> Comcast, all my p2p traffic is encrypted. How do you know what it is?
1. You start torrenting (over an encrypted connection) a pirated movie
2. A movie studio is connected to the same swarm, advertising chunks of that movie
3. Your client connects to the movie studio's server, giving them your IP address
4. They send a letter to your ISP
Encrypting P2P traffic is pretty much a waste of time. This scenario goes away if you download over a VPN, since the movie studio can't send your ISP the letter.
Or more simply, most trackers (even private ones) haven't picked up that using HTTPS for announce URLS is a good idea. A passive listener can discover what torrents your client is downloading and seeding if they're interested.
1. You start torrenting (over an encrypted connection) a pirated movie
2. A movie studio is connected to the same swarm, advertising chunks of that movie
3. Your client connects to the movie studio's server, giving them your IP address
4. They send a letter to your ISP
Encrypting P2P traffic is pretty much a waste of time. This scenario goes away if you download over a VPN, since the movie studio can't send your ISP the letter.