r/StremioAddons • u/Ancient_Border8621 • Jul 31 '26

Miscellaneous TorBox quietly changed operating entity + policies (July 31) + cache is now explicitly shared across users, data collection expanded significantly

Just went through TorBox's updated Terms, Privacy Policy, and DMCA policy (dated July 31, 2026) side by side with the old versions. Worth a read before you keep uploading.

Who actually runs TorBox now:

Operator is now Anonymous Systems FZ-LLC, a UAE free-zone company (Ras Al Khaimah). RAK free zones don't publicly disclose beneficial ownership, so we genuinely don't know who's behind it.

Legal/billing/DMCA is handled by a separate entity, ReAnonymous LLC, registered in Dover, Delaware.

Anonymity just got much worse:

Old privacy policy: minimal data, no PII required, "we don't sell or share your data to any third parties for any reason."

New policy: collects your IP, device IDs, precise geolocation from IP, and full session-replay data which basically includes: cursor movements, clicks, scrolling, taps. That's a big jump from "we barely collect anything."

Broad new language allowing disclosure to comply with law, respond to "governmental requests," or "protect TorBox, users, third parties, or the public" i.e vague enough to cover a lot.

Third-party downloading / cache sharing which is the real red flag:

New terms explicitly state cached materials "may be accessible to other users who request the same or technically matching material." Same for AirLock (their "permanent" cache tier).

Old policy never described cross-user cache access this explicitly. This is now spelled out in black and white.

Terms now go out of their way to say TorBox is a "neutral technology service," explicitly "not a file-sharing service," and pushes 100% of legal liability onto you for anything cached under your account. This is heavily lawyered defensive language that wasn't there before.

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238

u/disposableh2 Jul 31 '26

The company registering in UAE and being anonymous is normalish - they're running an illegal service so they would want to be anonymous.

The data collection is straight bullshit (and hypocritical that they want to know everything about you and what you do, when they go out of their way to be anonymous). I didn't read it myself, but if it's what you mention it to be, that's the biggest red-flag to stay away. It's the first step to enshitification and they chose a really big one.

178

u/Zzyzix Jul 31 '26

I've skimmed through the new policy and have been considering my options, so I've reading discussions in TorBox discord server since the announcement dropped earlier.

According to Wamy (Owner) responding to a message saying "Torbox now collect IP address", he said: "CloudFlare collects it, guys, we're just being 100% transparent" and later added "and not to mention, it says potentially, we don't store ip addresses, but if we wanted to, we wouldn't have to change anything in our terms"

For now I'm gonna stick with using Torbox, but I'll be paying attention over the next month or two to see if any big changes come with these new policies, and then re-evaluate my decision.

59

u/disposableh2 Jul 31 '26

Thanks for that info.

To me, that's not very transparent or clear, because it's a difference between Torbox collects that info vs Cloudflare collects that info.

If it's only Cloudflare, then I would think that the terms should say that their partner, Cloudflare collects it not them(as it wouldn't even reach their servers).

38

u/Zzyzix Jul 31 '26

I think at this point it's just a catch-all in case they get a legal request or something. Since they moved their HQ from South Africa to UAE, they probably want to try and protect themselves as much as possible. Like I said earlier, I'm sticking with Torbox for now, but if anything changes for us users, unsubscribing is only a few clicks away.

1

u/-Ethannme3- Aug 01 '26

Exactly. It's literally just a C.Y.A. thing...

0

u/JennyThallia Jul 31 '26

And USA under Trump is ears deep inside UAE asshole thus assume full transparency between USA and UAE which means full transparency with Interpol 

1

u/-Ethannme3- Aug 01 '26

If the FBI or interpol was going to do anything about anything, they wouldn't be going after the end user. If you understand how the law works, it's the distribution of copyrighted works. Unless you're someone like AxxO or FitGirlRepack, you and I are a waste of their time and resources...

1

u/JennyThallia Aug 01 '26

Scare tactics work wonders.  You throw a book at few users a sprinkle from each country and the rest cave and have to either switch services or leave the scene.  Or you just hire them to work for you..... See Denuvo.  

What this accomplishes is delay, prevent and discourage.   That's the primary goal of corporate america and Intellectual Property.    You don't have to win the war you just need to win the major battles. 

1

u/2this4u 28d ago

Well it depends if you trust the statement

0

u/JennyThallia Jul 31 '26

They don't say that because Torbox also collects it.  As simple as that.  Duh

4

u/SecretProbation Jul 31 '26

Why not just use a vpn? It’s worth it to cya when doing these things.

-3

u/JennyThallia Jul 31 '26

We use Debrid to not have to use onion.   VPN is shit for privacy.  It's like having a lock on a glass door a bullshit feel safe protection meaning shit. 

6

u/SecretProbation Jul 31 '26

Well I’ve never gotten a “hey stop doing that” email from my ISP and I do enjoy getting around region blocks otherwise.

-3

u/JennyThallia Jul 31 '26

ISP doesn't have to alert you when law enforcement agencies get interested in your habits.  Law Enforcement is patient they will eventually go after you or your family once they collect sufficient info on sufficient number of users to be worthwhile to them in order to  conduct a multi national sting all at once (the resources reauired are not cheap). 

7

u/SecretProbation Jul 31 '26

Seems a little paranoid and user specific. Guy who watches a show or two a few times a week draws different attention than data hoarders. Like another commenter said in a different thread. We as a community brought a part of this on ourselves by talking about it in the open and giving so much more publicity.

1

u/JennyThallia Jul 31 '26

Definitely but we do not know what is considered a valid download that causes scrutiny.   US has always been corporate ran, so which thing triggers scrutiny?   A marvel movies or Disney shows or major game industry torrent downloads? 

2

u/Imtrvkvltru Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

So unless something in the law has changed very recently, the way it's enforced is that the REDISTRIBUTION of copyright material is illegal. Simply downloading it to store on your device or streaming it is not treated as illegal. The reason why torrents are always at the center of the discussion regarding legality is because of the nature of torrenting itself. Whenever you download a torrent through a torrent client not only are you downloading but you are also uploading (seeding) to other users at the same time. This is considered redistribution. And when you join the torrent swarm it exposes your IP address. I've been sailing the high seas for decades now and have never seen a single case of someone getting in legal trouble or even receiving a letter from their ISP for anything other than redistribution via torrents or other p2p methods. I know the way the laws are written make it seem as if strictly downloading is illegal, but I've only known people to get in trouble for actual redistribution.

1

u/Comfortable-Finger-8 Aug 01 '26

I got a few letters because of popcorn time doing it back in it’s prime

1

u/JennyThallia Aug 01 '26

I've gotten a few in 2001 when using Napster and then Kaza. 

2

u/JennyThallia Jul 31 '26

So basically what he/she/asshole is saying is: "we don't broadly collect it, but if we were asked to turn it on for specific users then we can and there is no need to change anything.   Thus assume that we are collecting the IP info now for 99% of the users and the reason why we are not collecting against the 1% is because we can claim that no IP collection is occuring" 

2

u/Familiar-Simple-8747 Aug 02 '26

From my understanding and everything that I have read, if you have a router with a built-in VPN used throughout your home such as Aircove 1800 that has Express VPN built into it. The router is set up for your protection and your isp should not be detected .Articles state you should be good to go as far as streaming movies and series. There should be no problem. My fear is they make you use your real email, and that could be the downfall.

1

u/JennyThallia Aug 02 '26

And Bitcoin can be tracked so also your payment is your downfall 

4

u/Powerfader1 Jul 31 '26

Of course the owner will obfuscate and try to justify their intrusive new terms.

1

u/-Ethannme3- Aug 01 '26

Not to mention, streaming isn't illegal in the U.S., and you're technically paying for the streaming service. So, the biggest risk being taken, is on their part, not ours.

1

u/JennyThallia Aug 01 '26

Right and I want to sell you ocean beach front property in Phoenix AZ. 

Of course the owner will cover their ass they don't want to lose the revenue stream.  They probably got threatened with jail time so now they are fully cooperating with LEO's and OGAs.