Is It Safe To Torrent?

Torrenting in Australia declined over 2015. Will the increasing security risks lead to a bigger drop in 2016?

Torrenting has been around for a long time, existing as a cheaper – okay, free - alternative to paying for music, films, TV shows and much, much more.

Its legality has been questioned for almost as long, since piracy is a violation of intellectual property laws (leading to artists and producers having their work distributed without compensation). The reality however, is that many continue to torrent. For instance, Australia leads the world for illegal downloads of Game of Thrones, making up 11.6 per cent of all GOT downloads worldwide. Yay us?

With this in mind and increasing coverage on security breaches on legal sites, we need to talk about whether or not it’s actually safe to torrent.

With the Australian government recently passing anti-piracy laws as well as internet service providers (ISPs) blocking some sites, torrent users are having to download new software to access the sites and prevent detection.

With one of the largest torrent sites being blocked due to harmful programs being placed on the site, questions of security are being increasingly raised. If some of the biggest torrenting sites are vulnerable to viruses plaguing its site, is the free content really worth risking our own devices? (Not to mention the fact that one in three torrent sites intentionally distribute malware.)

The main issue with torrenting, because of its legality concerns, is that they are run on sites which aren’t certified. Because of this, using torrents runs the risk of revealing personal information to strangers and/ or infecting your computer with viruses.

The new anti-piracy laws sparked by the drama of illegal downloads of Dallas Buyers Club, has created a heightened awareness of the lack of anonymity online and the increasing risk of being fined. It's also reminded consumers of the numerous steps required in the torrenting process (all steps which can make computer usage harder, if one accidentally downloads unwanted material with their film or song).

It’s hard to suggest torrenting alone is risky, given that security breaches are not limited to these sites. However, given the legal questionability, it’s unsurprising many Australians have embraced the arrival of Netflix as an alternative.

Torrenting in Australia has dropped from 10.8 per cent to 9.1 per cent in the last year, coinciding with Netflix’s Australian introduction. That said, it’s still important to be informed of the risks associated with torrenting: its use may be declining but the concerns remain.

Emily Lam is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. Learn more about the contributors program.