Researchers reveal anonymous torrent download software

Researchers of the Technical University (TU) of Delft in the Netherlands, have developed a torrent application which allows users to download files anonymously. The software called Tribler is open source and freely available for Windows, Mac and Linux. The latest version, released today, uses end-to-end encryption.

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Tribler works through a Tor like network, all Tribler users together are one big network. Data is send through this network from computer to computer and encrypted layer by layer. The user is the only one that is able to decrypt the data. This way of anonymity is similar to that of the Tor network. For that reason Tribler also suffers from the same disadvantage, by using a network of computers to distribute the data anonymously the internet speed on the network decreases.

To counter that, Tribler offers the option to select how anonymous an user wants to be. If an user increases his anonymity, he will have to accept a lower download speed.

Users that leave the software open when they are done downloading help other users to speed up their downloads. According to Dr. Johan Pouwelse of the TU Delft,  the software uses about 20kbps in the background. Tribler also offers the option to stream videos during downloading, however HD streaming is not fully supported yet due to the bandwidth of the Tribler network.

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The software also uses a decentralized search engine which allows users to search for active torrents. "This makes websites like The Pirate Bay superfluous", according to Pouwelse. Users also have the possibility to create their own channels with torrents that others can follow, like a channel with the latest movies.

Tribler is the result of 10 years work and subsidies for scientific research. "Freedom on the internet is increasingly restricted and privacy on the Internet has proven an illusion, Tribler will ensure anonymity and freedom on the Internet ",  Pouwelse said.

"The torrent application uTorrent is dependent on the installation of spyware-like toolbars and torrent sites, we aren't. Tribler is not commercial, remains open source and has been developed from an academic vision. We now have 8,000 daily active users and since the closure of The Pirate Bay usage has increased dramatically."

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