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be safe when downloading torrenting The biggest dangers of downloading/uploading torrent files without a VPN or proxy. It’s common knowledge that torrents are by far the most effective and fastest way to download content from the internet. The files downloaded are basically maintained by various users who , upload or download those files, often simultaneously. There’s normally a community consensus with regard to the health of specific torrent files. Apart from using all kinds of torrent clients, people also use various proxy and VPN services, for instance, a limetorrents proxy etc., for anonymizing their torrent-related activities. This is because there are major risks involved in downloading or uploading torrents in the absence of a VPN or a proxy service. Let’s go through some of the biggest dangers of this kind below. Legal issues. By far the biggest risk of downloading/uploading torrents is that majority of the content under consideration is copyrighted material. Hence, you may possibly get entangled in legal issues, if you don’t properly hide your identity. It’s no that torrent users are constantly under the watch of different surveillance agencies these days. In fact, ISPs also monitor them on a regular basis. Any trace of downloading illegal torrent files or copyrighted material can lead to legal consequences. The resultant legal actions may include issuance of DMCA-like notices, cancellation of ISP’s license and imposition of huge fines. Malware-related risks. Counted amongst the most commonly faced risks by the torrent users, malware has become a major issue for torrent-loving people over a period of time. Normally, you won’t even get to know that the file you’ve just downloaded consists of a virus. Infecting your computer with any such viruses may even possibly lead to a complete shutdown. The best way to counter this problem is by always scanning the files after their download, using some trusted antivirus software. Apart from that, many trackers also regularly filter and remove any torrent files that seem to be having viruses or malicious matter. Data compromises. Another major concern while using P2P file mechanisms such as torrents is data compromise. You may unknowingly grant and authorise access to your critical personal or business data. Such critical data may include employee details, company’s stakeholder details, organisational policies, banking details and more. This is all the most likely to happen if the person downloading the torrent file, stores it at the same location as the other critical files. That’s also the reason why you should always maintain a separate folder for your torrent downloads/uploads. Vulnerability to hacking attempts. It’s a commonly known fact that even if you download one torrent, you expose yourself to the risk of hacking attempts. Although P2P may not necessarily expose you to any direct threats, there is always a possibility of granting unauthorised access to your data, exposing yourself to online hack attacks. Whenever you share, upload or download a torrent file, the hackers get active and may possibly collect information about your online activities. Thereafter, they may use such data to their advantage. **NewsWatch does not endorse or promote illegally downloading copyrighted material through Torrent Files. Torrent file downloads should only be used for legal downloads. Is Ivacy a Safe Choice for Torrenting? Yes, Ivacy is a safe choice for torrenting for a variety of reasons including strong privacy policy, fast speeds, and features like kill switch as highlighted below. Updated: April 15, 2021. Ivacy is a VPN of many qualities. It offers decent features for boosting a user’s online privacy, unblock censored , as well as the ability to download torrents securely. In this guide, I’m going to focus on the key strengths of Ivacy when it comes to torrenting and evaluate whether it is a safe choice for users who want to unblock and download torrents safely. How to Use Ivacy to Download Torrents. If you’re using Ivacy, follow the steps below to bypass torrent sites: . Download and install the VPN on your device and launch the app. Connect to a p2p-friendly server location such as Netherlands, Switzerland, or Spain. Wait for the connection to establish itself (Ivacy will display your new IP address once connected). Enable the kill switch . Visit a torrenting and start downloading. With these steps, you can easily unblock torrents with Ivacy. However, if you are encountering troubles and it’s been less than 30 days since you purchased Ivacy, you can claim your refund. See this article for instructions about cancelling Ivacy. Why Ivacy is Good for Torrent. There’s more than one reason why Ivacy is a good choice for downloading torrents safely: Torrent support: Unlike many other providers, Ivacy offers enough servers in safe locations to enable safe downloading of torrent files. Ivacy supports all popular BitTorrent clients like uTorrent and has a strong ability to unblock torrent websites. If you experience any connectivity issues with this VPN, see the guide about Ivacy not working for help. Logging policy: In order for any VPN to be worth your time, the logging policy has to be pristine. Ivacy does not log your online activities, IP address, or any data that can be associate your activities to you. Here’s the opening privacy statement on Ivacy’s privacy policy page: Since torrenting is a sensitive activity which is outlawed in many countries, it is imperative that the VPN you’re using doesn’t log any private information about. Ivacy is great in this regard with its privacy-focused logging policy that makes torrenting safe and secure. Speed: Ivacy also doesn’t let down when it comes to speeds. Testing the VPN on a 100 Mbps connection while connected to a US server, Ivacy delivered 80 Mbps. This is one of the deciding factors that makes Ivacy a superior choice for torrenting. Our speed tests found that Ivacy generally maintains high speeds across its network: Kill switch: Ivacy is equipped with a kill switch which immediately cuts off your internet access in case the Ivacy connection drops for any reason. This intervention prevents your information from leaking to the web accidentally, ensuring that your traffic remains always safe and secure. Split-tunneling: Ivacy also offers split-tunneling feature by which you can choose the apps/programs you want to use independently of the VPN and apps that you want to be using the VPN. For instance, you can set uTorrent’s data packets to travel through Ivacy VPN while leave some other less privacy- sensitive app such as a online video game unaffected by the VPN. Pricing: Ivacy is one of the more reasonably priced VPNs out there. You can get it for $1/mo . If you’d rather not purchase the full subscription yet, you can get the Ivacy free trial. This same free trial puts Ivacy on our list for the best free VPNs for torrenting. Learn more about Ivacy and other free VPN providers in the best free VPNs for torrent in 2021. Every Ivacy subscription comes with 5 multi-logins, allowing users to connect multiple devices at the same time. For instance, you can install Ivacy on Fire stick, Kodi, and even configure it on Roku. Final Thoughts. There’s no doubt that Ivacy is a powerful VPN for torrenting. It offers both speed and security, which are the two most important factors for downloading torrents smoothly without compromising your safety. You can learn more about this VPN in our detailed Ivacy review. Have you tried torrenting with IPVanish? What was your experience like? Leave your thoughts with us in the comment below! Osama Tahir. Author. Osama Tahir's Biography : Osama is a staunch believer in the inalienable right of every citizen to freedom of expression. Writing about online privacy and security without regard to political correctness is his answer to the powers that be threatening our freedom. Deeply curious about Nature and the Universe, he is fascinated by science, intrigued by mathematics, and wishes to play guitar like Buckethead in some alternate version of reality. Is Torrenting Illegal in 2021? Can the Gov’t Crack Down on P2P? Anyone who knows their way around the internet realizes that snagging a movie or pricey software bundle at no cost is only a torrent away. That presents more than a moral dilemma. There is also online safety to consider and whether torrenting will draw attention from the authorities. First of all, the activity of torrenting is not inherently illegal. The technology is simply a way to share content online. Where you can get into trouble is hosting, downloading or distributing protected files. That includes most popular movies, music and software. If you do that, you’ve stolen something as surely as if you walked into the local Walmart and sprinted out moments later with DVDs falling out of your pockets with a security guard in half-hearted pursuit. As to whether it’s safe and the likelihood of getting caught, the answers are “not completely” and “there’s a chance.” Let’s talk about torrenting a bit before we see how legal or illegal it is. If you’re currently having trouble accessing P2P sites, you may want to check out our article on how to unblock torrent sites. The Torrenting Process. Torrenting differs from regular downloading in one critical way. Rather than pulling an entire file from a single server, torrenting — also called bittorrenting — uses a peer-to-peer file sharing approach in which specialized software grabs small pieces of the file from dozens, maybe hundreds, of computers all over the world and assembles them into a full version. A lack of centralized servers makes it hard to find and shut down any single host computer involved in criminal activity, but there are also legitimate reasons to use the P2P protocol, One is that the process can be faster than direct downloading, without overburdening servers. Despite it being synonymous with copyright violations, the bottom line is that simply using a P2P network does not make you a criminal. We’re going to detail how President Bill Clinton’s signature on the Digital Millennium changed the copyright landscape in 1998. The legislation gave copyright holders, often music labels and film studios, a legal strategy with which to successfully pursue lawsuits against torrent operators, users and, sometimes, innocent bystanders. Legal Problems for Torrenters. Whether engaged in illegal activity or not, the fact that so many lawsuits have targeted torrenting might make you rethink the wisdom of using a P2P network. Copyright holders have been relentless in pursuing actual and perceived violators with varying degrees of success. The Hosts. Sometimes, torrenting operations try to take refuge behind the idea that copyright violation complaints should be targeted at users. Operators have long claimed to be nothing more than innocent cloud storage providers. One case involved Hotfile, a popular file-sharing website in 2011, against which a group of major film studios filed a lawsuit. At the time of filing, the defendant had received more than 10 million takedown notices for hosted content, but paid little attention. Too much money was at stake. With thousands of users receiving at least three takedown notices, it was difficult for the service to argue that it had implemented a strict “repeat infringer” policy. The day before a jury trial was set to begin, Hotfile settled the case for $80 million. Megaupload and Grooveshark were two more renegade torrent services targeted in the aftermath of the DMCA (read our guide to what Megaupload is). The Innocent Bystander. There are also examples of people getting caught in their internet service provider’s rush to turn over account information related to the IP addresses of alleged pirates — except many weren’t customers when the copyright violations occurred. Since IP addresses are recycled from departing to arriving customers, it seems to be a case of simple misfortune, not bad behavior. A Minnesota woman was one such case, when the prevailing anti-piracy strategy included lawsuits against individuals instead of file hosts. After downloading 1,700 songs illegally, her error in judgment in rejecting a $4,500 settlement offer was followed by a court judgment against her that started at a $1.5 million fine and ultimately landed at $220,000. The Artful Dodger. No entity has enjoyed (suffered) more time in the torrenting limelight than . Founded in 2003, this file sharing champ has racked up millions of dollars in default judgments to date and jail time for it founders due to copyright infringements, though it seems to have no intention of paying and the website continues to operate. It is, however, being chased from server farm to server farm, while colleague KickassTorrents has been shut down completely. All this seems to do is encourage alternative torrent sites to spring up, so this fight is far from over. Stay Safe While Torrenting. If you torrent with a standard connection, it’s easy for others to track you through your IP address. In addition to potential legal action from copyright holders, ISPs have been sending warning letters to customers who visit torrenting sites and may even throttle connection speed as punishment. If you plan to take the plunge and wonder if there is a safe way to do it, we’d advise you to go with a liberal interpretation of the word “safe.” You could use a , which is still legal, though for how long is anyone’s guess (read our best VPN for torrenting article). Another option is to use cloud torrenting, which seems fairly promising. However, even then a VPN is a smart investment. A provider creates an encrypted data connection that, for all practical purposes, renders your location invisible to anyone trying to snoop. The trick is to find a VPN provider that doesn’t log activity and is located outside the participating countries in the Five Eyes: the U.S., U.K., New Zealand, Australia and . Final Thoughts. With the act of visiting a torrenting website considered suspicious behavior, proceed at your own risk. Copyright violations can result in serious fines and imprisonment, though in general the threats are worse than reality. That said, you never know when you’ll become the rule rather than the exception. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on new releases and more. If you want to explore the world of VPNs a bit further, check out our article on the best VPN options. Do you have thoughts on or experiences with torrenting? We’d love to hear them in the comments below. Thanks for reading. 12 essential tips on how to torrent safely. Are you downloading torrents frequently? Then, you must read the tips listed below on how to torrent safely ! As you probably know, the torrent P2P protocol (BitTorrent) is a file-sharing technology that provides users with access to virtually unlimited content. This protocol is one of the most popular for peer-to-peer torrent file sharing in the world. Torrenting is almost entirely decentralized, except for trackers that enable users to search and download magnet links and p2p files. Magnet links and torrent files are used to find users on the network who host the needed files, although they don’t host those files. Torrent users do, however, face many security threats each time they download or share a file , and before you start torrenting, you should take the time to learn how to torrent safely. Table of Contents. Are torrents legal? Yes, BitTorrent file-sharing technology is legal . Although the technology is legitimate, how you use it might not be. Whether P2P downloads are illegal or legal depends on which files are being downloaded, who holds the rights reserved to these files, and where you are located. Different laws apply to different countries regarding torrent file sharing and copyright issues. If a user chooses to download files that are copyright protected, whether or not it is illegal will depend on the country’s laws. Tips on how to torrent safely. The tips below will show you how to torrent safely. Tip #1 – Take care when choosing your torrent client. Torrent clients range from the simple, straightforward to the extremely powerful. Many clients, e.g., , have extra features, including add-ons, plugins, and additional functionality. These features do, however, often mean that performance and security are sacrificed. The more popular p2p clients such as Vuze, BitTorrent, and uTorrent are monetizing the software through embedded software, advertisements, and ‘pro,’ paid-for versions. This can have detrimental effects as was the case when uTorrent installed bitcoin mining software without its users being aware, or have given their consent. Before deciding on which client to use, make sure that you really want all the extra features, or whether a secure, lightweight, and open-source solution will work just as well for you. This was the first tip on how to torrent safely. Tip #2 – Ensure maximum privacy by configuring your torrent software properly. When you’re learning how to safely torrent, one of the steps you need to take is to use a VPN or a proxy, or both. If you use a VPN-only option, you don’t need to do any configuring. Connect to the VPN server, open the torrent client, and start torrenting. You might want to check the IP address of the torrent when the VPN is used for the first time to ensure that everything is working as it should. If you are using a Proxy service, it takes 5 minutes to configure when you use it for the first time, but the p2p client will save these settings and apply them whenever you use the p2p/torrent software. If you use a VPN plus a Proxy, it will give you the best possible protection, and this is a good option for those who are very conscious of privacy. Tip #3 – Use a VPN or proxy that does not log your activities. To hide their internet activity from an ISP (Internet Service Provider), p2p users often use virtual private networks (VPNs), or proxy services to protect their torrent traffic. Using a VPN while torrenting is legal! As VPNs can be used for a wide range of applications, some are more suitable for torrenting than others. Beware of the VPN disadvantages and always select a VPN that: It does not log your activity. It is fast enough not to slow down streaming content. It is not based in a country where customer records can be demanded legally . Here are several VPN services that you may use for safe torrenting: NordVPN, Private Internet Access, ExpressVPN. Tip #4 – Avoid IP Leaks. Vulnerabilities are exposed to VPN software all the time. Some affect entire VPN protocols, while others affect specific providers. The main issue related to torrenting is getting your real IP address exposed while connected to VPN and get the torrent traffic associated with your location. To minimize your risk, do the following: Update your VPN software as soon as a new update is released. Install a VPN Kill Switch – this will kill your internet connection as soon as the VPN drops and protect your real IP address. Use a site such as IPLeak.net to check for IP address leaks. Tip #5 – Use a good antivirus program that includes live monitoring. The 5th tip on how to torrent safely: Installing a good antivirus will help you detect malicious scripts when you browse dangerous sites. Many of these, including Mcafee, Avast, Bitdefender and AVG, have live monitoring that warns you before accessing a website that’s known or suspected to be dangerous. Tip #6 – Use a that does not track your details. tracks every search you make and tracks you through browser cookies. For private searches, use an anonymous search engine such as DuckDuckGo. Tip #7 – Make sure your web history stays private. Your web history is NOT private when you switch on Incognito Mode in Chrome or mode in Firefox. Google is still able to track your search history, even if you are connected to a VPN server. ISPs also track your web history if your Internet connection uses their DNS servers (it is always a good idea to use no logs DNS servers). These leaks can be prevented by using the Browser for browsing the internet anonymously. Tip #8 – Choose torrents carefully and avoid “hot” items. When figuring out how to harmlessly download torrents, don’t use the most popular torrents on KickassTorrents and ThePirateBay, as these are closely monitored by copyright trolls. Don’t use unpopular torrents as there is probably a reason why they are not used often. Avoid hot items, such as movies or anything else that has been released recently. Additionally, you may use a solution that filters “dangerous” IP addresses (the ones uses to spread malware, spyware, etc.), like Peerblock. Tip #9 – Read all the comments on a torrent before downloading it. If copyright holders are monitoring a torrent, you will often find comments on it, mentioning that a user received a letter when downloading a specific torrent. One of the first rules on how to securely download a torrent is not to download that torrent ! Look for comments that say things like “Great quality” or “I will seed.” That is some indication that there are no problems with that torrent. Tip #10 – Never download installable or executable files. A torrent file can harm your computer and it may steal your private data. P2P files that install software on your PC by using a .bat or.exe file are the most dangerous. Your infection risk is likely to drop by as much as 90% if you don’t install these files from a p2p site. Although scripts can be embedded in other file types such as PDF and some video formats, this happens less often, and these file types usually are less dangerous. Also, be careful of FLV files (flash video). Tip #11 – Never click on ad banners and use an ad-blocker. Although this is obvious, many people still fall for interactive and gamified banners. The free Adblock will completely remove ads from the websites you visit. It does not replace the ads with blank space, but rather reformats the space, so you don’t even notice that there were ads there. Tip #12 – Get invited to a private torrent community. One way to decrease the likelihood of getting a torrent with a virus is to get an invite to a private torrent community. These torrents are much more trustworthy because the members of that community create and share all the torrents. It is, however, tricky to find and get into a private community because you need to know someone who can invite you. The best way to achieve this is by being active in online communities and make friends with a person that has access to a private torrent community. How to torrent safely – Summary. Although the BitTorrent protocol is entirely legal, it can be used illegally by downloading content that is copyright protected. Whether or not this is the case will depend on the ownership of the content, how it is licensed, and the laws of the country in which you reside. Many reputable torrent sites will only share legal content. Torrenting has many security threats when files are shared or downloaded. We hope that the tips shared in this article have shown you how to torrent safely. Apply them diligently, and you should not experience any problems with either legal or security issues. Torrenting and Privacy in Canada: Can You Go to Jail? For people that are always looking for leisure options, the Internet provides many. Millions of people are turning over their personal computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones to enjoy the thousands of alternatives to kill time and have fun at the same time. One of the most popular forms of entertainment, especially in the last few years, is torrenting. Downloading audio and video files, like movies, documentaries, books, songs, TV series, and other shows or productions is now one of the most common practices in the world. Canada is no exception to the rule. Canada is one of the countries with the fastest internet speeds, making it perfect for streaming online content and uploading and downloading all kinds of files in torrent format. However, some legal issues may apply in the country that makes torrenting somewhat risky. Downloading Torrents without a VPN is very risky! Whether you are downloading music, e-books, comics, TV shows, movies copyright trolls, and ISPs are in hot pursuit of torrent users. You should always use a VPN while torrenting , so your identity remains hidden and no one can read the contents of your internet traffic through encryption. Is torrenting legal in Canada? Can you go to jail if you get caught by the government? This comprehensive guide will cover all of those issues. What Exactly is Torrenting? First of all, we need to cover what precisely a Torrent is. It is a protocol that allows users to share all kinds of files and data. It is a fast and safe way to acquire multimedia content such as movies, TV series, all sorts of videos, and even music. You can share photos with your friends and family, and watch movies with your significant other if you download torrent files. It is very straightforward. Also, you can get access to video games to play online with your peers. This mode of entertainment is famous in almost every corner of the world: BitTorrent alone has nearly 30 million active users today. However, you should know that torrenting, which is the act of downloading and uploading torrent files, can get you in trouble : you need to be wary of not obtaining copyrighted content without permission, especially in Canada, where the laws are very tight in the matter. To be exact, BitTorrent is the file transfer protocol to break large pieces of the shared file into little pieces for the system to read it, and Torrent is the file containing the data (metadata, to be even more specific) about what you are going to download. The download process is fast because you are not only downloading the Torrent file from one user: you are doing it from other sources too, making the process speedier and smoother. The quickness with which these files download is the most preferred feature by people using torrents around the world. Is Torrenting Legal in Canada? Torrenting is not illegal in Canada , and you can share and download movies, TV series, documentaries, a concert, or your favorite artist’s entire discography so long the content is not protected by the copyright laws of the Canadian government. However, most countries have among their laws a clause for copyrighted material and intellectual property on their legal instruments: Canada has the “Copyright Modernization Act.” In some cases, although many people would argue, with good reason, that it is in most cases, countries do not clarify whether torrenting is legal or not, and which of the content available online can get you in trouble with the law. Canada fits the description: there is an evident gray area when it comes to torrenting and the law. It is not clear whether Canada permits peer-to-peer networks and technologies, such as sharing Torrent files. It will always depend on what content you are trying to download and if you are “seeding” or uploading content, thus feeding the network with torrents that may not be allowed for distribution since they represent copyrighted material. Canada also has the particularity of having a federal system that allows provinces to have different laws and legal instruments, so the legality of torrenting will additionally depend on where you are on the Canadian map. The government severely punishes piracy in Canada, and that is why it looks with such evil eyes at the people who, on purpose or without intentions, act like “seeders” in the torrenting universe. Attempting to acquire pirated multimedia content can bring you a lot of legal issues. In Canada, movie studios and music labels need to continually renew their to remain as active owners of the intellectual content that they produce. So, if you choose to download torrents from a group that hasn’t renewed its copyright since 1995, you are free to do so because the content is now of the . The activity becomes illegal when people acquire multimedia content that they don’t have the right to own or distribute since it is protected by the copyright in that case. This infraction exists in Canada since the first half of the XIX century, but there have been apparent adaptations to the rules to incorporate newer multimedia elements such as videos, audio, and music. You need to be alert when you are torrenting in Canada, because you may be violating the law without even knowing , and your internet service provider unless you own and use a VPN client, can monitor you. It can also inform the government or take the issue with its own hands, usually by slowing down your connection or giving you a warning. "If you want to torrent in peace while being in Canada, the best thing you can do is use a VPN that helps you hide your IP address and remain anonymous on the Internet, without the government or your ISP spying on your traffic and activity. Most VPNs don’t keep logs of your online ventures, which is a very desirable trait in this particular country if what you want is to share torrent files and download videos and music." - vpnAlert. The Copyright Modernization Act. By now, you know that some countries are not happy with torrenting because it may result in legal and issues. Canada, in particular, is very protective of the intellectual property around the web, and you could say that the country encourages people not to ‘torrent.’ The Canadian Copyright Modernization Act is the instrument guiding citizens in what they need to know about the copyright, it’s possible infringements, and punishment in the case of apparent violations. Torrenting can result in one of the above because some users indiscriminately share content without even checking the copyright information. The old Copyright Act focused on written publications, although the newer instrument has added video, audio, and music files as the intellectual property that should be copyrighted and protected to avoid piracy and other illegal activity. One of the crucial segments of the Copyright Modernization Act is the “format-shifting.” It refers to the acquisition of the same property you currently own but in a distinct format, for example, acquiring the private version of a concert DVD, or a CD, in a digital audio form, which is a common occurrence in our world. The “format shifting” activity is entirely legal, but, according to the Copyright Modernization Act, it is not legal to distribute digital content that disrupts the “digital locks” or “Technological Prevention Methods” (TPMS) that are present in most DVDs and CDs. The mentioned scenario creates confusion, which results in a gray area that people that are torrenting take advantage of in Canada. Users need to be careful while they use the format-shifting approach to download torrents because while the government hasn’t had the interest in clarifying the contradiction described, it could potentially lead to trouble if they decide to do it. ISP Copyright Infringement Notifications. Since the amendment of the Copyright Modernization Act in 2015, Internet Service Providers are in the obligation to notify users if they see any activity that they may consider dubious or illegal. One of those events is torrenting, although in most cases, users can do it in peace as long as you respect copyrights and do not promote piracy. What Is a VPN? VPNs are online encryption tools or resources that are known for enhancing privacy, security, and anonymity among web users. They take your IP address and hide it from any third parties out there looking to use it to track you. The Canadian government will have a hard time knowing you are torrenting because you will become almost invisible in your online ventures. VPNs also help you access or unblock restricted content around the web, no matter where you are. Virtual Private Networks are sought after for torrenting because they help you protect your IP address, thus giving you another layer of protection in a dangerous activity like sharing data and files with strangers via torrenting. Since there is a six-month data retention requirement for Canadian IPS and VPNs in place, you may want to find and install a VPN that isn’t in the nation. Otherwise, it will retain logs of your traffic for half a year. Reliable Providers for Torrenting in Canada. NordVPN : offers complete anonymity to its users – thanks to its no-logs policy. Torrent users can enjoy uncapped speed and bandwidth. Thus, making NordVPN the best VPN for torrenting in Canada. IPVanish: Another fast option in the market, reaching up to 74 Mbps. It has servers in over 60 countries, and more than 40,000 IP addresses to give away. With DNS leak protection and robust encryption protocols, IPVanish is a solid choice for torrenting in Canada. Private Internet Access (PIA): If you are looking for value for your buck, then PIA should be your choice. This VPN client is reliable across the board, and it lets you torrent with its good speeds and more than 3000 servers.