Surfing anonymously (TV/Torrents/etc)

[flycgn 2]

 

Well now that I have installed and used CyberGhost I am sure that My Private Network is a MUCH MUCH better deal. No software to install, Just set up a VPN. No pop up ads, servers in like 18 countries. Email works with their servers and overall I think its cheaper! My Private Network gets my vote!!

My understanding was that Cyberghost could also be set up without software?

[fathert 70]

 

My understanding was that Cyberghost could also be set up without software?

That's the theory, but so far I've have success with my Android phone (using PPTP), limited success with Windows (no luck with OpenVPN, and partial success with PPTP [the Cyberghost website says I'm not ghosted but my IP location is changed to that of the selected server]) and no success at all with Ubuntu with either OpenVPN or PPTP. I've not had much time to spend on it so it might well be that I've missed something and it's also not clear to me whether an OpenVPN/PPTP connection is allowed with this offer or not as the website states that promotional premium memberships are excluded from using them, but the evidence from my phone is that it does work.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had any luck.

 

Tim.

[fathert 70]

Just in case it's of any interest to anyone else, I did manage to get Cyberghost to work on all the platforms mentioned above. The issues I had were:

 

1) the VPN config files for Linux that you can download only seem to work for the latest version of Ubuntu (with the God awful Unity interface), but they do offer servers from all over the place, including the UK, which worked just fine when I tried it. You also need to install the "vpnc" and "network-manager-vpnc" packages, this is mentioned in the instructions on the website, but it's easy to miss. And you need to reboot after the installation!

 

2) if you use the Netherlands server the Cyberghost website still tells you that you are not Cyberghosted when in fact it appears that you are (Dutch IP address and Google redirects to google.nl).

 

3) on Android and Windows I still only have the PPTP connections working which offers a more limited range of servers, if I get round to it I might try again to get it to work with OpenVPN.

 

Tim.

[kewlbuddy 3]

By the way, this latest computer bild magazine also offers RapidShare premium for 11 days free along with CyberGhost. Thanks to YL6

[phranco 291]

 

latest version of Ubuntu (with the God awful Unity interface)

 

You might want to make the switch to Linux Mint. Same base packages as Ubuntu with a much better interface

[alex04 0]

I use PirateRay to surf anonymously, it works with any browser on Windows and Linux. No speed limit and good customer support. It is also compatible with any applications that uses SOCK5 connections, so you have a secure encrypted SSH tunnel from your computer, and Internet providers cannot see which sites you are visiting exactly or what you are downloading. And it costs $ 4.9/ month.

[shawnskalinski 3]

[adminmerge][/adminmerge]

Does anybody use a VPN service here for torrenting? I have a friend who got nailed with a letter from Sasse and Partner Law firm about a TV show he downloaded (he didn't have a VPN) and he's dealing with this now (800 euros later). I have a VPN (using OpenVPN) and am wondering how safe I am. Does anyone know if there's any way a 3rd party here in Germany can find out about my torrenting activities if I'm on a VPN? The company I am with doesn't keep any logs, so even if German authorities saw my activity AND decided to chase it down overseas to the server in the US, that company would have no info to share to them...now am I being naive or is there any way authorities here could find out about my P2P activities?

 

thanks!

[fraufruit 42,471]

Please use the search function. There are many threads on VPN's, torrents, getting busted, etc.

[TheSwedishChef 654]

No, that's untrue. There are threads on VPNs and torrents yes, but none definitively on the combination of getting busted whilst using a VPN.

[Krieg 15,072]

I never heard of anyone torrenting in Germany who was caught while using a VPN. If you want to be totally safe you might check if the USENET fits your requirements. You will be safe because you won't upload anything, The only issue is that you only find relative recent and popular material there.

[TheSwedishChef 654]

It's a complicated issue, because most VPN providers will not hand out customer data without court intervention.

Perhaps call it so far a grey area.

 

There have been cases of VPNs handing over user information to the authorities, but that was for far more serious issues than copyright infringement.

[Blue Proteus 0]

Although this article is a couple years old, it talks about the whole "who keeps logs" thing:

 

http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/

 

 

[tim555 7]

The reality is that using a VPN to when using torrents is just about putting up just enough legal barriers that it won't be worth their while for the local copyright lawyers (especially in Germany) to come after you. For example the one I use is in Sweden, which means to come after me if I was to share something on bittorrent they would have to:

a ) Deal with the Swedish legal system, which raises their costs considerably in hiring local lawyers

b ) Get round Sweden's strong privacy laws, which allows my VPN provider not to keep logs

 

I'm sure if I'd committed a crime (as opposed to it being civil copyright infringement), like trying to hack something like that Lulzsec hacker did, then things would be different, as for example often privacy laws often don't apply in a criminal investigation.

 

I feel more confident with my VPN provider since they came out and said that all their servers *except* their Swedish one keep logs, due to the different legal requirements in the other countries (Germany, Netherlands, UK, US etc.). I.e. they understand that they have to obey the law and that using a VPN to hide torrenting activities (if that's what I'd chosen to use it for) is about finding countries with strong privacy regulations more than it is about VPN and encryption technology.

[pappnase 2,651]

Not really directly relevant to the current discussion, possibly of interest to people who will read this thread.

Whilst reading the article that Blue Proteus linked to, I came across Scan Eye, they maintain this site which is a tracking site that tracks and reports on which torrents have been downloaded by which IP address etc.

I found it really interesting to visit it with my VPN and without and to see the differences in what they thought had been torrented from the different IP addresses. It seems no-one has been naughty on my ISP allocated address, but the UK address issued to me by the VPN company is a totally different matter.

[derick 4]

Moving my question here from another thread:

 

OK, I need some advice. I would like to know if you will be caught downloading torrents if you do it the following way.

 

Use a Seedbox in another country to download the actual torrent in a different country onto that server. The torrent file from the torrent website as well as the actual big file (movie or whatever).

 

Then download the downloaded file to Germany via a Http login or with FTP using a VPN.

 

Your thoughts?

[Grizzlor 157]

Derick, by doing the actual torrenting in another country you're infinitely reducing the risk of getting a letter from a German lawyer. Question is if your seedbox hoster would turn your details over to whatever local bloodsucker lawyers if asked to in the hosting country.

 

As for FTP/HTTP from wherever to germany, cos you're not seeding/uploading the copyrighted material, you're pretty darn safe as to date they seem to be chasing those who UPLOAD (even a single packet) rather than download.

 

Cheers

[YorkshireLad6 7,152]

For the transfer to Germany you don't even need the VPN (and if you do have one and it's reliable then you cold run the torrent software locally in any case as it's that that hides your German identity). Remember that some other countries will chase persistent uploaders and/or warn them they have been identified before taking stronger legal action.

[derick 4]

 

Derick, by doing the actual torrenting in another country you're infinitely reducing the risk of getting a letter from a German lawyer. Question is if your seedbox hoster would turn your details over to whatever local bloodsucker lawyers if asked to in the hosting country.

 

As for FTP/HTTP from wherever to germany, cos you're not seeding/uploading the copyrighted material, you're pretty darn safe as to date they seem to be chasing those who UPLOAD (even a single packet) rather than download.

 

Cheers

 

Awesome. Thank you for the response!

 

 

For the transfer to Germany you don't even need the VPN (and if you do have one and it's reliable then you cold run the torrent software locally in any case as it's that that hides your German identity). Remember that some other countries will chase persistent uploaders and/or warn them they have been identified before taking stronger legal action.

 

Ok so no need for a VPN for this kind of solution then. Think I'll still do it just to make doubly sure then.

Thank you! YL6!

[derick 4]

 

For the transfer to Germany you don't even need the VPN (and if you do have one and it's reliable then you cold run the torrent software locally in any case as it's that that hides your German identity). Remember that some other countries will chase persistent uploaders and/or warn them they have been identified before taking stronger legal action.

 

How is Sweden? Thinking of running my VPN through there..

[Kiwistylz 123]

I use Holland for my VPN when torrenting. No laws there about pirating.