I was just reading through the interview process for RED, and they specifically forbid the use of VPN during the interview. I don’t understand this requirement, and it seems like it would just leak your IP address to the IRC host, which could potentially be used against you in a honeypot scenario. Once they have your IP, they could link that with the credentials used with the tracker while you are torrenting, regardless of if you used VPN while torrenting.
If you’re this concerned, just stick with public trackers or usenet. Private trackers have rules for a reason. If you’re so paranoid about them, avoid them.
Wouldn’t call it paranoia so much as standard operating procedure for safe pirating. Everyone has their own risk tolerance but IP guarding during anything involved with pirating is the norm.
There are enough private trackers without the requirement of using a VPN.
Pretty sure you can still use RED with a VPN though. Its just the IRC server for interviews that requires you use your home connection.