So everyone says to use a vpn but is it really needed i havent really pirated before so im not too sure, and i migh tnot but who knows. Are there free alternatives to vpns that are safe what are some options or choices we have? becasue most vpns dont allow torrenting or are pricey and the free ones are just bad. so what can we do?
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Nothing is ever free. You pay somewhere.
Mullvad the best VPN around (IMHO) is 5euro (5.40 usd)/Month … Not very expensive (one again IMHO)
PIA is what, $40/yr, or something like that
I wouldn’t risk it without a VPN. I guess you could use TOR or i2p, but I don’t use enough of either to make a valid comment on its use.
well dang, do you know if there are such a things as one time payment vpn’s or is that not a thing?
Nope, there isn’t anything like a lifetime VPN and if you find one it’s probably a scam just like “free” ones where you are obviously the product. Mullvad is also not very expensive (5$/month) and extremely secure (no email or any identifiers, payment with Monero, sign up over Tor, wireguard tunnels). VPNs are services that generate costs from your usage unlike software that you develop once and then sell to make up the costs. Also keep in mind that VPNs only protect your IP from the other services you are accessing on the clearnet: they aren’t a one size fits it all solution. Consider other OPSEC measures depending on your threat level.
you don’t pay for lifetime packages for services that cost the provider money on a month to month basis like a VPN, any service that does this is a huge red flag.
the service will probably go bankrupt before you get your money’s worth out of it
Im not sure, sorry. If you want to have your anonymity protected, sometimes you gotta pay a little for it. And that isn’t always all that needs to be done. Check out this video if you want more info on staying anonymous online and why VPNs arent the end all be all anyways.
@DRx @QuietStorm
Mullvad also uses wireguard protocol which is like a super sexy upgraded version of sshPIA has a free option with a limited number of servers spread across the world.
Everyone should be on a VPN all the time
It’s mostly torrents that are dangerous without a VPN, since as a torrent user you’re also redistributing the content in question, and the peer-to-peer nature of them makes you very visible to copyright trolls.
Direct download is generally much safer. Specifics vary by jurisdiction, but in many countries merely downloading (or streaming) a pirated copy of a game or film is not a criminal offense, and is not in practice vulnerable to a civil lawsuit either.
Avoid torrents, know good direct download sites (these will vary by what content you’re interested in, look around using various search engines to get around DMCA delistings), use rudimentary privacy protections like private DNS and HTTPS-only mode in your browser, and you’ll get far without a VPN.
Tor is also a powerful, free option, but it’s generally overkill for non-torrent piracy and very hard to configure for torrents.
VPNs don’t make things safer. You need to use reliable trackers like 1337x. VPNs can hide your traffic from your ISP. If you’re living in some smaller country you might get await with seeding without VPN and without getting notified by your ISP.
I would just use mullvad vpn. If you wanna save, you can just buy one month and download everything you want before it ends.
Though I use mullvad for alot of stuff so I never found the price to be expensive.
Your only other reasonable option is to simply not torrent.
Debrid services are a way to pirate without needing a VPN, however they are not free. I pay like $3 per month.
If you want to pirate for free without paying for a VPN, you need to use closed trackers.
Debrid + rdtclinet and the arr (Sonarr/Radarr/Lidarr) Stack the is method I recommend to my friends. Is $30 a year for unlimited usage.
This is the way to do it.
It depends on your country and your ISP. I’ve never used one but I live in Canada, where there are strict limits on the damages that copyright holders can sue for.
@QuietStorm
If you dont have a vpn you could use tor, but is easily detected by an isp and you must use care not to leak any info via dnsMany vpn providers offer free tiers, id check out #protonvpn or #MullvadVPN.
Sometimes the free tiers can get bogged down with heavy traffic but it’s better than raw dogging the sketchy side of the netFor torrents specifically, not really any option but to suffer through a VPN. You’ll have to get into IRC or other direct channels to get around it.
There are a huge number of high quality reputable VPNs that are ~$3-5 per month, or less if you’re willing to buy a longer term plan up front.
I use Private Internet Access (PIA) and bought 3 years up front for $79 I think - it works out to about $2 per month. You can sign up for a year for $39 right now.
Think about it this way: is it worth a cup of coffee per month for the peace of mind to not be sued for tens of thousands of dollars? I would say yes.
Usenet is an option, but has a cost. I use both, torrents for movies and usenet for TV episodes (torrents for TV packs though)
I2p is an option that is completely free, though it is somewhat limited. It is similar to tor but supports torrenting over the actual i2p network but it doesn’t support clear web torrents and is quite slow.
I have been pirating since the days of message boards and never once used a VPN. I can not speak for other countries, but IMO if you are in the US the only reason you would need a VPN is if your ISP throttles p2p traffic or you regularly download from public sites.
DDL sites and SoulSeek have kept me with up to date with every movie, tv show, and video game all without the use of a VPN. A VPN and torrenting are obviously the easiest choice, but you can get by just fine without it.
