Lately, private BitTorrent trackers have been the buzzword and how they are so much better and more secure than other websites like YIFY and The Pirate Bay. Let us first understand the basics of private BitTorrent trackers and then discuss its advantages and the way it affects your privacy.

A private tracker is basically a torrent website that provides the same or even better functionalities as that of a public tracker, but it is generally invite-only, which means that you should be a member to view the contents of the website and download them. One cannot register as a member directly until and unless they have been invited by an already existing member. These websites have stringent rules, which the members have to follow, and some of them require you to pay the membership fees as well.

Also read: Top 9 Private Torrenting websites

What are the advantages?

These websites offer various advantages:

• A wide selection of torrents: These websites provide a wide variety of different types of files. You can almost find anything to everything on these websites.
• High-quality files: These websites have very high-quality standards. If any torrent does not meet the criteria, it is deleted from the site.
• Very-fast downloads: These websites offer pretty insane speeds as compared to the public ones.
• A great community: The people on these websites are accommodating, and they even upload torrents based on your request.

Do they increase privacy

The rules of these websites are stringent, and as these websites have relatively less traffic as compared to popular public torrents, there is a very less chance of someone looking over your shoulder at the things you search and download. Moreover, if you want to keep your downloading genuinely private, it is recommended to use a VPN or proxy service.

Also read: What is Crowdfunding? My personal experience on Kickstarter

Should you use a private tracker?

Well, by now, you could answer this question yourself. It entirely depends upon you. If you are comfortable with the rules and regulations of a private BitTorrent tracker and you think that you can survive through them, you should use a private BitTorrent tracker — it’s faster and gets you better quality downloads.

If you don’t have an invite, you can register for open-signup trackers. Do let us know whether you would use a private BitTorrent tracker or not.

Also read: What is Formjacking, how it works and protective measures