Tor is a third option, at least as one layer, and seeding Linux ISOs is not, to my knowledge, a criminal offense in any jurisdiction, not even in China. I don't know where you got that idea.

I read that as a euphemism for piracy.

Pirating Linux ISOs is legal, though.

It's not actually Linux ISOs that they're pirating.

Piracy is by definitin illegal, no?