TorrentFreak

{{short description|Blog on file sharing, copyright infringement, and digital rights}}

__NOTOC__

{{Infobox website

| name = TorrentFreak

| logo = TorrentFreak logo.svg

| logo_size = 80px

| screenshot = TorrentFreak home page screenshot.png

| caption = Screenshot of the site.

| url = {{URL|torrentfreak.com}}

| type = Blog

| language = English

| owner = Lennart Renkema PhD{{cite news |url=http://www.nrc.nl/opinie/article2215167.ece/Piraten_zijn_digitale_pioniers |last1=Pouwelse |first1=Johan |last2=Renkema |first2=Lennart |date=17 April 2009 |title=Piraten zijn digitale pioniers |language=nl |trans-title=Pirates are digital pioneers |newspaper=NRC Handelsblad |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-date=11 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911235911/http://www.nrc.nl/opinie/article2215167.ece/Piraten_zijn_digitale_pioniers |url-status=live }}

| author = Ernesto van der Sar
Andy Maxwell
Rickard Falkvinge
Ben Jones (modified WordPress)

| editor = Ernesto van der Sar

| revenue = Advertisements

| license = CC BY-NC 3.0 (text only){{cite web |title=Copyright |url=https://torrentfreak.com/copyright/ |website=TorrentFreak |access-date=27 October 2018 |archive-date=27 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027200527/https://torrentfreak.com/copyright/ |url-status=live }}

| launch_date = {{start date and age|df=yes|2005|11|12}}

}}

TorrentFreak (TF) is a blog dedicated to reporting the latest news and trends on the BitTorrent protocol and file sharing, as well as on copyright infringement and digital rights.

The website was started in November 2005 by a Dutchman using the pseudonym "Ernesto van der Sar".{{cite web |url=http://uscpwned.blogspot.com/2007/05/final-project-interview-2-ernesto-of.html|title=Pwned: Final Project Interview #2: Ernesto of TorrentFreak.com |date=14 May 2007 |last=Injijian |first=Allen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630095336/http://uscpwned.blogspot.com/2007/05/final-project-interview-2-ernesto-of.html |archive-date=30 June 2007 |access-date=7 October 2012 }}{{cite journal |journal=The Wall Street Journal |last=Smith |first=Ethan |last2=McBride |first2=Sarah |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121781125541508813 |title=Web Piracy: The Enemy Within? |date=4 August 2008 |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025061013/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121781125541508813 |url-status=live }} He was joined by Andy "Enigmax" Maxwell and Ben Jones in 2007.{{cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/about/|title=About TorrentFreak|access-date=14 June 2010|archive-date=27 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627032828/http://torrentfreak.com/about/|url-status=live}} Regular contributors include Rickard Falkvinge, founder of the Pirate Party.Profile. [https://torrentfreak.com/author/rick-falkvinge/ Rick Falkvinge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116142544/http://torrentfreak.com/author/rick-falkvinge/ |date=16 January 2013 }}, torrentfreak.com. The online publication eCommerceTimes, in 2009, described "Ernesto" as the pseudonym of Lennart Renkema, owner of TorrentFreak.{{cite web |url=http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67472.html |access-date=7 October 2012 |title=Pirate Bay Decides to Join the Navy |first=Renay |last=San Miguel |publisher=E-Commerce Times |date=30 June 2009 |archive-date=26 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026011541/http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67472.html |url-status=live }} TorrentFreak's text is free content under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial version 3.0 license.

Their lead researcher and community manager was the Pirate Party activist Andrew Norton, from 2007 to 2022.

TorrentFreak is incorporated in the Netherlands, with an office in Groningen and a mailing address in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Specialist areas

According to Canadian law scholar Michael Geist, TorrentFreak "is widely used as a source of original reporting on digital issues".{{cite web |url=http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4971/125/ |title=The 2009 Copyright Consultation: Setting the Record Straight |date=20 April 2010 |access-date=14 June 2010 |first=Michael |last=Geist |archive-date=27 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627090359/http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4971/125/ |url-status=dead }}

Frequent areas of reporting include:

The City of London's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit{{cite web|title=File-sharing site back up after copyright suspension|url=http://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/news/file-sharing-site-back-up-after-copyright-suspension-3943|access-date=23 December 2014|archive-date=23 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223132309/http://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/news/file-sharing-site-back-up-after-copyright-suspension-3943|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Dave|title=Police placing anti-piracy warning ads on illegal sites|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28523738|access-date=23 December 2014|date=29 July 2014|archive-date=3 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203014219/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28523738|url-status=live}}
United States Trade Representative and Notorious Markets reports{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Ted|title=U.S. Trade Representative Defends Pending Trade Pact After WikiLeaks Disclosure|url=https://variety.com/2013/biz/news/u-s-trade-representative-says-pending-pact-has-zero-to-do-with-sopa-1200838860/|access-date=2 January 2015|date=15 November 2013|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112054024/http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/u-s-trade-representative-says-pending-pact-has-zero-to-do-with-sopa-1200838860/|url-status=live}}
Anti-piracy web blocking{{cite news|last1=Cooke|first1=Chris|title=MPAA research bigs up UK web-blocking|url=http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/mpaa-research-bigs-up-uk-web-blocking/|access-date=23 December 2014|date=1 September 2014|archive-date=23 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223124149/http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/mpaa-research-bigs-up-uk-web-blocking/|url-status=live}}
Torrent tracker news{{cite news|last1=Knowles|first1=Jamillah|title=UK Pirate Party sees more than 1.8m visits in 24 hours after ISPs block The Pirate Bay website|url=https://thenextweb.com/uk/2012/05/18/uk-pirate-party-sees-more-than-1-8m-visits-in-24-hours-after-isps-block-the-pirate-bay-website/|access-date=2 January 2015|date=18 May 2012|archive-date=3 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103014930/http://thenextweb.com/uk/2012/05/18/uk-pirate-party-sees-more-than-1-8m-visits-in-24-hours-after-isps-block-the-pirate-bay-website/|url-status=live}}
VPN and seedbox reviews{{cite news|last1=Henry|first1=Alan|title=Five Best VPN Service Providers|url=http://lifehacker.com/5935863/five-best-vpn-service-providers|access-date=2 January 2015|date=23 March 2014|archive-date=1 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101080303/http://lifehacker.com/5935863/five-best-vpn-service-providers|url-status=live}}
File sharing website news
Copyright law news
Warez scene news

As well as other news affecting copyright, privacy, file sharing and adjacent topics.

= Editorial stance =

In a 2021 article, Andy Maxwell outlined TorrentFreak's editorial stance. He wrote: "As a publication entirely dedicated to reporting on copyright, piracy, torrent, and streaming sites (plus all things closely related), here at TorrentFreak we aim to tell all 'sides' of the story. We do not shy away from reports that show that piracy hurts sales and we have no problem publishing research projects that show completely the opposite. It's called balanced reporting and it hurts absolutely no one."{{Cite news |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |date=January 3, 2021 |title=Police Have a 'Secret Weapon' to Stop Fans Streaming Pirate TV For Free |work=TorrentFreak |url=https://torrentfreak.com/police-have-a-secret-weapon-to-stop-fans-streaming-pirate-tv-for-free-210103/ |access-date=February 3, 2023}}

History

On 17 August 2007, TorrentFreak reported that Comcast had begun throttling its upload bandwidth, specifically against BitTorrent users. This made seeding, which is an essential part of the BitTorrent protocol, effectively impossible.{{cite web |url=http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=132115 |title=Comcast Takes on TorrentFreak |first=Ryan |last=Lawler |date=21 August 2007 |access-date=14 June 2010 |publisher=Light Reading |archive-date=27 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027221933/http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=132115 |url-status=live }} It was later determined that Comcast was using Sandvine products, which implement network traffic shaping and policing, and include support for both blocking new and forcefully terminating established network connections. Comcast has denied these claims whenever they have been asked to comment. A guide, for customer service representatives when asked about Comcast's BitTorrent throttling, was leaked to The Consumerist on 26 October 2007.{{cite web |url=http://consumerist.com/consumer/leaks/comcasts-we-dont-throttle-bittorrent-internal-talking-points-memo-315791.php |title=Comcast's "We Don't Throttle BitTorrent" Internal Talking Points Memo |publisher=The Consumerist |date=26 October 2007 |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027093002/http://consumerist.com/consumer/leaks/comcasts-we-dont-throttle-bittorrent-internal-talking-points-memo-315791.php |archive-date=27 October 2007}}

In October 2008 through to March 2011, TorrentFreak ran a short lived video news service titled 'torrentfreak.tv', directed by Andrej Preston, founder of torrent site Suprnova made available for streaming and download on Mininova.{{cite news|last1=Ernesto|title=TorrentFreak TV Is Back!|url=http://torrentfreak.com/torrentfreak-tv-is-back/|access-date=2 January 2015|date=20 March 2011|archive-date=29 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029093635/https://torrentfreak.com/torrentfreak-tv-is-back/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Roettgers|first1=Janko|title=Suprnova.org: Former Pirate King Embraces Web Video|url=https://gigaom.com/2011/05/14/suprnova-torrent-site-web-video/|access-date=2 January 2015|date=14 May 2011|archive-date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028181754/https://gigaom.com/2011/05/14/suprnova-torrent-site-web-video/|url-status=live}}

On 21 August 2013, Comcast threatened TorrentFreak for writing about publicly available court documents.{{cite news|last1=Franceschi-Bicchierai|first1=Lorenzo|title=Comcast Threatens to Sue TorrentFreak for Copyright Infringement|url=http://mashable.com/2013/08/21/comcast-torrentfreak-copyright-infringement/|access-date=2 January 2015|date=21 August 2013|archive-date=3 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103005808/http://mashable.com/2013/08/21/comcast-torrentfreak-copyright-infringement/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Comcast Threatens to Sue TorrentFreak for Copyright Infringement (updated) |url=https://torrentfreak.com/comcast-threatens-to-sue-torrentfreak-for-copyright-infringement-130821/ |publisher=TorrentFreak |date=21 August 2013 |access-date=21 August 2013 |archive-date=21 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821112309/http://torrentfreak.com/comcast-threatens-to-sue-torrentfreak-for-copyright-infringement-130821/ |url-status=live }} The underlying document links a Comcast subscriber with the Prenda Law firm.{{cite web|title=Comcast Business Record Affidavit|url=https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Georgia_Northern_District_Court/2--12-cv-00262/AF_Holdings_LLC_v._Patel/61/15/|publisher=Docket Alarm, Inc.|access-date=21 August 2013|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002110/https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Georgia_Northern_District_Court/2--12-cv-00262/AF_Holdings_LLC_v._Patel/61/15/|url-status=live}} The court case where the document was filed was a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by AF Holdings for alleged infringement of an adult movie.{{cite web|title=Docket for AF Holdings, LLC v. Patel, 2:12-cv-00262, No. 1 (N.D.Ga.)|url=https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Georgia_Northern_District_Court/2--12-cv-00262/AF_Holdings_LLC_v._Patel/|publisher=Docket Alarm, Inc.|access-date=21 August 2013|archive-date=3 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103014729/https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Georgia_Northern_District_Court/2--12-cv-00262/AF_Holdings_LLC_v._Patel/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Complaint, AF Holdings, LLC v. Patel, 2:12-cv-00262, No. 1 (N.D.Ga. Nov. 2, 2012)|url=https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Georgia_Northern_District_Court/2--12-cv-00262/AF_Holdings_LLC_v._Patel/1/|publisher=Docket Alarm, Inc.|access-date=21 August 2013|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203004732/https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Georgia_Northern_District_Court/2--12-cv-00262/AF_Holdings_LLC_v._Patel/1/|url-status=live}}

In August 2013, Sky Broadband blocked the site for UK customers after torrent site EZTV pointed its DNS servers to TorrentFreak's IP address and, in July 2014, the site was blocked by the controversial Sky Broadband Shield parental filter system.{{cite news|last1=Shubber|first1=Kadhim|title=News site TorrentFreak 'blocked' by Sky's piracy filter|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-08/09/torrentfreak-blocked|access-date=23 December 2014|date=9 August 2013|archive-date=10 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410204808/https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-08/09/torrentfreak-blocked|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last1=Brewster|first1=Thomas|title=TorrentFreak News Site Blocked By Sky Porn Filter|url=http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/workspace/torrentfreak-blocked-by-sky-filter-135024#IBofIe5AmFVSk7bp.99|access-date=23 December 2014|date=6 January 2014|archive-date=23 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223124304/http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/workspace/torrentfreak-blocked-by-sky-filter-135024#IBofIe5AmFVSk7bp.99|url-status=live}}

References

External links

{{Official website|https://torrentfreak.com}}

Category:News websites

Category:File sharing communities

Category:BitTorrent

Category:Publications established in 2005

Category:Free-content websites

Category:Copyright infringement

Category:File sharing news sites