Now, we all know that downloading copyrighted files is illegal and to many, immoral. Due to this, I advise against it. It can be dangerous. Plus, we wouldn't do anything illegal at all, would we? Such as modifying online games, which is against the rules of most games and arguably the law in many cases...
However, there are some people that HAVE to do such things, and others who would prefer not to take a chance of letting such snooping companies sue them over something they did not do. We can all be victims, there are documented cases of the recording industry and movie industry actually suing people that were dead, or people that had no computer. This is a dangerous time we are living in to be using valid and legal P2P applications for legitimate purposes and I'm sure everyone would agree.
Now, I am not condoning downloading illegal files in any way. In most countries this is illegal, anyway. We could consider this guide for people in Sweden. Anyway, I'll give some tips on helping your safety.
Please remember that anytime you download, you are at risk. There is no 100% surefire way to keep from getting anyone in legal trouble.
Anyway, let's begin.
First off, don't download as an idiot. If an anonymous member uploads a movie that won't be out for months, check the comments if you have to be sure that it is fake. It is an easy tip off if there isn't a group's name attached to a release, as everyone likes to take credit. If people complain of getting about 99% of something and it stopping, this is almost always an indication of a fake file.
Always check the file size to see if it matches the general size you assume it should be. MP3s should be several megabytes, movie length videos should be hundreds. No exceptions. No amazing new formats that shrink them to Word document size... if there were, you'd know about that, and everyone would be using them. Some people still find themselves getting viruses from Limewire or its general network, which is impossible if you exercise logic. If a file is only a few KB, chances are that it is fake.
DO NOT download EXE files from filesharing applications such as Limewire or Ares! Avoid WMV files, avoid VBS files, avoid MOV files. Most of these are planted viruses. If you must download movies, stick to MPG, MPEG, and AVI file extensions to be safe. If you are downloading a torrent with an EXE file, exercise caution.
Don't be stupid with downloads again. No, seriously. Downloading a pirated Harry Potter movie early in its release on a public BitTorrent tracker is asking for it, as this is a carefully monitored genre especially as the new content will be out soon. Exercise caution with what you get, how long you share it, where you get it from. It is a minefield out there.
Don't assume that old content isn't monitored. Even popular games from a decade ago, StarCraft for instance, may get a letter sent to your ISP, where several or even one may get your internet service shut off.
Make sure you're only sharing what you want. Some people have shared their entire Windows folders and gotten identity theft from this. Make sure that sensitive files are not shared.
If using BitTorrent, use protocol encryption. This doesn't help your safety at all, but currently keeps your ISP from slowing down your speeds below dial-up level.
Sharing popular and massively expensive copyrighted files for extended periods of time is just ill-advised, especially ones where the company is known for being excessively greedy.
Always use a blocklist. Many debate on their usefulness, but an insider has projected about 80% of monitoring companies are covered by blocklists. Some people say that they can still see that you are connected to the download, and still log you for it. Others say that you must upload to them before they can say that you are sharing copyrighted content. It may depend on the company, it may not, but why risk it?
To obtain a blocklist, I use PeerGuardian 2 with all lists installed. It is running constantly on my system, and I have subscribed to all available lists. If some lists do not update on your end, disable the filter and update, as currently some lists block mirrored lists on universities.
http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2/
Remember to use logic in whatever you may decide to do with file-sharing applications, and also remember that the best way to not get in trouble for anything is to simply not do it. However, from my view it is as illogical to not tell others to exercise caution while I preach about not downloading as it would be for be to preach abstinence and leave you in the dark about condom usage.
As always, +rep your favorite TacoCutter.
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