By any chance, do you know what the rationale for this change is?
If the torrent repository were gone permanently, it would be extremely sad, since it's (AFAIK) the only way of having automated and/or bulk download of papers, for example for data mining — sci-hub.io is understandably not really suited for this.
>By any chance, do you know what the rationale for this change is?
No I tried to pose the same question recently on the forum but it's locked down for new users. At best it has something to do with recent litigation. At worst they're being hypocritical and seeking that sweet ad dollar. I agree that the current situation is only marginally better than the status quo.
If the torrent repository were gone permanently, it would be extremely sad, since it's (AFAIK) the only way of having automated and/or bulk download of papers, for example for data mining — sci-hub.io is understandably not really suited for this.