ExtraTorrent, the decade old torrent website, closed down on May 17, 2017. As TorrentFreak reports, ExtraTorrent shut down permanently with all mirrors offline. The operator, SaM, admitted that the ExtraTorrent shut down was final. However, less than a week after ceasing operations, ExtraTorrent is back online under a different domain, ExtraTorrent.cd. According to Digital Music News, the resurrected ExtraTorrent remains an apparent replica of its predecessor. A glance proves offers the familiar blue and white color scheme as well as recognizable ExtraTorrent logo. But digging deeper, the new ExtraTorrent iteration is a the Pirate Bay mirror. [Read: Install Cardigann using Docker - Additional BitTorrent Providers]
Features previously found on ExtraTorrent including FAQ areas and forums are absent. What matters most though is that torrents look healthy. Perusing the various torrent categories reveals heavy seeding.
ExtraTorrent shut down: The bigger picture
Goodbye Message On Extratorrent.cc.
Oddly, the fresh ExtraTorrent.cd comes after a message by SaM to "Stay away from fake ExtraTorrent websites and clones." Indeed, this is a clone but a reliable duplicate cobbled together with community collaboration. Well, as reliable as a torrent website can be. However, there's a trend of file sharing and illicit streaming sites going offline. While this sometimes derives from outside influences, ExtraTorrent.cc closed because of internal reasons. Similarly, one of the oldest and most popular Kodi addons, Navi-X, shut down for legal reasons. [Read: Install Transmission using Docker - BitTorrent Download Client]
Extratorrent.cd, The Successor To Extratorrent.cc.
With a crackdown on illegal Kodi boxes, addons providing illicit content are targeted at higher rates by Internet service providers (ISPs). Quick PSA: Kodi is completely legal and neutral. Only certain addons provide access to illegal streaming content. Organizations including professional football (soccer for North American readers) association the Premier Leauge teamed up with ISPs to take down those hosting illegal streams. Then e-commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay banned the sales of illicit Kodi boxes. Many addons for Kodi offer streaming content for movies, TV shows, and live TV, as well as sports content for streaming NFL football and college football games. [Read: 10 Best legal Kodi streaming boxes - Best Kodi box 2017]
What the Navi-X and ExtraTorrent shutdowns prove is that it's not simply direct lawsuits or action which close sites that may provide illicit content. Rather, the legal climate itself directly impacts the ability to function.
Legal crackdown: Looking ahead
Though ExtraTorrent lives on as a TPB mirror with an ExtraTorrent skin, it's unlikely Navi-X will reappear. Still, don't panic. Torrenting appears alive and well. Certain torrents available on The Pirate Bay hit their teen years in March 2017. Plus, a torrent of The Smurfs 2 movie cropped up which seems to be a 4K UHD Blu-Ray rip. This is momentous as it suggests that the next generation copy protection AACS 2.0 has been cracked. Considering its abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score, it's probably the only history The Smurfs 2 will make. Why anyone would download this is as much as mystery as the AACS 2.0 circumvention.
I am a staff writer at SmartHomeBeginner, and a freelance writer with a focus on tech media. I run Cup Of Moe and have been featured in Electromaker, MakeUseOf, The Penny Hoarder, TechBeacon, Cliqist, Bubbleblabber, DZone, and EpicStream. As an HTPC enthusiast, I'm quite fond of my Plex server and enjoy playing with my Raspberry Pi. When I'm not hammering away at my keyboard, I can be found drinking far too much coffee, running, and listening to vinyl.
Deployarr 5 Released!
Automate Homelab Setup with Deployarr. (Launch Sale)
