Secure and anonymous torrenting? Meet Tribler.

The torrent network is a convenient way to exchange files between internet users, but it is also a nightmare for creators of various multimedia entertainment products such as movies, music, ebooks, etc. While both sides have their arguments in this dispute, it is difficult to find a middle ground. In this case, your point of view depends on where you are sitting. Creators who make a living from their musical or acting talent, as well as software developers or authors of electronic books, do not hide their dissatisfaction with the fact that what they have sometimes spent years working on is distributed for free, depriving them of the opportunity to earn money. You would understand this, dear user, if your income came from such sources. Software developers know perfectly well how much effort went into creating their product. The other side most often uses price as an argument. Here, we are also dealing with quality, where after a visit to the cinema, one sometimes leaves disappointed, regretting having paid for the "super entertainment" promised in the advertisement, only to find it was rubbish. Recently, news has spread across the internet about police actions aimed at fighting online piracy, where, in a way, mediocre Polish film productions that were distributed on the torrent network were being defended. In reality, everyone has their own opinion on this matter. 

Current options for accessing home multimedia entertainment are also highly developed, and we have plenty of ways to fill our time without necessarily becoming "pirates." For example, I can mention Netflix, domestic VOD platforms, and digital television platforms where package prices start from just a few dozen zlotys. 

Regardless, we arrive at the point of internet privacy. It is impossible to maintain it completely, and for very patient specialists, what we do online will be no secret. However, it is possible to protect this privacy a bit, even in the case of the torrent network. 

For security, you can use the TOR network or apply a paid VPN that cares about user data security, but for home needs—like downloading your favorite Linux distribution without openly revealing your identity—the Tribler software is sufficient. 

Tribler is a torrent client. However, it is distinguished by its communication method, which increases the security of our data compared to other popular clients. How does it work?

Tribler offers anonymous downloading. The regular BitTorrent network is fast, but it does not offer privacy. In Tribler, a dedicated TOR-routing network has been created, used exclusively for downloading torrent files. For those interested in the detailed technical aspects of the security offered by Tribler, here is a link to the specifications. Communication takes place using proxy nodes, so the uploader has no way of directly knowing the recipients' addresses. Furthermore, each of the intermediate connections is encrypted in such a way that only the data recipient can decrypt them. Each subsequent proxy layer is another level of encryption—this way, data is secured against being snooped on by subsequent intermediate nodes. It resembles an onion structure. In the current version of the program, we have the option to set 3 levels (3 nodes) ensuring anonymity. This slows down the program's operation, but detecting information about us becomes significantly more difficult.