THE U K GUIDE TO ACCESS THE PIRATE BAY

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.

Best VPNs for torrenting

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.

© Ramachandran

CARBON-NEUTRAL EFFORTS IN INDIA AND CHINA

Paving the Way to a Carbon-Neutral Future

By Rama Chandran

This article of mine was published in the September-October 2021 issue of the China-India Dialogue.

At the recently concluded COP26 (UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties) summit, India pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, a date two decades beyond the target set by COP26 organizers and the host, the U.K. India also vowed to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45%. India had five climate-related pledges, including meeting 50% of its energy needs by renewable means by 2030.

India is the world's third-largest carbon emitter, behind China and the U.S. India represents 17% of the world's population and 5 per cent of the carbon emissions. Russia and Japan share the fourth and fifth places respectively. China emits 10.06 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, while the U.S. follows with 5.41, India 2.65, Russia 1.7, and Japan 1.6 MT. Measured per person, however, India's emissions are ranked 140th globally. The U. S. is 14th, and China, 48th.

The landmark Paris accord was signed by nearly 200 countries in 2015 to limit rising global temperatures to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to cap heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But to do so, the world needs to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions in the next eight years and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. This threshold is a crucial global target because so-called tipping points become more likely beyond this level. Tipping points refer to an irreversible change in the climate system, locking further global heating.

As the world confronts a changing climate, it looks for direction at the Asian superpowers, India and China. Their decisions could either doom the efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions or jump-start them.

Daily emissions globally decreased by as much as 17 per cent during the COVID. According to Carbon Brief, India's carbon dioxide emissions fell by 30 per cent in April 2020, compared with the same month in 2019. But India's emissions are set to rise in the years ahead as economic growth propels the energy demand. Emissions in India grew 1.8 per cent in 2019, at a much slower pace than in 2018.

India is the only major country in the world where actions to combat emissions are compatible with limiting global warming to an average of 2 degrees Celsius, according to Climate Action Tracker. Indian officials say they will meet two significant pledges under the Paris agreement on climate change ahead of schedule. India has promised to ensure that 40 per cent of its electricity-generation capacity comes from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. It will also reduce its "emissions intensity" — a ratio of total emissions to gross domestic product — by at least one-third compared with 2005 levels. India has increased its solar-energy capacity more than twelvefold since 2014 and launched initiatives to save electricity. Coal will remain a significant part of India's power sector in the coming decades too.

In 2018, India installed almost as much new solar generating capacity as the U. S. did. India would double its target for installed renewable-energy capacity to 450 gigawatts.

The Chinese plan

Like India, China's aim for net-zero is also well beyond the 2050 target.

China has made two significant pledges under the Paris accord, to reduce its emissions intensity by at least 60 per cent by 2030 and to generate 20 per cent of its power from non-fossil fuels. China has promised to become carbon neutral before 2060 and begin cutting its emissions within the next ten years. During the COP26 summit, the Chinese President said that China would vigorously develop renewable energy and build wind and solar power stations. Ahead of the COP26 conference, China released an ambitious action plan to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030. According to it, the share of non-fossil energy consumption will be about 25 per cent, and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will drop by more than 65 per cent compared to 2005 levels. China's State Council has put forward the main objectives for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) and the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), which includes increasing the share of non-fossil energy consumption, improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The action plan outlines vital tasks, including promoting green and low-carbon transportation, advancing a circular economy and supporting technological innovation. China will develop a unified and standardized carbon emissions statistical accounting system, improve laws, regulations and standards, optimize economic policies, and establish sound market mechanisms. For international cooperation, China will be involved in global climate governance, carry out green cooperation in its economy, trade, technology and finance, and advance the construction of the Belt and Road initiative.

On October 12, while addressing the leaders' summit of the 15th meeting of Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Chinese President said that it will implement a "1N" policy framework for carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The country has begun constructing 100-million-kw wind, photovoltaic power projects in desert areas.

How can China reach carbon neutrality before 2060? Planners point out that China must begin to generate most of its electricity from zero-emission sources and then expand the use of this clean power wherever possible, such as switching to electric cars.

By 2030, 40 per cent of vehicles sold in China will be electric. The government has adopted policies to encourage plug-in electric vehicles (EVs). Since buying an EV costs more, in 2009, the government began to provide subsidies for EV purchases. But paying for the contributions became costly, and China's policymakers planned to phase out the donations at the end of 2020 and instead impose a mandate on car manufacturers. The order requires that a certain percentage of all vehicles sold by a manufacturer each year be battery-powered. Every year, manufacturers must earn a stipulated number of points awarded for each EV produced based on a formula that considers range, energy efficiency, and performance.

It will also need technologies to capture CO2 released from burning fossil fuels or biomass and store it underground, known as carbon capture and storage (CCS). China currently has only one large CCS facility. Seven more are being planned.

For China to achieve its target, electricity production would need to more than double, to 15,034 terawatt-hours by 2060. This would be driven by a massive ramp-up of renewable electricity generation over the next 40 years, including a 16-fold increase in solar and a 9-fold increase in wind. Nuclear power would need to increase 6- fold, and hydroelectricity to double to replace coal-fired power generation. Fossil fuels, including coal, oil and gas, would still account for 16 per cent of the energy consumed, so they would need to be paired with CCS or offset by new forest growth and technologies that can suck CO2 directly out of the atmosphere.

Tsinghua University's Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development has led a major national project on China's low-carbon future. The work was presented at a meeting attended by environment officials on October 12. Under the plan, emissions would continue to rise, from 9.8 gigatons of CO2 in 2020 to around 10.3 gigatons in 2025. They will then plateau for five to ten years before dropping steeply after 2035 to reach net-zero by 2060. If trends in the cost of renewables technology continue, more than 60 per cent of China's electricity could come from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

The Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in Beijing estimates the emissions to peak in 2022, at around 10 gigatons of CO2, followed by a steep drop to net-zero by 2050. To achieve net-zero, electricity production would double to 14,800 terawatt-hours by 2050. This output would be generated mainly by nuclear power (28%), followed by wind (21%), solar (17%), hydropower (14%) and biomass (8%). Coal and gas would make up 12 per cent of electricity production. This means that China's nuclear capacity — currently 49 gigawatts across some 50 nuclear power plants — would need to increase 5-fold to 554 gigawatts by 2050. This model proposes that some 850 gigawatts of power generated from coal, gas and biofuels could be fitted with technologies that capture and store carbon emissions. 

Coal-fired power accounts for almost 65 per cent of the country's electricity generation, with more than 200 new coal-fired power stations. In making the shift from coal, China needs to consider the economic security of some 3.5 million workers in the coal mining and power industry. The Chinese President has said that the country would phase down coal consumption in its 15th five-year plan, which starts after 2025.

The Somersault by the U.S.

 In 2017, President Trump announced that he was withdrawing the U. S.  from the Paris climate agreement, a move that nullified the country's commitment to cut emissions. But the U.S. is now trying to plunge back into the climate fight. President Biden addressed a virtual climate summit in April 2021, attended by the leaders of three dozen countries. Japan set a goal of reducing emissions by 46 per cent by 2030. South Korea pledged to end public financing for new overseas coal-fired power plants. Among the most substantial pledges was the European Union's 55% reduction, which was codified into law in April 2021. The U.K. boosted its target to 78 per cent by 2035. Russia made a promise to "significantly reduce the net accumulated emissions by 2050."

 The U.S. announced that it would cut its planet-warming emissions by 50 to 52 per cent by 2030. The U.S. carbon goal still falls 5 to 10 percentage points short of what's needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The environmental groups were disappointed that Biden didn't provide a timeline for phasing out the use of fossil fuels. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry has acknowledged scepticism from world leaders who questioned whether Biden's promises would endure.

© Ramachandran