Still using BitTorrent to exclusively download legally acquired content such as operating system images or files you want to share privately with friends? If so, you might want to double-check your security settings to protect yourself from what researchers at Google's Project Zero are calling a "low complexity hack" affecting Transmission and other popular BitTorrent clients. The flaw could leave your computer vulnerable to control by malicious hackers, but you can protect yourself by following a few steps until official fixes are in place.

Back in August, Creative Content Australia (CCA) launched their ‘Price of Piracy’ campaign, which aims to shed light on the issue of using torrent and streaming websites to illegally access content. Specifically, it wants to highlight the inherent risk users put themselves in when accessing these sites.

This campaign is the biggest anti-piracy push in Australia's history - but are scare campaigns really the right way to prevent people from downloading? And how do the facts and figures actually stack up?

The recent online piracy debate in Australian courtrooms has raised many questions about how consumers are being monitored. Just what sort of trail do you leave behind when you use technology to access illegal copies of movies and other copyrighted material?

The Federal Court has ordered Australian internet service providers to block access to Kickass Torrents websites. The order comes at the behest of several major music labels who have been pushing for the blocks in court since April last year.

ISPs now have 15 days to comply with the order. Of course, none of this really matters if you know how to get around a DNS block.

Bittorrent users are looking for ways to hide their identities from the outside world. Even the less concerned among them are now thinking about their privacy as the threat of online surveillance grows, and Australian ISPs are blocking torrent sites left right and centre. So once you do get your hands on those torrents, how do you download them without broadcasting your actions to the world?

Not all virtual private networks (VPNs) are created equal. Some keep logs, some cap your traffic, some don't work on mobile, some don't work at all. This is what you need to know about choosing a VPN provider, as well as a few recommendations to get you started.

The Federal Court has finally ordered Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to start blocking access to popular torrenting sites; including The Pirate Bay, TorrentHound and SolarMovie. In around a fortnight it will be much more difficult for the average person to access these sites and others like them in Australia.

With that in mind, we think it's worth revisiting the original court documents that reveal the sites, services and URLs that Foxtel and Village Roadshow are seeking to block in Australia. Here is the full list along with the reasoning behind the ban.

The Australian Federal Court ruled today that TPG, Optus, Telstra and other internet service providers (ISPs) must take “reasonable steps” to stop customers accessing file-sharing websites The Pirate Bay, IsoHunt, TorrentHound and Torrentz.

On February 10 2017, audiences around the world will be sitting down in cinemas to watch the much anticipated LEGO: Batman movie. 48 days later, Australians can do the same. Wait, what?

A day and a half -- or less. That's how long there is until Amazon's new show The Grand Tour comes out, streaming on Amazon Prime. When do we get it in Australia? Not for at least another couple of weeks.

Two months -- or more. That's how long there is until the BBC's visually stunning Planet Earth II airs in Australia, on standard definition free-to-air TV.

I want to watch both these shows, a lot. But I can't. Unless I pirate them, or use a VPN.

There are more BitTorrent clients than we could possibly compare, but some of the most popular -- and best -- have been under the spotlight lately for sleazy ads and bad behaviour. It's time to check in on a few of our favourites to see how they fare, which deserves your downloads and which ones you can trust.

Android/Web: BitTorrent has launched a new app for streaming media, BitTorrent Now. The app works something like a Netflix and Spotify combo by streaming both video and audio, but without label backing, the selection's a bit limited.

Foxtel and other rights holders have backed away from a proposed scheme that would have seen alleged pirates dragged to court after receiving three warning letters for copyright infringement. Once again, the fly in the ointment was money, with negotiations breaking down over who would foot the bill for the scheme -- copyright holders or ISPs. Will the industry ever learn?

HBO is finally beginning to mobilise against Game Of Thrones pirates with thousands of copyright infringement warnings sent to people suspected of illegally downloading the show. They have also been supplying internet service providers with the IP-addresses of BitTorrent users. Here's what you need to know.

I should have seen it coming. I mean, to a certain extent I did see it coming. I’m talking, of course, about the ‘entitlement’ argument. Because, in case you haven’t had it hammered into you via years of millennial ‘think’ pieces about everything from house prices to education, everyone born between 1980 and five minutes ago is "entitled".

Several major music labels are seeking to block Australians from accessing piracy website Kickass Torrents in the latest use of website-blocking legislation introduced last year. If the music bigwigs get their way, Telstra, Optus, TPG and other providers would be forced to block access to the piracy facilitating website. Here's what you need to know.

Windows: Transmission is one of our favourite BitTorrent clients that has unfortunately been limited to Mac and Linux users for a long time. Now, it's finally available for Windows.

Piracy is inevitable. But a torrent doesn't appear out of thin air. There's a person at the start of that process, an individual who decides to share a game or movie with the world for free. I've talked with a few of them, and here's what they had to say.

Sometimes when you're on the go, you want to start your home PC downloading a torrent to be ready for you when you get home. Thanks to cloud storage powerhouse Dropbox, the solution is simpler than you may think.