Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
YouHaveDownloaded
Experimental web platform From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
YouHaveDownloaded was an experimental web-based platform launched in December 2011 that allowed users to enter an IP address and view a list of torrent files recently downloaded from that address. The site quickly gained international attention as a provocative demonstration of how publicly available BitTorrent network data could be used to expose users' online behaviour[1][2]
 | This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (July 2025) |
Remove ads
Functionality
The platform has been operated by collecting data from the public BitTorrent ecosystem, including: Distributed Hash Table (DHT) nodes and Public trackers.
The system matched IP addresses to .torrent files. It did not log actual file contents or timestamps, limited by known limitations: dynamic IP address reassignment, use of VPNs or proxies and carrier-grade NAT.
Despite these limitations, the system indexed over 50 million IP addresses, which was estimated to cover over 20 per cent of all global torrent activity at its peak.[3] The service ran on a single server and cost less than $300/month to operate.[4]
Remove ads
History
A small team of three developers led by Suren Ter-Saakov created the website.
"The whole thing started with a theoretical discussion I had with some friends about what is possible to track..."
— S.Ter-Saakov, KrebsOnSecurity[4]
Public Reception
The site attracted attention from users and media due to its exposure of IP-based torrent activity.[2][5] It was discussed on platforms such as Slashdot,[6][7] Reddit,[8] and others.[9][10]
Élysée Palace Incident
In one of the most high-profile incidents, journalists discovered that an IP address associated with the Élysée Palace, the residence of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared in the database. The IP was linked to downloads of music by The Beach Boys and several comedy films.[11] This was controversial, as the French government was a vocal proponent of anti-piracy legislation, including the HADOPI law.[12][13]
U.S. Congressional Offices Incident
In early 2012, media coverage revealed that IP addresses linked to U.S. Congressional offices appeared in public torrent activity datasets, including stations indexed by YouHaveDownloaded.com. The reports suggested these addresses were associated with downloads of copyrighted content.[14] The incident raised questions given lawmakers' roles in drafting anti-piracy legislation.[15][16]
Legacy
The site went offline in 2012 but was referenced in discussions about internet privacy, surveillance, and peer-to-peer transparency.[5][2][14]
Similar platforms appeared after YouHaveDownloaded.com, also providing torrent activity linked to IP addresses based on public BitTorrent data.[17] Discussions on forums like HiFiVision and WildersSecurity further confirm ongoing indexing efforts of IP‑torrent mapping derived from public trackers and DHT networks.[18][19]
Remove ads
See also
External links
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads