What are Torrent files? Are Torrented files legal, illegal, safe?

What are Torrent files? Are Torrented files legal, illegal, safe?

Torrent files are small files that contain
information on how to download a larger
file using BitTorrent protocol . The
protocol, unlike HTTP/HTTPS, needs a
torrent client for downloading the client.
We’ll take a quick look at how BitTorrent
works and if files downloaded using them
are legal and safe.
What are Torrent files
and BitTorrent
protocol
BitTorrent is a protocol that helps you in
downloading large files without having to
be troubled by bandwidth. The structure
of the protocol also provides for resume
support. The resume support means you
can pause downloading at a point and
resume downloading from the point
where it was paused. If you stop
downloading in middle, you may have to
download from the beginning or from the
point where you stopped, depending upon
the BitTorrent client you are using.
BitTorrent employs more than one server
(in this case, called peers, as they are
interlinked directly, without the need for a
server to control them: see image above)
for downloading files to your computer.
And as long as you are downloading, you
are also part of BitTorrent network. While
downloading the file, you are also
uploading it to some other client that is
seeking the same file for download. Even
after your download is complete, if you
keep the torrent client open and do not
remove the torrent from your torrent
client, it continues uploading (seeding)
the download so that others can
download it from your computer (without
knowing its IP address and location).
The very base of BitTorrent protocol is to
share computers for providing large
downloads using give and take formula.
There are already a swarm of computers
(peers) that contain either the download
file in full or in parts. When you download
a torrent file, you download information
about the whereabouts of file, the main
link, encryption method used (if any) and
similar information. Once your download
starts, you can see your client
downloading it in parts from different
computers that can be home computers
too. Like if someone is downloading the
same file, he or she is also uploading
(seeding) the file to another computers
from where you can download the file at
a faster pace. The ideal ratio, according
to BitTorrent protocol creator, should be
1:1. That means, if you download a file
using others’ computers, you should be
able to give it back to the community by
way of letting your Bit Torrent client to
upload the file for a while. Most
BitTorrent clients show you how much of
the file you have uploaded in field that
may be marked either “upload” or “seed”.
The main advantage of this system is
that people are active participants and
hence the network grows which, in turn,
results in lesser bandwidth being used.
Imagine if a single server was used and
too many people tried to access it, no
one would get it as the server would
crash.
Read: What are Peer to Peer Networks
(P2P).
Are BitTorrents Legal or
Illegal
The answer to this question is both Yes
and No. It depends upon what you are
downloading. While some sites offer only
legitimate content whose copyright they
hold or things that are in public domain,
many offer pirated movies, music, songs
and books etc. You should check with
the law of your land to see what you are
downloading is legal. The responsibility
of downloading illegal files rests
completely with you as the people who
run websites hosting BitTorrents can
easily get away in the maze of
computers by claiming innocence.
Are BitTorrents Safe or
Unsafe
Most of the Bit Torrents are safe as the
well-known Torrent sites check it out
before hosting them for downloads.
However, not all sites are safe. Some
may willingly distribute malware while
some others may not be aware (they
may not have checked the parts of file
they are hosting) as malicious. Besides,
if a BitTorrent client is uploading from an
infected computer, chances are that your
downloads may be infected.
I suggest you always deep-scan