Report: Most Torrent Downloaders Are Being Monitored

Torrent that latest Hollywood blockbuster and think you must be one of those who can slip through the cracks? Think again. Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK have discovered that “most” people downloading torrents will be monitored by at least one agency at some point, and the more popular a torrent is, the better your chances of being monitored.

(Credit: Yasuhide Fumoto/Getty Images)

To discover this, the researchers crafted their own spoof torrent client, one that acted like a torrent client but didn’t actually download anything. In the three years it’s been running, the researchers discovered a variety of agencies monitoring the traffic, though many of them could not be identified as they run through third-party hosts. How quick can these agencies detect you downloading that hot torrent? Usually within three hours, according to the researchers.

Does this mean you’ll be sued, or sent a cease and desist? Given the sheer number of people who are downloading torrents at any given time, the chances you will be are the same as winning the lottery – but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It’s a risk, plain and simple.