Popcorn time is history now. The project shut down in January 2022. But now there must be alternatives to Popcorn Time for you to use, right?
When free video streaming websites are successful, the usual thing is for many mirrors to pop up all around the web so that even when the original website goes offline, the mirrors remain around, using the same source code to stream illegal content.
That hasn’t happened with Popcorn Time. The app’s service is based on an engine that requires much more expertise than cloning a website. However, three clones appeared as an open-source project, but they haven’t gathered the momentum that made the original project famous.
And using Popcorn Time always entailed a risk. Firstly, torrenting copyrighted material is illegal almost everywhere, and some jurisdictions actively pursue this type of cybercrime. Second, some fake apps appeared over time, spreading malware.
The threat to users is real. In 2015, the German authorities managed to extract the IP addresses of the app’s users and had them face a legal process for illegally spreading copyrighted material.
Popcorn time is dead now, but BitTorrent is still around, and there are many other illegal video streaming websites on the internet. Depending on where you live, both activities risk you as a user. So, if you want to use BitTorrent or other video streaming websites safely, you must use a VPN for Popcorn Time and similar sites. Even if you’re using legal video streaming services, a VPN is still your friend because it can hide all your activities from the prying eyes of any third parties.
