# Is there a way to block uploading in utorrent?



## Scott-105 (Jul 16, 2010)

I'm not sure this is the right section but anyway...

So, I want to download some torrents, but I don't want to upload while I'm doing that. So my question is, can you block utorrent from uploading?


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## seahorsepip (Jul 16, 2010)

yea simple set upload speed to 0kb per sec(right click tray icon)
but servers will see that and lower your download speed...


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## ByteMunch (Jul 16, 2010)

You shouldn't block uploading, this is called "Leeching". It's freeloading, only taking and not giving back.

For you to download, others need to upload to you.

If uploading is blocked, no torrent applications will connect and upload to you, as they would get nothing in return.

So no, not without making your downloads hugely slow.


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## Scott-105 (Jul 16, 2010)

seahorsepip said:
			
		

> yea simple set upload speed to 0kb per sec(right click tray icon)
> but servers will see that and lower your download speed...


Ok, thanks.


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## seahorsepip (Jul 16, 2010)

SimpyDsi said:
			
		

> You shouldn't block uploading, this is called "Leeching". It's freeloading, only taking and not giving back.
> 
> For you to download, others need to upload to you.
> 
> ...


np


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## The Pi (Jul 16, 2010)

There are ways to do it, but don't, I getted really pissed of at leachers.

I always upload 100% for public stuff

for private trackers 200% sometimes more if there's a big file I want.


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## Scott-105 (Jul 16, 2010)

Blahhhh....I guess I'll have to upload because of slow downloads...I'm just afraid of downloading via torrents because of the people getting caught.


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## Rydian (Jul 16, 2010)

Downloading is still illegal.


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## Scott-105 (Jul 16, 2010)

I decided to not even download...I'm just gonna buy what I was going to pirate.


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## jefffisher (Jul 16, 2010)

if you don't want to get caught there are a few things you can do. the first being download fast and delete the torrent afterwords the shorter the time you are connected the shorter of time they have to catch you. i always seed 1:1 but i do it fast and then i'm gone.

you could also use a private tracker you are much less likely to be caught if the bad guys trying to catch you can't just download the torrent from anywhere, i'm not saying it's safe just safer.

also avoid stuff you're likely to be caught for almost everytime you'll  ever hear of anyone getting caught on bittorrent it was for a very popular new movie.

turning off upload it not only a dick move just taking from everyone else and not sharing back just isn't cool but it's also been proven not to work we all know it's only illegal to upload but the people who do the sueing don't care all they want is your ip if you are connected and one of the unfortunate one's they'll take your ip anyway you can get it and sue your pants off.

the final and most important thing to remember is not many people ever actually get in trouble you are more likely to die in a car crash anytime you get in a car that doesnt stop you from leaving the house don't let the fear of getting caught stop you from using bittorrent it's just so unlikely the fear is practically insane. just be safe.


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## Rydian (Jul 16, 2010)

jefffisher said:
			
		

> we all know it's only illegal to upload


No, it's illegal to download as well, it's just easier to prosecute for uploading and you can levy higher fines (which scares the public more).

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/usc..._sup_01_17.html
Actual US law.  It has much more bearing on what's illegal or not than what a ROM site tells you.


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## tk_saturn (Jul 16, 2010)

Even if you own a cart, it's still illegal to download a ROM of that cart. It's only legal if you dump the ROM yourself.


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## The Pi (Jul 16, 2010)

tk_saturn said:
			
		

> Even if you own a cart, it's still illegal to download a ROM of that cart. It's only legal if you dump the ROM yourself.


Even that's semi-legal


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## Originality (Jul 16, 2010)

Different places have different laws. In some places, it's illegal to ever be in possession of a ROM (to the point of making flashcarts semi-illegal). I know that the police force in the UK have been trained to spot flashcarts and PSP CFW in the interests of prosecuting piracy on the street. They have the powers to confiscate the flashcarts/PSPs and in some cases, even DS consoles too. I've not heard of it being actively enforced though. At least in the UK, it's supposed to be ok to create your own backups in the interests of preserving the game you legally purchased in the eventual case that it becomes unplayable (either through worn down contacts in carts or through scratches and damage on discs). As for downloading... more ISPs are starting to help the police track regular pirates through simply monitoring P2P transfers.

Once the ISP flags you as a pirate, there's little you can do to avoid being caught. For the methods that do exist, I'm of the opinion that pirates should never be helped/encouraged. Every pirate for her or (usually) himself.


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## kyohaku (Jan 8, 2013)

I hate leechers too, but in Canada downloading is perfectly legal, while uploading is now being *very* prosecuted under the new copyright law. 

The only other way I've heard of is to get a program that bounces your IP (usually $15/month) but at the same time that subjects you to international piracy/copyright acts.


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## Originality (Jan 8, 2013)

kyohaku said:


> I hate leechers too, but in Canada downloading is perfectly legal, while uploading is now being *very* prosecuted under the new copyright law.
> 
> The only other way I've heard of is to get a program that bounces your IP (usually $15/month) but at the same time that subjects you to international piracy/copyright acts.


Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen any talk on the legality of ROMs - and I was the last person to post in this thread - *two and a half years ago*. Thanks for the memories, and I'm sure your contribution will be appreciated by others down the Google spider-bot trail.

Whilst I'm not certain on this because I don't claim to be an expert, I believe I heard from several Canadian friends of mine that Canada's laws on electronic rights, copyrights, and intellectual property greatly lend from American laws. To that extent, both uploading and downloading are equally illegal. The main difference is that enforcement in Canada is famously softer than in America.

The program you refer to is either an IP mask (like PeerBlock) or a proxy, and neither of which should you ever have to pay for. If you do, you're being scammed (since they're proven not to be 100% effective anyway).

Otherwise, welcome to GBATemp.


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## Wizerzak (Jan 8, 2013)

Originality said:


> As for downloading... more ISPs are starting to help the police track regular pirates through simply monitoring P2P transfers.


You can be caught that easily even through a private tracker? I mean, they'd have to intercept the data and actually open it all up unless they were on the torrent too, surely?


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## Arras (Jan 8, 2013)

What I'm wondering about: I set up my uTorrent to block any non-encrypted connections. (not that anyone here ever gets prosecuted for piracy anyway, but to be on the safe side) Does that actually help or is it pretty much useless?


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## Originality (Jan 8, 2013)

To answer both questions, let me ask you this: how much obfuscation do you think there is in the world of P2P torrents?
(I'll also add a reminder, I'm no expert in data communication).

From the beginning, you get site requests. You have to access a site before you can download the tracker. Usually this includes search times to find the torrent you really want. Some use proxies to mask this.
Next there's the handshake for the tracker. This is where encrypted connections come into play - by exchanging the encryption key, it makes packet sniffing during the actual download much more difficult. This is also where you subscribe to the ruleset of public/private trackers, since they may do their checks (like the aforementioned seed rate).
Then there's the main transfer, fishing blocks from the cloud of seeders and leachers. Whilst this can be encrypted or redirected through proxies to conceal the contents, there is no way to hide this activity from the ISP. Most ISPs will throttle this data-type in order to "protect service quality for other customers". Some will even actively "farm" it to make it slower (this can include intentionally injecting false/corrupt packets).
Finally there's the hash checks on each section of the torrent. If the hash doesn't match, then the client will automatically renew the download ticket to replace the corrupted blocks.

That's a very simplistic view of it and there are a fair amount more processes involved. Now, how many ways are there that you can think of to find out what you're downloading if you're an ISP (or police investigating through an ISP agent) and have access to their logs?

Now to the nearest I can get to a real answer from my level of understanding on the topic: ... there's a reason why many internet users claim programs like "PeerBlock" do not work. They may mask your IP from those tracking unencrypted connection or trying to make a direct connection to your IP, but they will not hide your IP from your ISP. If your ISP knows, and they've publicly promised to fight illegal activities on the internet (like certain British ISPs have), then they will report you to the authorities. Again, there's more involved than that and people on the internet have made much more complete explanations on the topic than I have, but that's the gist of it.

That said, private trackers are safer than public trackers. More security, less information sharing, less bots squatting the seedbox to see what IPs they can track down in their area. This means less likely for monitoring agencies to find you and report you to the prosecuting agencies to submit requests to the ISPs for your information. i.e. You're only safe if you don't do it (and protect yourself from local WiFi bandits).
EDIT: Might as well elaborate that last point - you're never safe. Period.


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## YayMii (Jan 8, 2013)

What's your ISP? There's a few in Canada that simply don't care if you're uploading torrents.


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## Originality (Jan 9, 2013)

My ISP is PlusNet. They don't care what we do


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