(Opinion) OpenVPN CEO: “Choose a VPN That Doesn’t Allow BitTorrent”

[Matrix]

OpenVPN is one of the biggest names in the VPN industry. Many providers use the trusted protocol and open source software which have been around for nearly two decades. Despite the good reputation, OpenVPN Inc's CEO came out with a rather surprising statement this week, stressing that it's "essential to choose a VPN that doesn’t allow the use of BitTorrent."

With privacy scandals and security breaches dominating news headlines, more and more people are signing up with a VPN service.

A properly configured VPN hides people’s IP-addresses from online snoopers and state of the art encryption also protects against some malicious attacks.

While that sound like a good idea, there’s a catch. In return for this protection, all your traffic is routed through the VPN provider, which means that you’re putting a lot of trust in the company.

We have addressed this issue in the past and were happy to see that it was also highlighted by Francis Dinha, the CEO of OpenVPN Inc, which owns the software which many VPN services rely on.

Dinha rightfully points out that picking the right VPN requires some careful thought. This was also one of the reasons why we previously began compiling our yearly overview of various VPN policies.

As we read further, however, the advice goes in an unexpected direction. Many people believe that VPNs are supposed to be content-neutral, but Dinha warns against using a VPN with BitTorrent and the dark web.

“Use of the wrong VPN to go through BitTorrent and access the dark web just to get to ‘free’ content exposes you to bad actors who can extract value out of whatever you’re receiving in other ways,” he writes in a Forbes piece.

“Such practices put you at risk of running afoul of piracy, copyright violation and fraud laws. Unrestricted access also exposes you to malware and viruses and a lack of protection entirely from the risks in the dark web.”

We fail to see how BitTorrent is linked to the dark web. It is nothing more than a file-transfer protocol, after all. And even if it is somehow related, what has that got to do with a VPN?

It’s not a secret that BitTorrent has a piracy stigma. And it makes sense to advise people not to break the law, with or without a VPN, but Dinha goes quite a few steps further. In the article, he recommends that people use a VPN that blocks BitTorrent traffic.

“For all these reasons, it’s essential to choose a VPN that doesn’t allow the use of BitTorrent and follows all applicable United States laws. It’s the only way to protect yourself against liability,” he stresses.

So, for some reason, a VPN that allows BitTorrent traffic causes liability issues? That’s a bit far-fetched, to say the least, because all regular ISPs allow BitTorrent traffic just fine. And for a good reason.

BitTorrent has plenty of legal use cases and companies including Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter all use it internally. If the Comcasts, Bells, and Virgin Medias of this world don’t block it, why should a VPN?

Calling for a BitTorrent ban isn’t very open for a company that’s called OpenVPN, and it remains a mystery why and how that might shield users from “liability.” Perhaps it’s a PR plug for OpenVPN’s own VPN service PrivateTunnel?

Well, that brings us to a rather ironic situation.

Considering the comments from OpenVPN’s CEO, we would expect PrivateTunnel to ban all BitTorrent traffic outright. However, when we asked the VPN’s support desk we were informed that P2P ‘blocking’ rules are not enabled in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Hmmm…

Anyway, those who prefer a more open VPN that allows all traffic, just like their regular ISP, can find a long list of BitTorrent-friendly VPNs here.

 

source

[steven36]

Even though i use a service  that will let me download from  BitTorrent even if it is blocked i rather use a vpn that allows  BitTorrent because my ISP dont block it ..In the USA BitTorrent is not illegal  downloading copyright protected stuff is . I have used a vpn before didn't  alow BitTorrent before and it didn't prevent me from downloading anything I hardly  used BitTorrent   in years but i can download from it anyway .  Any Vpn I seen that blocked BitTorrent they not block Tor witch is used for the darknet this guy is delusional there are not even many torrent sites on the darknet yet, but Facebook is on the darknet ,  In countries that dont allow freedom of speech  if they didn't have the darknet it could be a matter of life or death .

 

Sounds like this guy is  like the rest of the world and takes  his internet freedoms for granted  . And fk TF ,  they get paid for recommending VPNs  they had some before on that list that helped the FBI. TF is not our friend they the enemy .. They  make the Government aware of piracy trends  and  then your wonder why you sources vanish . One guy use go on there use to talk about using  zeronet vanished and never was seen again. 

[Rekkio]

What this CEOs says is dead wrong, for a VPN not to allow BitTorrent they would first need to monitor your usage and check if you're using P2P protocols. So, if they monitor your traffic what's the point of the VPN?

 

VPNs are supposed to be encrypted tunnels and that's all. People should be able to do whatever they want and use whatever protocol they like inside of it. Then users can choose for themselves whether to use P2P or not on the tunnel instead of going for enforced limitations.

 

I would go as far as saying he's retarded, how cans a supposed 'CEO' not know anything about the law? BitTorrent is nothing more than a method of communication / protocol. He's basically telling people to stop speaking English because criminals might speak it too.

 

Why this CEO doesn't just tell people to avoid using P2P and let be responsible for themselves is beyond logic.

He basically wants to force his own 'correct' behavior on you because it's 'for your safety' (like a govt that wants to keep you 'safe').

 

I choose a VPN that allows BitTorrent and I don't see any problem, I decide on my own whether use P2P during 'critical' schedules.

[straycat19]

It's all a matter of privacy.  VPNs aren't the magical hiding place for criminals of any type since it is very easy to get your real IP from the VPN provider as I have explained several times before, even if they don't keep logs. The only reason you would be totally safe behind a VPN is if you are so insignificant that no one cares what you are doing.   There have been more privacy issues floated in the last 10 months, such as the tracking of fitness watches and other types of tech watches.  And cell phone tracking has been known for years, though the only sure way to keep your cell phone from being tracked has been eliminated by the use of non removable batteries.  So the use of a faraday bag/case is mandatory if you don't want to be tracked.  We even have them for tablets and laptops.  Just resolve yourself to the fact that if you use tech, and don't take extraordinary precautions, you can be easily tracked.  Even local law enforcement now has the capability to track your cell phone within 1 meter (39 inches) via 911.

 

[steven36]

On 10/22/2018 at 6:26 PM, straycat19 said:

It's all a matter of privacy.  VPNs aren't the magical hiding place for criminals of any type since it is very easy to get your real IP from the VPN provider as I have explained several times before, even if they don't keep logs. The only reason you would be totally safe behind a VPN is if you are so insignificant that no one cares what you are doing.   There have been more privacy issues floated in the last 10 months, such as the tracking of fitness watches and other types of tech watches.  And cell phone tracking has been known for years, though the only sure way to keep your cell phone from being tracked has been eliminated by the use of non removable batteries.  So the use of a faraday bag/case is mandatory if you don't want to be tracked.  We even have them for tablets and laptops.  Just resolve yourself to the fact that if you use tech, and don't take extraordinary precautions, you can be easily tracked.  Even local law enforcement now has the capability to track your cell phone within 1 meter (39 inches) via 911.

 

This is Fileshareing News its not even about being totally safe behind a vpn . Its about not getting a warning from you're ISP because of BitTorrent trolls motoring your peer to peer client IP witch is not 100% safe unless you use a kill switch ,also its about bypassing ISP blocks  in other countries . Its not about trying to evade the Government even  . as far as a phone being tracked that's still at  a Big Tech  and Government level not at and ISP level . Downloading is just a civil matter.