Is Torrenting illegal? An Easy Short Guide in 2023

Torrenting is absolutely legal for the most part. It is only when you download a copyrighted file without the permission of the copyright holder that it becomes illegal.

Some scenarios place torrenting in sort of a gray area. For example, downloading a copyrighted file that is no longer under copyright protection.

Many countries around the world have compulsory licensing laws, which allow you to download copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright holder as long as you pay a fee.

Some countries also have fair use doctrines, which permit the limited use of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright holder.

There are also many websites that offer torrents legal for downloading, such as “Public Domain Torrents”, which is a popular site for downloading movies, music, and software.

While torrenting is legal, there are some risks associated with it. For example, if you download a copyrighted work without the permission of the copyright holder, you could be sued for copyright infringement in most countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and most European states. Additionally, your ISP could throttle your internet connection if they suspect you are torrenting, and you could also be at risk of malware if you download a malicious torrent file.

How to torrent safely

To torrent safely, you should use the best VPN for Torrenting. A VPN will encrypt your traffic and route it through a server in another location, making it impossible for your ISP to see what you are doing or throttle your connection. Additionally, a good VPN will have a strict no-logs policy, meaning that your activity cannot be traced back to you even if the VPN is hacked.

About Sebastian Riley

Sebastian Riley is a cyberlibertarian activist and an internet freedom fighter who strongly believes in an unsegregated and uncensored internet. With a cybersecurity degree, Sebastian is a professional bug hunter and a freelance opensource penetration tester.