The BitTorrent indices most important on the web have not had an easy time lately. Copyright copyright hawks keep blocking their access (a bit like banning a catalog), which causes a constant rotation of domains and servers, but for a while now an alternative has been under way to leave all that behind. The site is called Play, and its hosting depends on the ZeroNet network, which decentralizes its content and makes it impossible to close.
Media distribution is going through a truly heated phase, with new services, video streaming, copyright lawsuits, and the ever-present file-sharing networks working at full steam. The favorite targets of the authorities are the BitTorrent indices, which they accuse of being key participants in the download process, when in reality this is not the case. The people behind those indices have spent years jumping from one jurisdiction to another, changing servers and domains, only to pick up the race again at the first threat. More than once, the possibility of decentralizing the BitTorrent indices has been mentioned, backed by the same technology they support, and one of the most striking examples is the Play portal, available on the ZeroNet network.
The procedure for getting into Play is somewhat similar to using the Tor network. First, you have to download the ZeroNet client (the link is at the bottom of the article), unpack its contents into a temporary folder, and run the file with the .cmd extension. Right away, your default browser will open the main ZeroNet page, showing the number of peers serving the content without a server's intervention. In essence, Play is the first BitTorrent index available for the ZeroNet network, and once it is running (not before, otherwise the link will throw an error), all you need to do to enter is a single click here. Its interface design is somewhat reminiscent of Popcorn Time, but here there is no streaming, only magnet links tied to a specific version (720p, 1080p, etc.) of each film.
From a technical standpoint, ZeroNet is as anonymous as BitTorrent, and users have the option of hiding their IP address with the help of Tor (integrated into the Windows version) or a VPN, while privacy increases with a larger number of users serving the same page. Play's job ends once you have the magnet link (which should be opened by your favorite BitTorrent client), but I imagine it will be the first of many other portals. ZeroNet works with proven technologies (BitTorrent, Tor, Bitcoin encryption), so everything suggests that the sites on that network will be as indestructible as they seem.
