Torrent files are small files that contain information on how to download a larger file using BitTorrent protocol. The protocol, unlike HTTP/HTTPS, needs a torrent client for downloading the client.

The large majority of content found on BitTorrent is illegal, a new study out of the University of Ballarat in Australia has confirmed. Researchers from the university’s Internet Commerce Security ...

The Pirate Bay was made famous by its stand for unfettered file sharing, through torrents, and its fight to save the open internet. In a month, thepiratebay.org will remove all torrent files from its ...

The founder of popular Bit Torrent site IsoHunt, Gary Fung, has been ordered to remove the .torrent files for all infringing content—an order that could result in the site shutting down. US District ...

A lot of people like to download stuff from the Internet using torrents or Internet download managers because even if you turn your computer off, you can just pause your download and resume ...

No court has found the BitTorrent protocol inherently unlawful. But using BitTorrent to trade copyright-protected files will likely put you on the wrong side of the law. A Princeton study published ...

Just saying the word "BitTorrent" makes those at record labels and movie studios cringe, but honestly, it's not always used for nefarious purposes. The Internet Archive, which is a non-profit digital ...

Be careful with what you torrent. A new tool on the black market is helping hackers distribute malware through torrent files in exchange for a fee. On Tuesday, security researchers at InfoArmor said ...

Although a torrent file does not contain any actual media, it is illegal to upload such a file to a BitTorrent tracker if it points to so-called pirate content. That is the view of Nicholas Hall, a ...

Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh ...