Private trackers are well known for their elitist and insufferable users. I’d like to know the reasons behind their gatekeeping. Is it just mere elitism to feel superior or are there any other reasons? I’ve heard people saying they like to have a smaller number of high quality users for long term stability. I’ve even heard people tell they’re designed to keep government and federal agents away. I’d like to hear your thoughts.

    • themachine@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      The primary reason a private track is private is to make it feasible to maintain a curated community. Many users are not good torrent citizens. Many users are not good netizens in the first place. More than a few will look to actively do harm. Keeping a mostly closed community allows the vetting of users and those who end up breaking the rules are dealt with swiftly.

      The extra barrier of entry also helps prevent bad actors from operating on the site. This is of course not a full proof thing but it is obviously much better than a public site.

      Additionally running a private tracker and site takes server resources that are not free. Limiting the total number of users is a way of maintaining uptime by staying within your operational limits.

      I’m sure there are other benefits for private trackers but these are at least a few.

      I am not going to explain why someone on the internet was mean to you. Given the tone of this post I wouldn’t be surprised if it was deserved.

      • matey@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        Also curating the content itself, not just the users. Mods/Staff can make sure that the content uploaded is actually what’s expected.