PPS:

> Also, are there any easy ways that don't involve leaching off the Tor network? Someone mentioned I2P?

Run a TOR exit node (or possibly some other type of node - caveat runner etc etc).

Basically, set up two VMs, the first only gets networking through the second, and the second is configured to run everything through TOR and TOR alone.

Now this has been made easy and "done for us" so to speak (but always, ymmv, everything has bugs, security is a mindset, etc etc etc):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

From the whonix homepage: "Whonix is an operating system focused on anonymity, privacy and security. It's based on the Tor anonymity network[1], Debian GNU/Linux[2] and security by isolation. DNS leaks are impossible, and not even malware with root privileges can find out the user's real IP. "
https://www.whonix.org/

For latest developments, here is where it's at:
https://www.whonix.org/blog/ma...
https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Qu...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q...

PS, some current "wisdom" (but check out the cutting edge above, which also more generic solutions):
https://blog.torproject.org/bl...
https://torrentfreak.com/tribl...
http://torguard.net/howtodownl...
http://www.tribler.org/
http://tor.stackexchange.com/q...
https://wiki.vuze.com/w/Tor_Ho...
http://www.howtogeek.com/76801...

Seriously, we live in abundance - enjoy :)

> You can't use BitTorrent with Tor.

FALSE. Actually, you CAN use BitTorrent with Tor, but doing so in some (standard) ways, without setting up an appropriate environment, will likely leak your IP address and possibly more.

> The protocol itself leaks information.

Oh you mean like the loopback or default-local IP address of an appropriately configured virtual machine running TOR?

> The safest thing to do is have a seedbox in another country..and if you're super paranoid; pay for it with bitcoin.

The safest thing for a copyright infringing file uploader might be to have a bitcoin purchased seedbox in another country.

But the safest thing for a copyright infringing file downloader may be to run TOR in an appropriately configured virtual machine and run a bittorrent client in that.

The safest legal thing to do, is to not infringe the copyright of statute law established copyright monopoly products.

Viva la libre culture :)
Zenaan

I would say, because it's libre. The cost element is a far distant second. The freedom element is the free that's the free when I say free as in free speech. Why live on a principle? Why stand by my conscience? Such foundations are in alignment with capitalism, depending of course on how much you want _your_ capitalistic gain to be set above the gain of others by way of artificial government monopolistic restrictions (patents, copyrights). Some like to restrict others the very freedoms they purportedly cry. Cest la vie. Zen