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Comment by zaroth | Hacker News Reader

If I were going to download copyrighted material, I certainly wouldn't do it over BitTorrent. When the software architecture ensures the only target is the end user, surely end users will end up targeted. When that happens, that single download which would have fallen below the $1,000 threshold is now actually criminal distribution of a work being prepared for commercial distribution.

Your VPN provider's IP address is public information. A quick subpoena is all it would take to reveal your identity. Seems like a risky way to watch Game of Thrones. At least on Usenet a download is just a download.

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At this point there are tens to hundreds of millions of pirates in the world. Current policy in the US is six strikes to lose service with your ISP, not criminal prosecution for seeding downloads. That happens of course, but it is blisteringly rare and is a blatant attempt at fear mongering. The proverbial cat is out of the bag, and it will take a lot of stick to put it back in, and even then you will never be able to put a lid back on considering how technology has effectively digitized all information so well.

"Your VPN provider's IP address is public information. A quick subpoena is all it would take to reveal your identity. Seems like a risky way to watch Game of Thrones. At least on Usenet a download is just a download."

A subpoena can only work if the VPN services keeps logs of its user's transactions. Some do and some don't. Without logs there is nothing to subpoena. When evaluating a VPN it is very important to find out whether or not they do. As of now U.S. VPN's cannot be forced to keep logs.

A well regarded resource for such evaluation is:

  https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/

A non-logging VPN with end to end encryption is absolutely required for safety using anything that transfers copyrighted material without permission. That includes both versions of Popcorn Time. Not taking this precaution is very, very expensive.

A bit more caution: if using a VPN's client application it is very important to ensure that they have a kill switch option which shuts down all internet traffic should the VPN connection drop. Many don't. Without that, your machine will continue to babble the copyrighted material in the unencrypted clear after a drop. Unless you are attending the transfer you may never know that is happening.

Alternatively, most all VPN services in addition to offering their own client app also provide URL's that you can plug into standard Windows VPN connections. Then you can use the VPNCheck application which provides a global kill switch that will stop all traffic if any Windows VPN disconnects. That's the route I choose.

So how do you ensure that they don't keep logs?

There really is no way to ensure that unfortunately. You can only go by reputation and their own statements in that regard. The resource I linked is a good place to start an investigation. At least it weeds out those that don't even make the claim and there are many of those.

Could you elaborate how this is more secure?

More secure? Not necessarily, but usenet is download-only, so usenet users could not be charged with uploading/distribution.

Its not more secure, you are just less liable. If you DL via torrents you automatically share the content as well. So you are not just DL illegal content, but also distributing it.

Only if you seed right?

No, if you participate in the swarm with any upload activity at all. You know, the whole P2P thing...

most client will upload while you are downloading. I believe in BitTorrent terminology it is only call seeding when you keep uploading after you have downloaded everything

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