Other/Other” category menu? There are Udemy practice tutorials, Masterclass content, television shows in multiple languages, instrument lessons, documentaries, and textbooks.

As with any other way to find torrents on The Pirate Bay, it is up to you to determine the legality and validity of the content in the file. Once you click on the option to obtain the information, you are responsible for the outcomes that occur.

Use the Filter Names search to create instant results

When you use the Pirate Search to bring up content on The Pirate Bay, then you’ll notice a long list of potential file matches. A simple search for The Walking Dead creates hundreds of results to manage. That’s why the Filter Names box at the top left of the screen, right above the Category menu, is such a useful tool on this platform.

Although you may not have the commercial rights to download this content, let’s use the seasonal structure of the popular AMC show to demonstrate the usefulness of this feature.

You have binge-watched the series on Netflix. Now you’re ready to watch Season 10, but you cannot find the episodes anywhere. AMC offers them for free, although the website isn’t working for you.

Using the Filter Names option enables you to find all of the Season 10 torrents that are available right now. Then you can look for the specific episodes that you want to view so that you can choose the correct file.

Then all you need to do is click on the file, initiate the download from the magnet link, and you’re ready to enjoy the content.