Among all the ways to use the World Wide Web, sharing content through torrenting is especially popular. Its relevance has grown even more over the past year when people have found themselves isolated in their homes due to a global pandemic. At the same time, with the growing popularity of this form of online activity, the threats associated with peer-to-peer file sharing have also increased. In these circumstances, it is more than relevant to install and activate a reliable VPN on your Windows, iOS or Android device. This article will help you better understand the key aspects that need to be considered when in the process of a VPN selection.
What is torrenting?
Torrenting is the process of downloading and uploading files from the web through special network. The main feature of torrenting is that files are not downloaded on the server, but can be shared from the devices of others users, who use the network.
One more important feature is that for sharing file the user need to download a special programm first. After that he can use this the most populat peer-to-peer way of file-sharing for free. In some countries loading files directly from the Internet considered unlegal. In that case the user should additionally download VPN for his device. It is important for service to have big ammount all over the world. In this case the user will have no problems with connecting to the server or with the speed of Internet access.
What makes a great torrenting VPN?
Today, digital markets offer numerous VPN options, among which it is easy to get lost for people unfamiliar with selection criteria. Therefore, users need to understand what key features make a torrenting VPN worthy of attention.
When evaluated from the most general perspective, they are as follows:
- Safety and security. The main purpose of VPN is to encrypt your data and prevent their interception by third parties. Therefore, regardless of whether you will utilize a VPN for torrenting or different purposes, the first thing you need to take into account is the availability of high-level safety features.
- Privacy and anonymity. Along with safety, these items are crucial for recognizing VPN as reliable, as they ensure that the program does not monitor or collect information about the user’s Internet traffic and, as a result, does not create a risk of leakage.
- This aspect is more practical than the previous ones. When you use torrents, it is essential for you to share files at a convenient speed. VPN should not slow down this process more than necessary. In turn, the speed of VPN depends on the number of its servers, so this figure is also crucial in an indirect way.
- The last point is the most important among all four because, in its absence, the other ones do not make any sense. Thus, the VPN must be compatible with torrent services. Some VPNs impose restrictions on this feature. Although they are not numerous, it is advisable to clarify this aspect beforehand.
How to choose the best VPN for torrenting
When choosing a VPN, you must consider the fundamental features described above. With them in mind, we can deduce several more practical pieces of advice that you should consider.
They are as follows:
- To ensure the security and privacy of your VPN, focus primarily on options with robust encryption protocols and additional security measures implemented in the program.
- Make sure your VPN adheres to a no-logs policy. This means that it does not keep logs of your activity and in no way collects information about your Internet traffic.
- Choose a VPN with a large number of servers. As mentioned above, this aspect plays a crucial role in ensuring uploading and downloading speeds.
- Note the VPNs are equipped with a killswitch function. It ensures that if the VPN stops working, your internet connection shuts down as well. In this way, your IP will not be at risk of being revealed.
The best torrenting VPNs in 2021
Today, many VPNs are quite suitable to use for torrenting. Here is a short top-5 list of programs that most leading technical portals consider the best for this purpose:
- FreeVPN.
- ExpressVPN.
- NordVPN.
- Hotspot Shield.
- CyberGhost.
Each of these VPNs has advantages over the others in terms of safety, speed, enhanced protection, or all of these attributes combined. However, their attribution to the top-5 does not mean that all other programs that the VPNs not included in this list are unusable. You can choose a torrenting VPN you’d like among the products of other companies. However, make sure that it meets the requirements described in the previous paragraphs.
Is using a VPN for torrenting legal?
Another issue that interests people who use VPN for torrenting is the legal status of this process. However, you should not worry: it does not violate the law in any way. Undoubtedly, there are countries in which the use of VPN is illegal in itself. However, there are quite a few of them and, in most of these states, the ban on VPN is not an imperative norm but rather a “gray zone” in the legislation.
In all other countries, torrenting through VPN is admissible as long as the content you upload and download is legal (meaning that it is not pirated or inappropriate). You can compare VPN torrenting with a kitchen knife. It is a perfectly legal instrument when you cut bread with it. At the same time, if you use it to harm another person, it becomes an instrument of crime. Therefore, if you avoid using VPN to commit illegal acts, you will not have any problems with the law.