How do I torrent safely in the US if I can't afford a VPN? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 10 months ago by ScratchySoft@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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Before I say anything further, yes I know how much the recommended VPNs cost. I can read. Please do not interrogate me about it.

I've been wanting to get into torrenting for a while, particularly contributing to private trackers related to music (and to a lesser extent retro games, though I don't have much original stuff to put there as it's harder to find rare games than rare music). FMHY recommends RiseUp if I must get a free VPN while I'm working on my financial situation, though I'm not sure whether it's been tested in court. What are my options, if any?

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[-] Ilandar@lemmy.today 60 points 10 months ago

RiseUp is slow and intended for activists and the politically vulnerable. It's not for poor people who cannot afford a $5 a month VPN. You will be fucking over people with much more legitimate use cases than yours if you start using it for torrenting.

[-] ScratchySoft@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 months ago

I see... Not sure what I'm supposed to do then.

[-] FG_3479@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago

Windscribe and Proton are also free but they're much faster. I recommend trying them first.

this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2025

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