KOCHI: Ever since the Torrent sites 'Kickass Torrents' and 'Torrentz' were blocked by the authorities, the avid downloaders of free content knew that darker days for 'free' Internet were around the corner. The recent reports that downloading content from, or even visiting, the websites that are currently blocked by the Centre can land the user in the jail for upto three years,besides a `3 lakh fine, have finally flagged the end of good old 'Torrenting' days.
Though there had been news, off and on, of crackdown on Torrent sites, downloading content using Torrents did not face any real threat until recently. Earlier, many sites were blocked by the government by taking help from the Internet service providers (ISPs). Even when some of the sites were blocked using DNS-filtering, it was easy to bypass them by using third party DNS services. But, this time around, the government has sought the help of major players like Tata Communications and Airtel, who manage Internet gateways, which means that bypassing these blocks will be well nigh impossible for the average torrent-user.
Many avid users of Torrents sites feel let down by the move. “I have been using Torrent sites regularly since 2010 to download movies, music, books and other content. It gave me access to a lot of stuff which otherwise would have been way beyond reach owing to to higher costs or unavailability," said a person, who asked not to be named.
And several others like him will feel that a door to art, entertainment and ideas from across the world has been slammed shut before them.
But, cyber expert Vinod Bhattathiripad says he feels that the blocking of Torrent and other sites that host copyrighted content is a laudable move.
“Most of the content on torrent sites are copyrighted and downloading them for free amounts to digital theft. The government ban is a statement against digital copyright infringement,” he said.
Nonetheless, Bhattathiripad adds that Torrents in itself are not illegal, but the sites have not done their bit to stay clear of copyrighted content. He says that Torrent sites should be more responsible and only host content uploaded by people who holds the rights.
But, cyber expert Vinod Bhattathiripad says he feels that the blocking of torrent and other sites that host copyrighted content is a laudable move.  “Most of the content on torrent sites are copyrighted and downloading them for free amounts to digital theft. The government ban is a statement against digital copyright infringement,” he said. However, Bhattathiripad adds that torrents in itself are not illegal, but the sites have not done their bit to shun copyrighted content. He says that the torrent sites should be more responsible and only host content uploaded by people who holds the rights.