Who is watching your torrent downloads

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
19/12/2011 19:28

Do you use bit torrents for downloads. If so have a look here



http://www.youhavedownloaded.com/

scoobydoo


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 2434

Message Posted:
19/12/2011 19:53

Erolz,



Is this site safe to open, I am getting a warning of poor reputation?

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 12:59

It should be safe but its not an important site or anything.



All it does is list what torrents have been downloaded from the IP address you are using. Just thought it might make people a bit more aware that such torrent downloads are far from annoymous.

JohnDownes


Joined: 03/12/2010
Posts: 123

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 13:06

Well I have downloaded HUNDREDS of film torrents, but this site told me that they had no record of me at all.

So, in my case at any rate, it's nonsense.

JD

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 13:10

JohDownes it is far from comprehensive, its like search engine spiders, they crawl around and collect the info and put it in a database. It certainly does not contain every torrent download. The point it is trying to make, I think, is that by its very nature torrent download information is publicaly viewable. THat is true if your particular downloads are listed on the site or not. Maybe try again in a few weeks and it might well then have your downloads there too.

Rottolover



Joined: 21/06/2009
Posts: 519

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 16:01

Hey erolz, please excuse my technological naivete, but can you tell me what any potential concern there might be if such downloads are listed on such a site?

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 16:15

Rottolover,

One extreme example that comes to my mind is child porn. Apart from the criminal aspect it could have other social repercussions. Of course that is the most extreme example I could think of.

ismet

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 16:17

Hmm. İt's all about worrying and complaining about burglars - in YOUR house in TRNC. But not caring about STEALİNG software from people who try to live on their work. İs the right word in the English language "hypochrits"?

philbailey


Joined: 17/01/2011
Posts: 3534

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 16:18

Msg 6, porn or porn

or maybe a Des O' Connor album

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 16:40

As I understand it the site is just a research project and all it does it list torrent downloads that it has discovered for you IP address. It does not allow me for example to see what others have downloaded (and it knows about), it just shows what has been downloaded from the IP I am using (and it knows about).

It is however making a point. The point is that the very way torrent downloads work , means that requests to download and content offered for upload are inhernatly public. This is a reasearch project but there are companies out there that collect this information and seek to sell it to rights holders as a resource for them.

In practical terms it means very little to the vast majority of people. However I do think people should be aware that when they download something via a torrent (or offering upload), there is a public 'record' that the IP they use did such and there are entities out there collecting and collating this infomation.

metininkibris


Joined: 12/12/2011
Posts: 86

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 16:45

It is some sort of scam it says i downloaded The.X.Factor.UK.S08E28.VeroVenlo.avi (549.05 MB) never never done that

erolz


Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3456

Message Posted:
20/12/2011 17:22

metininkibris you may well share an IP address with someone who has downloaded that file. If your ISP allocates IP dynamicaly then they will have a record of which of their users was allocated that IP at the particular time the download was happening. There are several ways in which a single public IP address is shared amongst more than one user but with the records of the ISP it can then be traced to a given indivdual user.

As far as I know the site is not a scam at all. There is no doubt that torrent download information is public. It has to be for the system to work. There are ways to obscure your usage but some 'public face' must me made available to any other torrent user for the systme to work and thus this information can be and is collected and collated and stored by various entites for various reasons.