Torrenting is all the rage these days, as it allows users to download any and all content with ease and comfort. However, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye, as Optimus Prime would have put it.
Torrenting, plain and simple, is a solution that allows users to upload and download data, which includes and is not limited to music, movies, games and eBooks. This is made possible via peer-to-peer networks to ensure that the actual downloading and the downloading speed do not rely on web servers only.
Technicalities aside, torrenting essentially makes it easier for internet users to share content freely, which at times also involves different parties partaking in piracy (insert clichéd pirate phrase). This should explain why the act is frowned upon.
Just like all things you come across the internet, torrenting too has its pros and cons. Keeping this in mind, here is the good, the bad and the ugly of torrenting:
The Good
Torrenting is perfect for users that wish to get access to content without having to pay a dime in the process. Heath Ledger's Joker did not take torrenting into account as torrenting is quite effective and does not come with a price tag, which goes against his "If you are good at something, never do it for free" approach to life.
If that is not enough, the fact that torrenting is as easy as 1-2-3, should explain why a lot of people use it as a means of getting access to a variety of different content. Whether they wish to get their hands on the latest season of Game of Thrones or Taylor Swift's newest album (sorry, not so sorry), all of it can be found on one place, like The Pirate Bay for instance.
The Bad
Most of the content you come across on torrent sites is pirated. Several violations of copyright laws are to be expected, which can also result in being charged with hefty fines, if found guilty (Ouch!).
On the other hand, downloading a small file will not take long, but the same cannot be said for larger files. Larger files can take weeks or even months, depending on your internet download speed. But that is not all, if the number of leechers are greater than the number of seeders, you will not get full download speeds, thus making the whole process more of a hassle than a reliable solution (such technicalities, much wow).
The Ugly
The real problem with torrenting is that not every torrent you come across will be healthy, and may not even have enough seeders to get the ball rolling. But the biggest problem of them all is the fact that a person uploading a torrent can get anything on your device without you even knowing about it.
Whether it is a virus or even porn, it can be installed and/or planted on your device. What is even more frightening is the fact that malicious files can also be installed to monitor your daily activities and steal confidential information at the same time (nothing really comes for free, now does it?).
All in all, if you are tech savvy enough to find good torrents, all the while being able to distinguish the good one from malicious content, there really is no reason why you should not torrent. However, that is easier said than done, taking into account the legal ramifications you would have to face for violating copyrights. But then again, all of this can be avoided, if a certain software is installed beforehand (get a VPN, duh!).
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