What is a Torrent? Are they harmful?

Question

What is a Torrent? Are they harmful?

Answer 1

It's like a file that's shared through a common application.  

They can be harmful if you pick the wrong ones, which tend to be in great abundance.  Be careful!  I got a c**p load of viruses one time downloading them.  That's why I stopped.  =)

Answer 2

its like file sharing,

ther r not harmful

but 1 need 2 b careful while using it

Answer 3

.torrent is a file format, it usually contains other file types. It's transfered in a peer to peer platform in pieces.

You can hide viruses, worms, and spyware in .torrent files, with more ease than other types. Accepting any file from someone you don't know can be harmful.

But usually torrents are thought to be most harmful to copyright holders, as you can find an illegal copy of anything in a torrent search.