Circumvent the ban with VPN
The Pirate Bay (TPB), the top torrent site, is the cynosure in the global copyright wars-This vast site is filled with all sorts of content and looks infinitely indestructible.
The site has angered quite a few with copyright infringements in its 18- year existence; many internet service providers (ISP) have blocked access. There is no access to it in at least 20 countries.
Though torrenting of copyright content is illegal, you may need to access some Pirate Bay files. So, how to do it in the UK without enraging the authorities and your internet provider?
What is Pirate Bay?
The Pirate Bay, the Google of the pirate world, is a popular online index of digital content of entertainment media and software. It was founded in 2003 by the Swedish free internet think tank Piratbyrån (The Pirate Bureau). The aim was to create a space for sharing information, culture, and intellectual property free of cost. Their first project was creating an online index.
In April 2009, its founders Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, and Gottfrid Svartholm were found guilty in the Pirate Bay trial in Sweden for assisting in copyright infringement. They were sentenced to prison for one year and to pay a fine. They were all released by 2015 after having served shortened sentences.
The Pirate Bay allows visitors to search, download, and contribute magnet links and torrent files which facilitate peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing among users of the BitTorrent protocol. To contribute files to The Pirate Bay UK, you have to register. Members can share their music, photos and e-Books.
Once you find what you are looking for, the free torrenting begins. You download content by bits and pieces from multiple users instead of downloading a whole file from a single site. Pirate Bay includes numerous royalty-free bits of content that you can download safely by installing a separate client like BitTorrent. However, to do this, you must first figure out how to access Pirate Bay.
Why is The Pirate Bay blocked?
Some files in its vast catalogue infringe copyright laws. Content creators do not want you to download their works for free. As a result, policymakers globally strive to end digital piracy. In 2012, a court order in the UK managed to block thepiratebay.org and thepiratebay.se nationwide.
However, its 18-year existence shows that many people need it to access the content. Most ISPs in the UK will not let you type the URL and get to the site. Instead, you will need to find a way to circumvent the ban.
Accessing The Pirate Bay in the UK
There are two simple ways to do it:
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)—Probably the best, safest way to get to the site;
Use a proxy to encrypt your traffic and send it via a different server. A Pirate Bay UK proxy will allow you to download torrent files, but it will not protect you from copyright trackers.
Inside the site
Once you access Pirate Bay, preferably via VPN, the site welcomes you with a simple interface. To find the files, put their names into the search box. Some searches yield hundreds of results; the platform has included handy filters to help you get the desired file fast.
There are a few sections to look into if you are not interested in anything in particular:
Browse Torrents—Which guides you through popular categories like Audio, Video, and Games;
Recent Torrents—The most recent additions to the torrent catalogue;
TV shows—Top shows and seasons to choose from;
Music—The most downloaded singles or albums by category
Top 100—The most popular torrents in the last 48 hours.
Among all the Pirate Bay torrents, there are a few icons, too. They include skulls, different in colour, that indicate different levels of torrent reliability and safety:
No Skull: Normal Rank;
Purple one: Trusted Rank;
Green one: VIP rank, overall best, and
Blue one: Helper rank.
Downloading files
There are two ways to download the torrent files on the Pirate Bay site:
Click on the magnet icon; it will open your torrent client and begin the download process directly, and
Click on Get this torrent: it, in turn, will download the torrent file to your device.
Circumventing the Ban with VPN
Generally, your ISP knows all about your online wanderings. Every time you visit a site, your IP address gets stored on the server. The authorities can get to it and penalisePiratbyr ⁇ n you. Therefore, to access websites like Pirate Bay freely, you need to get a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service.
VPN describes the opportunity to establish a protected network connection when using public networks. VPNs encrypt your internet traffic and disguise your online identity. It makes it more difficult for third parties to track your activities online and steal data. The encryption takes place in real-time.
VPN and geo-spoofing
VPNs hide your IP address by redirecting it through a remote server to ensure encrypted, track-free browsing. As a result, your ISP will see all your data traffic as nonsense. In addition, many come with a location spoofing option. You can fake your location by switching to a server in a particular country of choice.
To bypass British internet providers, you must find a solid VPN that will offer military-grade encryption and keep your pirating adventures confidential. There are a few things to consider on the hunt:
Torrent friendly 'no-log' VPN
Your VPN should ideally include P2P file sharing support. It means you can torrent with no bandwidth limitations. Since not all VPNs offer such features, do your research before investing in one.
Extra torrenting features such as DNS leak protection and a dedicated kill switch will let you cut your connection if your VPN fails. A good VPN has hundreds of servers, and a vast network of servers will make using Pirate Bay geo-spoofing a breeze.
The authorities might come knocking at your V P N's door. But, if the VPN does not have any of your private data, it will not have anything to disclose. So, use 'no-log' VPNs to access Pirate Bay.
Today, the best VPNs offer an uninterrupted, high-speed connection that lets you download large files within minutes.
Choosing the very best VPN that will unlock Pirate Bay is not easy. To save your time, here is a curated list of the best based on:
Torrent Features;
Security, and
No-log policy.
ExpressVPN
It offers an abundance of features:
Peer-to-peer optimisation;
A vast network of 3000+ servers in over 90 countries;
Blazing-fast server speed;
Bulletproof encryption;
A dedicated kill switch;
A dynamic IP address;
No data restrictions, and
A free 30-days try out period.
Plus, it does not keep track of your browsing history and overall network traffic. To ensure true anonymity, the VPN has a no-log policy. Its excellent customer support is available 24/7. This VPN offers world-class 128-bit encryption for ultimate privacy. With its wide range of servers, high speed and top-notch encryption, ExpressVPN is an excellent choice to surpass all your Pirate Bay access issues.
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access (PIA) offers torrent support, up to 10 devices per licence, as well as:
Over 29.000 servers in 70 countries;
A kill switch;
Full peer-to-peer support on all servers;
No logging requirements;
IPv6 leak protection; and
Searchable knowledge base.
The provider explicitly states that it does not keep user logs or traffic data.Тhe platform offers three price plans, and you get a 30-day money-back guarantee.
PureVPN
It is fast, secure and perfect for all your torrenting needs. The platform offers numerous torrent features:
Over 6000 servers in 140+ countries;
A dedicated kill switch;
Split tunnelling;
Peer-to-peer file sharing support;
256-bit encryption;
No-log policy;
Leak protection (IPV6, WebRTC, and DNS), and
An integrated adblocker.
The platform offers three pricing packages alongside a 31-day, money-back guarantee. With its top-tier security, user-friendly interface and leak protection, PureVPN makes a fine choice to bypass the Pirate Bay ban!
In 2017, PureVPN assisted the F B I by providing data of a potential cybercriminal, making its customers doubt its privacy options. Since then, the company has relocated to the British Virgin Islands, outside any intelligence-sharing alliance.
Some other VPN companies like Nord, Surfshark, CyberGhost, and IPVanish are there in the market. NordVPN is in Panama, which has no data retention laws. Surfshark, established in 2018, is based in the British Virgin Islands. CyberGhost is a great VPN run by a Romanian company. Their location allows users to avoid EU data retention laws or government spying. IPVanish has been on the market for over 15 years now.
How to access The Pirate Bay UK with a VPN
So, if you are keen on using a VPN, here is how to do it:
Select a VPN from the list above: Click on the big red button.
Sign up and subscribe
Download and install the VPN on your computer or via the app
Connect to a server within the service.
Once connected, navigate to The Pirate Bay UK- it is not blocked!
Do It With Caution
Though the digital landscape has changed vastly since the inception of Pirate Bay, one thing has remained the same: The site continues to be a controversial player in cyberspace. Remember this: Torrenting, per se, is not legal. However, torrenting copyrighted content is. So, torrent with caution!
FAQs
How to get to Pirate Bay?
Depending on where you live, accessing Pirate Bay may be as easy as typing the URL into the bar or as complex as having to use VPNs to work around your ISP ban.
How to get on Pirates Bay in the UK?
Since most internet providers in the UK have an active ban on the site, use a VPN to connect to a remote server and go to the site.
How to use the Pirate Bay?
After you access the site, you can search for a particular file using the dedicated box; or you can look through the torrents in different categories such as TV Shows, Music, Games etc.
Once you find the file you need, you can download it to your PC or use a torrent client to open it directly.
How to download from Pirate Bay?
To download the chosen torrent, choose one of the two options:
Magnet link download— it will not save the file on your PC; the download will begin automatically, in your torrent client, or
Direct download—The torrent file gets saved; you have to open it manually.
Additionally, you will need to install a client such as BitTorrent or qBittorrent.
Is Pirate Bay Illegal?
Pirate Bay links users to files. So visiting it, or in some cases, torrenting through it, is not illegal.
The site offers a vast catalogue of files, including copyrighted ones. Downloading copyrighted content will constitute law infringement. Therefore, tread carefully.
