In this article, we’re about to touch a very sensitive subject among internet users – torrenting.

Many of you might ask if torrenting is safe if torrenting is legal and, if the answer is no what happens if you get caught.

If in theory, torrenting is like the Pandora’s Box that no one wants to open, in reality, torrenting has no negative repercussions, if you do it right and use secure torrenting practices.

Online privacy and security are crucial also for torrenting. So, before discussing how torrent VPNs can help you download torrents in a secure manner, we feel the need to bring to light some definitory notions about torrenting.

What is torrenting?

Torrenting is a technology based on P2P (peer-to-peer) file-sharing that implies a number of internet users sharing files. This is why terms like torrenting and p2p activity are used more often.

In this whole concept, each peer acts like a mini-server, fact that reduces the network load, plus the users can download files from other users of the same torrent facilitator, not only from a direct source.

As downloading large files is super-easy through torrenting, the technology gained a lot of word of mouth and, of course, popularity.

In 2019 BitTorrent handles 3.35% of the total internet traffic, counting approximately 170+ million users/month.

How torrenting works?

What you should know is that torrenting doesn’t work like the regular download on the internet. For the simple download, you just need to press the download button, and the magic happens.

When it comes to torrent traffic/torrent downloads, the things are a little bit different, as you don’t download the whole file at once – via torrenting, the file (sometimes large files) is divided into “packets”, located on a server, called “seeder”. You can download the file directly from a server or from third parties downloading the same file as you do. The “peers” involved in the downloading process have different pieces of information on the same file.

In torrenting activity, each peer (or leecher) acts like a mini-server, fact that reduces the network load, helping users who have limited bandwidth.

What torrenting implies in order to work?

The whole P2P file-sharing technology implies a few components that we need to understand, in order to be able to get an overview of the whole torrenting process:

Peers: all users involved in the whole downloading process. A user is considered to be a peer as long as it shares files on the network.

all users involved in the whole downloading process. A user is considered to be a peer as long as it shares files on the network. Seeders: a torrent user who is simultaneously downloading a file and uploading it, so other users can also use it.

a torrent user who is simultaneously downloading a file and uploading it, so other users can also use it. Indexer: a website used for downloading content through a torrent. In practice, an indexer works like a search engine.

a website used for downloading content through a torrent. In practice, an indexer works like a search engine. Trackers: servers that stand like bridges between the peers.

servers that stand like bridges between the peers. Swarms: the users who upload or download the same file.

the users who upload or download the same file. Leechers: the users who stop the uploading process, right after their torrent is downloaded, in order to stop other users from downloading the same file.

the users who stop the uploading process, right after their torrent is downloaded, in order to stop other users from downloading the same file. Ratio: is actually a score that you get, based on the relation between your uploads and downloads.

is actually a score that you get, based on the relation between your uploads and downloads. Magnet link: magnet links can identify the flies and the sources, in order to start the downloading process immediately (fast downloading), instead of downloading a torrent file.

magnet links can identify the flies and the sources, in order to start the downloading process immediately (fast downloading), instead of downloading a torrent file. The torrent client: is a very important element in the torrenting process, as this software is able to combine all the pieces of content from various seeds, in order to enable the download process.

Is torrenting safe and legal?

Let the arguments flow!

Yes, torrenting is 100% safe, as long as you are careful about what files you choose to download. As in any other download from the internet, there’s a chance to run into a virus or other type of malware.

So, our recommendation is to be cautious when downloading torrents, just to make sure you won’t get a nasty virus that might damage your device.

Concerning the legal aspect, yes, torrenting is legal too, as long as you don’t abuse it in illegal ways via copyright violations.

In torrenting’s early days, users were sharing pirated content all over the internet. This practice made many people think that torrenting is a technique practiced by users who are breaking the law.

These practices still happen nowadays, and copyright holders look for ways to stop these things from escalating, banning the copyright trolls from infringing the law.

As long as the file you’re about to download is not copyrighted material, or if you’re not sharing any kind of nasty files, torrenting is perfectly legal, and it won’t imply any negative effects.

Why you need a VPN for torrenting?

The VPN service (Virtual Private Network) is a great tool for every internet user preoccupied with his online security and privacy.

VPNs are used mainly for bypassing internet censorship encrypting traffic hiding your IP address split tunneling, port forwarding, and for many more other online activities.

With the capacity of changing your real IP address, the VPNs are suitable for accessing geo-blocked media services like BBC iPlayer Netflix Hulu, or Spotify, from anywhere in the world, and even for unblocking VoIP services like Skype and Whatsapp.

Because of its impressive number of appliances, some internet users think that VPNs are too good to be legal. In fact, the VPN is a legal technology, and the only exception is made by the countries where the traffic is filtered and where the VPN usage is regulated or blocked. There are countries where only certain VPN providers are allowed, depending on the countries interests.

When it comes to P2P traffic, a VPN can make the difference between just downloading torrents and downloading torrents in the safest way possible. Remember that without a VPN you are exposed and your security is at risk. You also have to protect your online privacy while torrenting. So, downloading with VPN is highly recommended!

If you’re wondering why, here’s how the VPNs work and how the best of them offer you the crucial privacy and security.

VPN services act like a protective shield, positioned between your device and the mighty worldwide web. Every request you made passes through the VPN server, which encrypts your traffic, changes your real IP address, and sends the data further to the final destination on the web. Considering the fact that your data is encrypted and your IP address is changed, none of your online activities can be associated with you. Plus, the prying eyes are unable to view your browsing activities. Pretty cool, right? Privacy and security at the same time.

To choose the best VPN service, you also have to know that the strength of your VPN connection is given by the chosen VPN protocol and its encryption level. So, based on your requirements, you can choose between strong encryption protocols (with 256bit encryption – OpenVPN protocol) or less secure, but faster protocols (PPTP protocol).

And now the big questions kicks-in – why do you need a VPN for torrenting?

During the P2P file sharing process, there might appear IP leaks. With the help of a VPN service for torrenting, your data is encrypted, so your ISP or any other third-party can’t see what and when you’re downloading. So, the main purpose of using a VPN for downloading torrents is to assure your online security, leak protection, and peace of mind. There are cases when the connection drops and you do not want to be exposed, so a kill switch feature will stop the process to add an extra layer of security (more about this advanced security feature later).

How to choose the best VPN for torrenting?

When you decide to take your torrenting activities to the next level, it’s important to do a bit of research before picking the best VPN for you. There are many lists with many VPN providers listed as the best VPNs for torrenting, but, you have to find the one which is best for you and your needs. Not all the time the best VPN service for someone is the best torrenting VPN for you. Here are a few things to consider when deciding the best.

A trustworthy VPN provider brings plus-value to the market via the security features or other benefits that it provides to its customers.

Before deciding whether you have chosen one of the best VPNs to subscribe to, you should pay special attention to a few important details like:

Zero logging – the first thing to keep in mind is that you should choose VPN providers that have a clear NO Logs policy. Also, your future VPN should respect the data retention law and should be GDPR compliant. VPN servers – the VPN servers have an important role for your VPN connection, and so do the VPN server locations. That’s why it is important to pick a VPN that provides servers located all around the world. When it comes to torrenting, there are special servers for P2P file-sharing, called P2P servers. So, make sure the future torrenting VPN you choose allows you to use such servers., so you don’t have any surprises when you want to download with VPN on. Customer support – considering the fact that you’re just about to start your VPN journey, is not enough to find a VPN that allows torrenting, but you need to make sure you will receive all the support you need from your provider. Choose a VPN provider that allows you to ask for support via multiple channels like live chat support, social media, or support ticket systems. Prompt customer support is gold in hard times. VPN apps – as mentioned before, using a VPN can bring you many benefits, not only while torrenting. In 2020 is super important to use a VPN service on all of your devices, that’s why your VPN provider should also have a generous list of VPN apps, for the most popular operating systems (Windows Mac iOS and Android/Android TV). With all the challenges in 2020, a mobile app provided by the chosen VPN provider will also help you secure your internet access fast and easy.

And the list continues with…

VPN protocols – less is not more when it comes to VPN protocols. Be picky and choose VPN services that provide powerful VPN protocols. If you want speed, make sure you will be able to use PPTP or Open VPN. If you want security, privacy, and online freedom, check if in the list there are also any of the following protocols: SSTP Stealth VPN Shadowsocks VPN, or SoftEther VPN. Advanced VPN features – if you think that you’re a novice and you don’t need advanced features you’re wrong. VPNs are not rocket science, and you will get used to the VPN software really fast, as it doesn’t imply any manual settings or advanced technical knowledge. Still, there are also a few advanced features which will ease your online experience: VPN Kill Switch (this will kill your private internet access in case of VPN connection drop and add an extra layer of security), the possibility to create a list of Favorite Servers and rotate those servers automatically. Also, torrenting anonymously is mandatory when we talk about VPN usage. When picking your best provider, perform some leak tests, and check the test results. If your VPN is leaking, that’s not good news. So, you need to find a provider that assures WebRTC and DNS leak protection features. The most-wanted free VPN trial – reading about certain VPNs on the specialized VPNs websites is good, but testing its performance on your own is even better. Security and privacy are not to ignore, so look for torrenting VPNs that allow you to test its capabilities, in order to make sure that the service meets your requirements and offers you the private internet you want. Remember what I said earlier about the best service for others might not be the best service for you.

Get ibVPN free trial! No credit card required!

Getting started with P2P sharing.

The most important aspects of torrenting are now clear. With ibVPN security service, you can get your P2P file sharing journey started.

There are a lot of VPNs for torrents, providing security and private internet access.

However, ibVPN is well-known among VPNs users. Actually, we’re more than a VPN service. We’re a VPN Smart DNS, and Proxy service and, when it comes to torrenting, we stand for our users. We even have a plan specially designed for torrenters and P2P file sharers, called Torrent VPN. If you want internet security and privacy, you can pay for your ibVPN subscription in Bitcoin (it’s only a few dollars per month) and, if you’re not satisfied, you benefit from an awesome 15 days money-back guarantee policy.

As mentioned before, it is mandatory to test VPNs before deciding the best VPNs for torrenting. The fast download speeds, the easy to use VPN apps, the advanced kill switch feature, port forwarding, the number of servers which allow torrenting, the logging policy, the unlimited bandwidth, the number of simultaneous connections allowed, the money-back guarantee, the VPNs provider’s jurisdiction are important aspects you need to check before subscribing. So, having this in mind, we have created a 24 hours trial to allow our potential customers to test the performance of our service and servers.

The steps you need to follow are pretty simple. You just need to:

Sign-up for a free trial; Get the app compatible with your device; Choose a P2P server from the server list and connect to it.

If you enjoy using ibVPN, after the trial period you can go premium and choose between the Torrent VPN plan, or our fully featured Ultimate VPN plan which allows 5 simultaneous connections. Both packages have servers with unlimited bandwidth, kill switch feature and many more, which make them the best torrenting vpns. Don’t forget about the money-back guarantee policy.

Get ibVPN free trial! No credit card required!

Or

Go premium! Get a VPN for torrenting!

To use ibVPN is not rocket science. You can check how easy is to swing between servers (with NAT Firewall – for extra security) in the video tutorial below:

As soon as you get the chance to check our VPN specific server list, you’ll see that we offer not only regular VPN and P2P servers. With ibVPN you can use Double VPN (to double encrypt your traffic) Tor over VPN (to maximize your online privacy while using Tor), and gaming servers.

Last but not least, with ibVPN you can have simultaneous connections on 5 different devices. If this is not enough, for anonymous torrenting you can set up ibVPN on certain devices like VPN routers or pfSense. Plus, if you love streaming, you can use ibVPN on your Apple TV and enjoy an awesome experience while streaming sports events (Formula 1 Le Tour de France French Open Champions League, or UEFA Europa League).

By providing all the advanced features and a variety of servers, we make sure that we can meet the needs of our most demanding customers.

ibVPN – the proxy solution for torrenting.

When it comes to providing an out-of-the-box solution, we are always ready, and when it comes to solutions that are safe for torrenting, we offer a technology called Socks5.

Socket Secure, also known as SOCKS is a popular protocol used for proxy servers. Today, there are more versions of Socks web proxies, but Socks5 is the most flexible server protocol extension of Socks.

Compared to the VPN, the Socks5 proxy will hide your IP address, but will not encrypt your traffic. As there’s no encryption, the downloading speed will be better compared to the one that you might get while you use a VPN.

During the testing process, you can also use the Socks5 proxy for torrenting. Just check the following tutorials we’ve put together:

Last but not least, we feel the need to inform you that you can always get ibVPN’s browser extensions.

Torrenting in a nutshell.

Torrenting isn’t your enemy. Just like any other online solutions, torrenting was created to facilitate file sharing between internet users (p2p activity). Of course, when we talk about copyrighted material, we speak about copyright infringement, and torrenting is illegal in this case.

Torrenting sites are not always secure, even if we talk about downloading the most trivial files on the web so without a VPN you are exposed. You never know what danger lies behind such files, that’s why is recommended to take extra security measures to ensure your safety. Always use a VPN when downloading to change your IP address and stay safe!

VPN torrenting tools are proper to use, as they change your real IP address, encrypt your traffic, and protects you against leaks. There are VPN companies providing cheap VPN which allow torrenting on some servers with fast download speeds and strong encryption levels so you can secure your torrenting activities for a few dollars per month.

Before choosing the best VPN for torrenting activities, keep in mind that you need to pay attention to a few delicate aspects that can make the difference (don’t forget about the kill switch, port forwarding, simultaneous connections, download speeds, customer support, different OSs applications support, servers locations). On the best VPNs providers’ official websites you will find all the information you need in order to make a smart decision and choose the best. By the way, don’t forget to use the free trial. You need to perform some tests before you find a great reason to buy the best solution for you.😊

Get ibVPN free trial! No credit card required!

Until next time, safe torrenting, folks!