To be able to torrent, you must indeed first have a torrent file. There are several websites where you can find torrent files. These websites are called torrent sites. You can also check some example of torrent sites.
Be aware that many torrent sites share files that are actually copyrighted. In most cases this means that it is illegal to download and share these files. So stay away from these types of files.
Some torrent sites, Torrents, have been taken offline by lawmakers to stop illegal sharing of copyrighted content. So even though torrenting itself is perfectly legal, torrent files are not always. Limit yourself to downloading and sharing files that are not copyrighted.
Is torrenting legal?
Yes, torrenting itself is perfectly legal. Being part of a P2P network and downloading and uploading packets from a file is therefore allowed. Downloading copyrighted content is of course illegal in master countries.
Downloading copyrighted content is considered an infringement of copyright. That is what is called ‘piracy’. The people who participate in some way in copyright infringement are called pirates.
In countries where torrenting is tracked and taken action against, you can expect a hefty fine. In practice, few people are actually fined and not many people are prosecuted. But this does not alter the fact that if you are caught torrenting illegal traffic jams in a country like Germany, for example, you will probably get a hefty fine on the bus.
What are the risks of torrenting?
There are a number of risks that you better take into account when considering torrenting. The most common problem is that you download a computer virus in addition to or instead of the file you want. This risk was much higher in the early years of torrents, but it is still a problem if you don’t pay attention.
These are the biggest risks you may run into while downloading torrents:
- You download a file (consciously or not) that is copyrighted. This is illegal in most countries. Depending on where you live, you could get into serious trouble for this.
- You download a virus in place of or along with the file you are trying to download.
- Hackers can target torrent downloaders in many ways, although this is less common than it used to be.
How do you safely download torrents?
There are a number of precautions you can take to safely download torrents. Keep in mind that downloading copyrighted content is illegal. So stay away from that. However, there are plenty of legal torrents to download. We also want to make sure people are safe when downloading and sharing files.
Torrenting is a way of sharing content online via a torrent client and being part of a P2P network. To torrent, you use a torrent tracker to see who is seeding or leaching a particular file. Instead of downloading a full file from a particular server, torrenters share pieces of a file with each other until the file on your computer is ‘complete’.