Several years ago you probably didn’t even conceive of country-wide levels of restrictions against torrenting. Sure, you probably had to contend with the occasional copyright claim on some of the more popular sites, but otherwise any legal torrenting use was unrestricted, and you could find whatever content you needed to.
The environment online isn’t like that anymore. In addition to the additional restrictive measures taken by companies and the torrent sites themselves (already problematic to begin with), there are constant threats to online freedom in the form of government legislation. Some countries don’t even allow you to use Google to search the web for much of anything. Other countries have surveillance on internet activities and invade your privacy. In America there is a major threat to online freedom just about every year. You need a way to keep yourself mobile and free online.
Here are a few things you can do to keep yourself safe and free to torrent regardless of your location:
Research What Your Country Does
Before you take action to counter government interference, you need to figure out exactly what your country is doing to act against you and how it is doing it. Is the government ordering ISPs to block torrenting websites, or is it taking a form of direct action itself? What is the level of online surveillance in your country, and how might that affect how you torrent? Are there any potential measures the government might be taking that are kept secret? Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to know what services and protections you need.
If your government is deciding to perform surveillance on people’s computers, then you need to think of your own privacy before you even consider torrenting. If websites are being blocked across the country, then you need something that can make it appear as if you’re in a different country. If you can imagine any secret measures, then you need to make sure you are two steps ahead instead of just one.
In addition to knowing what you can do to stop it, research makes you more politically aware of what is going on in your country regarding net neutrality and internet freedom. You will be able to know exactly which laws or executive actions are preventing you from torrenting and perhaps campaign against it (if you are in a country which allows open dissent). You will know which politicians to support and look out for, and even influence real change instead of trying to survive it.
Use a VPN
Luckily there is a popular service that bypasses most of the restrictions governments currently use. It is called a Virtual Private Network, and what it will do is connect your computer to an offsite secure server with an encrypted connection. This solves the problem of privacy because the VPN masks your IP address and no one can look inside the encrypted connection. This also solves any regional blocking because the VPN can make your computer look as though it is browsing the internet from any country where the service has a server.
For a perfect case study of their effectiveness, take a look at Australia and what happened with the restrictive torrenting laws there. To summarize, the Australian government passed legislation a few months ago effectively blocking all torrenting websites with the intention or reducing piracy. What happened was that the use of VPNs skyrocketed in the country and made sure that the torrenting rates did not decrease nearly as much as hoped for. It is still too early to say what the long term effects will be, but it seems less likely that the measures will be adopted in other countries.
If you live in Australia, you can take a look at which services were perfect for Australia, and otherwise, you can try one of those or look for ones that are best for your particular country. Just watch out because a lot of services don’t give you all the protection you need and take advantage of the news.
Use Tor
Another method people like to use to stay anonymous and access torrents is the use an anonymous network called Tor. What Tor will do is connect you to a network that will then send your connection through a relay of other Tor users and volunteers, meaning that your IP address will be masked by it. This can cross international boundaries, meaning that potentially you won’t have to worry about regional blocks and other problems that the government in your region gives you.
The disadvantages to using it are that, when using Tor, your internet speeds slow down quite a bit (it can vary), and in some countries Tor users get extra attention from government organizations. There is a great deal of debate over the safety of Tor, but the fact remains that many of the most tech-savvy individuals in the world use it and wouldn’t touch it if they thought their computers were at risk. The program is free and open-source, so it might be something you want to experiment with.
Other Solutions
While there are other solutions, such as proxy servers, IP address lookups, and other online tools, none of them are as fully effective. Proxy servers, while free, are notoriously unreliable and potentially unsafe. IP address lookups can be useful and are free, but they won’t solve any problems caused by a lack of privacy. Other tools are unpopular and untested, meaning that you are taking a gamble. It is best to stick with the known methods, and let others try out the new experiments.
Thank you for reading, and here is hoping that, no matter what, you will be able to get the data you need to.
Isa is a writer and blogger who focuses on business technology, traveling, new ideas, and internet security. Want more Interesting Tips and Tricks like this? Sign up here to receive the best of 'TechyFREAKS' delivered daily straight to your inbox.
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