TVF Chat!

Pando is gone

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:22:03 -0600

Just a heads up to Pando users, Pando is undergoing a restructering meaning that you can not buy pando pro nor can you update or extend your account there if you have one. This also means that the chance of sharing via pando is pretty much dead in the water. Since they are located on Broadway in NYC, they are subject to US laws and are very easy for the MPAA/RIAA to get hold of.

My advice is to uninstall this program and dont use it anymore as the chance of you getting busted for using it has greatly increased. You use it now at your own discretion.

I have decided

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:07:14 -0600

I have decided, I will post a list of my movies, then anyone who wants one can PM me and I will send them links. If anyone does not like this, then all I can say is TOUGH, blame the copyrights etc. But I will not post anymore movies on any site. when I have a list sorted out I will post it in this Forum.

Passwords On Links

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 10:20:46 -0600

As many people have probably found out, Rapidshare (THPPPPPPP!!) have locked my account and so all of my links are dead (RIP). I had a thought today. How would people feel about sending me a PM to get a password (everyone would be different)? I know it would slow things down, but it might stop a LOT of dead links. Plus it would slow down nosy sods a bit, also it keeps it between members.

MEGA, Megaupload's Successor, is officially live!

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 20:24:07 -0600

mega.co.nz

sh*t just got serious!

I love this part from the TOS:

"Unfortunately, we can't work with hosting companies based in the United States. Safe harbour for service providers via the Digital Millennium Copyright Act has been undermined by the Department of Justice with its novel criminal prosecution of Megaupload. It is not safe for cloud storage sites or any business allowing user-generated content to be hosted on servers in the United States or on domains like .com / .net. The US government is frequently seizing domains without offering service providers a hearing or due process."

Apparently this is supposed to be the biggest fileshare network launch ever, I heard they got a ridiculous amount of signups within the first hour of going live. I got a free one, most of my buddies did to.

This tweet came in from Kim Dotcom earlier
"@KimDotcom:

Wow. I have never seen anything like this. From 0 to 10 Gigabit bandwidth utilization within 10 minutes."

board suggestion

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:23:13 -0600

i was thinking it would be alot better if thedmin separated mac stuff from winows stuff.

have two diffrent links in games, apps, ect one for windows, one for mac..

also, links that say disallowed are confusinng.

make search better..

Best story of this weekend, Anon

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 21:08:29 -0600

I've never been as happy as I am with Anonymous right now

check out the link at the bottom, but here is the scoop

"Following the Sandy Hook shooting tragedy, the Westboro Baptist Church is unsurprisingly stirring up controversy by doing one of the things they do best: being asss and picketing funerals. Your friendly, faceless, neighborhood hacking group Anonymous has responded by doing what they do best: publishing private information, in this case, about the members of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Anonymous has now published a list of Westboro Baptist Church members along with plenty of personal information such as home addresses, emails, and phone numbers. On the more legal end of the activism spectrum, the group is also pushing a petition to legally recognize the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group. And what do you know, it's already gotten the required number of signatures.

Anonymous also released a video, explaining�with characteristic Anonymous flair�the group's beef with the church:

"Since your one-dimensional thought protocol will conform not to any modern logic, we will not debate, argue, or attempt to reason with you. Instead, we have unanimously deemed your organization to be harmful to the population of The United States of America, and have therefore decided to execute an agenda of action which will progressively dismantle your institution of deceitful pretext and extreme bias, and cease when your zealotry runs dry. We recognize you as serious opponents, and do not expect our campaign to terminate in a short period of time. Attrition is our weapon, and we will waste no time, money, effort, and enjoyment, in tearing your resolve into pieces, as with exposing the incongruity of your distorted faith."

CODE

http://gizmodo.com/5968886/anonymous-attacks-westboro-baptist-church-over-sandy-hook-funeral-protest

Police Raid 9-Year-Old Pirate Bay Girl

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:57:39 -0600

An anti-piracy company has found itself in the middle of a huge controversy. CIAPC, the company that had The Pirate Bay blocked by ISPs in Finland, tracked an alleged file-sharer and demanded a cash settlement. However, the Internet account holder refused to pay which escalated things to an unprecedented level. In response, this week police raided the home of the 9-year-old suspect and confiscated her Winnie the Pooh laptop.

Very soon in the United States, letters will be sent out to Internet account holders informing them that they should stop sharing copyrighted material on BitTorrent.

The message in the US from mainstream rightsholders is designed to be educational, but more aggressive companies carry out the same process but with a sting in the tail � a request for cash-settlement to make potential lawsuits go away.

One such request for cash landed on the doorstep of an Internet account holder in Finland during the spring. Known locally as TTVK, Finnish anti-piracy group CIAPC sent the man a letter informing him that his account had been traced back to an incidence of online file-sharing.

To stop matters progressing further the man was advised to pay a settlement of 600 euros, sign a non-disclosure document, and move on with his life. He chose not to give in to the demands of CIAPC and this week things escalated as promised.

Tuesday morning the doorbell of the family home rang around 8am and the man, who works in the hospitality sector, had quite a shock. Police were at his door with a search warrant authorizing the hunt for evidence connected to illicit file-sharing.

Surprisingly, the man isn�t a previously unknown Kim Dotcom-related �co-conspirator�, nor does he run a warez site or BitTorrent tracker. He is, however, guilty of having a 9-year-old daughter with a taste for pop music.

Having failed in her quest to put enough money in her piggy bank to buy the latest album from local multi-platinum-selling songstress Chisu, in 2011 she turned to the Internet, first via Google and then The Pirate Bay.

The girl�s father said the resulting downloads didn�t work so the following day they went to the store to buy music. Nevertheless, this week�s police visit shows that CIAPC mean business, no matter how young the targets or whether or not they also buy music.

In concluding their search, the police confiscated the girl�s file-sharing weapon of choice � her Winnie The Pooh laptop � and according to her father offered some final words.

�It would have been easier for all concerned if you had paid the compensation,� the police advised

�I got the feeling that there had been people from the MAFIA demanding money at the door,� the girl�s father explained.

�At that point my jaw hit the floor and I wasn�t sure if I was awake or dreaming. So the investigator suggested, between the lines, that I empty my wallet and keep my family in hunger for the next two weeks so that they could get rid of the case? What the f�� is this how it goes? I could evade justice murder by skipping Christmas this year?�

�We have not done anything wrong with my daughter. If adults do not always know how to use a computer and the web, how can you assume that children or the elderly � or a 9-year-old girl � knows what they are doing at any given time online?

�This is the pinnacle of absurdity. I can see artists are in a position, but this requires education and information, not resource-consuming lawsuits,� he added.

Electronic Frontier Finland say that this week�s developments are an indication of just how far copyright enforcements issues have progressed in Finland.

�It is not in anyone�s interest, that in the name of the copyright, little girls are being harassed. This shows poor judgment, and consideration from TTVK and from the police,� vice chairman Ville Oksanen said in a statement.

However, there are signs that support might come from an unexpected corner. In a statement the artist in question � Chisu � said that she doesn�t want to sue anyone and that no artist needs this kind of media attention. Indeed, the criticism of the move on her Facebook page is fierce.

�I hope that the matter will be resolved soon and sorry to my 9-year-old girls,� Chisu wrote, pointing them to this free link to her music on Spotify.

Joonas M�kinen of Finland�s Pirate Party welcomes Chisu�s comments but bemoans artists� apparent lack of power to get anything done.

�It is sad to see how even the big artists have no idea what CIAPC / TTVK is doing in their name. And the worst part is that even after learning about this, like Chisu did just now and took part in the discussion on Facebook, they can�t stop it since all copyright protection and monitoring is centralized,� M�kinen told TorrentFreak.

�I hope all musicians realize that the fan hunt that involves confiscating laptops and signing deals that require you to be silent about the payments are severely hurting the image of copyright and creators. Authors of works should actively rise up to say NO to what CIAPC/TTVK is doing if they wish to keep their fans,� he concludes.

CIAPC confirmed that the case against the 9-year-old is only the latest in a line of attempted settlements. Last fall a total of 28 Internet account holders settled with CIAPC, but of course we haven�t heard of the cases due to the confidentiality agreements recipients are required to sign.

Yesterday Rapidshare promulgated a major change...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:33:50 -0600

Yesterday Rapidshare promulgated a major change...

You can read it here:

CODE

https://rapidshare.com/#rsag_news

But this is the pertinent part:
Announcement: New hosting model
Published on: 2012.11.08
In the future RapidShare will use a classic hosting model which means that not only the storage space but also the traffic created will be paid solely by the owner of the file. The prices will not change. With RapidPro you automatically have unlimited traffic for your own downloads of your files and the downloads by your contacts. Additionally you have 30 GB public traffic per day. The recipients of your files have no download limitations whatsoever regardless of if they have RapidPro, a free account or no account at all!

The new system will be released on 27.11. At the same time we will release the final version of RapidDrive 1.0 for Windows and we will present you with a completely revised website, which will make it even easier for you to manage your files and contacts. So, for saving backups and for daily distribution of big files, RapidShare is the best solution!

music download

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:55:52 -0600

what is everyone using these days to download music i use to use limewire but have not downloaded any music lately!!!!!!! lol

Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days.

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:14:54 -0600

Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days.

Apple�s iPad 4 and iPad Mini Turn Out to Be Popular

Apple on Monday said it has sold three million iPads in three days since the launch of its new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad, double the previous first weekend milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi only models sold for the third generation iPad in March.

�Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad. We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We are working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand,� said Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple.

Demand for iPad mini exceeded the initial supply and while many of the pre-orders have been shipped to customers, some are scheduled to be shipped later this month.

Both iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina display are available in 34 countries including the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the UK, and will be available in many more countries later this year, including mainland China. The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad will ship in a few weeks in the US and in many more countries later this year.

Apple iPad mini features 7.9� display with 1024*768 resolution (163ppi) and is based on the same chip that powers Apple iPad 2, the A5 (dual-core ARM Cortex-A9, PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics core, 1GHz clock-speed, 32nm process technology). The tablet features 512MB RAM, 16GB/32GB/64GB NAND flash storage, 5MP rear camera with backside illumination, 1.2MP front camera, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS/Glonass (cellular version only), �world-ready� 3G, HSPA+ (21Mb/s), DC-HSPA (42Mb/s) and 4G/LTE (73Mb/s). iPad mini comes in a new aluminum and glass design that is 7.2mm thick and weighs up to 312 grams/0.69 pounds. The device comes with Apple iOS 6 operating system. Just like all the new gadgets from Apple, the iPad mini utilizes Lightning connector, which is speedier and more robust than the 30-pin connect Apple has been using for about a decade.

Thanks to 4:3 aspect ratio of the 7.9� screen, the new iPad is not only compatible with all applications ever designed for the original iPad and iPad 2, but should provide a little better user experience compared to popular 7�-class media tablets with 16:9 displays.

Beware of hey is this your skype profile pic messages

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:51:50 -0500

Beware of hey is this your skype profile pic messages

A new virus is making the rounds that is affecting the communication software. The following messages are used to spread the virus: hey is this your skype profile pic or hey, is this your new profile picture, or hey, cool profile picture, is this it. Remember that it is likely that there are other variations in the wild.

The messages are followed by a shortened link using the goo.gl url shortener. Depending on your security setup, clicking on the link may be enough to infect your computer with the trojan. If you get a dialog that is asking you what to do, make sure you cancel it right away and do not open or save it to your computer.

The messages may come from your contacts, if their computer is already infected with it, or strangers that try to message you.

The trojan adds itself to the list of third party programs with Skype access, and this is one of the ways to find out whether your system is infected with it or not. When you are in Skype, click on Tools > Options to bring up the options window of the program. Locate and click on Advanced, and there on the manage other programs� access to Skype link at the bottom. If you see programs listed here that you can�t identify, remove them from Skype.

You won�t be sending out messages to Skype contacts anymore once the apps have been removed from Skype�s third party access list.

As a second step, I�d recommend to run an up to date antivirus solution, Malwarebytes Antimalware Free or Dr.Web CureIt to make sure that no traces of the keylogger are left on the system. What it does in addition to sending out the messages to contacts, is to log what you enter using your keyboard. The keylogger logs all input, not only what you enter when using Skype. It is therefore essential to scan the computer with antivirus software to remove the keylogger from the system. I�d recommend running multiple programs just to make sure it is completely removed.

We have received word from Skype about the issue:

Skype takes the user experience very seriously, particularly when it comes to security. We are aware of this malicious activity and are working quickly to mitigate its impact. We strongly recommend upgrading to the newest Skype version and applying updated security features on your computer. Additionally, following links � even when from your contacts � that look strange or are unexpected is not advisable.

CODE

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/10/07/beware-of-hey-is-this-your-skype-profile-pic-messages/?_m=3n%2e0038%2e666%2ehe0ao024q0%2eold

rapidshare taken down my account again

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:57:57 -0500

rapidshare taken down my account again

The very nice b*st*rds at rapidshare has taken down my account yet again i have rapids til feb but it all gone 10's of gb's gone !!!!!!
sorry to the mods here

PLACE TO SHARE

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:14:05 -0500

Hi IF any one have solution

From where we can download or share application or program coz most of the sharing website like file sonic, hot file, file serve are either stopped or not allowing to download the file or else you need premium login password.

THANK U

Intel Strongly Denies Harsh Comments on Windows 8 Operating System.

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:09:27 -0500

Intel: We Did Not Criticize Windows 8 Operating System

Intel Corp. late on Wednesday issued a statement in response to news reports about comments made by Intel chief executive officer Paul Otellini in a meeting with employees. Intel denies that its head criticized Windows 8 operating system and called it half-baked. The chip giant is looking forward release of Windows 8 as it has multiple design wins with PCs running the OS.

"Intel has a long and successful heritage working with Microsoft on the release of Windows platforms, delivering devices that provide exciting experiences, stunning performance, and superior compatibility. Intel fully expects this to continue with Windows 8. Intel, Microsoft and our partners have been working closely together on testing and validation to ensure delivery of a high-quality experience across the nearly 200 Intel-based designs that will start launching in October," the official statement by Intel reads.

Intel needs Windows 8 operating system to sell more of its latest chips, but apparently the OS still needs tweaking so that it could utilize all the benefits it has to offer on hardware available today, a news-agency quoted Intel chief as saying. Paul Otellini reportedly told Intel employees in Taiwan that improvements still needed to be made to Windows 8, but did not reveal whether Intel needs to further tweak its drivers, or the OS itself is not fully baked.

"Windows 8 is one of the best things that ever happened to Intel," citing the importance of the touch interface coming to mainstream computing and the huge wave of exciting new ultrabook, tablet and convertible device innovations coming to the market.

sorce

CODE

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/other/display/20120926220951_Intel_Strongly_Denies_Harsh_Comments_on_Windows_8_Operating_System.html

Viperfiles Scorecard

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:02:20 -0500

I have been watching filehost companies for many years, it's very volatile and due to the recent war with federal authorities in the US it went from bad to worse. Many filehosting sites shut down, many new ones poping up like termites from the mound.

How the hell do you choose which filehosting company to buy a premium account from ? yes TVP admin will offer you VIP account with many many many benefits but putting that aside you still have a choice to make.

The best answer so far is : Check the website (Such as TVF) and see which filehosting site has the most posts.

Ok now having checked TVF I have come up with a scorecard :-

Filehost name The Number of pages in search result

Uploaded 42
Filegag 40
Rapldgator Less than 1 page (10 results)
Turboblt Less than 1 page (10 results)
extabit 44
rapidgator 40
jumboflies Less than 1 page (24 results)
ryushare 40
hotfile 47
sharpfile 40
netload 48
ultramegabit 8
Rapidshare 59 ------------------ The winner
Megashares 40
FileFactory 39
DepositFiles 41

The above results were obtained by doing a simple search of the filehosting company name with the criteria to search entire post selected.

The big down side is the number of filehosting companies

Finaly try to avoid extabit, there speed is as fast as bacteria growing in a petri dish.

Teenage Dream - Katy Perry - Cover

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:08:42 -0500

This is for whoever is bored and want to see some looping
and singing from a cover to Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream"

Announcement

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 18:48:13 -0500

Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate
Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate Donate

Sheesh!

Google to include people's Gmail in search results

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:14:06 -0500

Google to include people's Gmail in search results

Google is creating an information bridge between its influential Internet search engine and its widely used Gmail service in its latest attempt to deliver more personal responses more quickly.

The experimental feature unveiled Wednesday will enable Google's search engine to mine the correspondence stored within a user's Gmail account for any data tied to a search request. For example, a query containing the word "Amazon" would pull emails with shipping information sent by the online retailer.

"The destiny of search is to become that perfect Star Trek computer."

- Amit Singhal, a senior vice president at Google

Such Gmail results will typically be shown to the right of the main results, though in some instances, the top of the search page will highlight an answer extracted directly from an email. For example, the request "my flight" will show specific airline information imported from Gmail. Something similar could eventually happen when searching for a restaurant reservation or tickets to a concert.

Although Google has a commanding lead in Internet search, it remains worried about the threat posed by social networking services such as Facebook Inc. As social networks have made it easier to share information online, the Web is starting to revolve more around people than the keywords and links that Google's search engine.

Google has been trying to adapt by building more personal services and plugging them into its search engine.

Blending email information into general search results could raise privacy worries. Google is trying to mitigate that by showing Gmail results in a collapsed format that users must open to see the details. For now, users must sign up to participate.

Google Inc. ran into trouble over privacy in 2010 when it tapped the personal contact information within Gmail accounts to build a social networking service called Buzz. Google set up Buzz in a way that caused many users to inadvertently expose personal data from Gmail. An uproar culminated in a Federal Trade Commission settlement requiring the company to improve its privacy controls and undergo audits for 20 years.

Google is treading carefully as it hooks Gmail up to its Internet search engine. The new feature initially will be available to 1 million Gmail users who sign up at

CODE

HTTP://G.CO/SEARCHTRIAL

. That's a small fraction of the more than 425 million Gmail accounts that have been set up since Google launched its free email service eight years ago to compete against the offerings from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

After getting feedback from the test participants, Google hopes to give all Gmail users the option of plugging their accounts into the main search engine, according to Amit Singhal, a senior vice president for the company.

Singhal said Google is also willing to display information from other email service in its main search results. The gesture could avoid spurring additional complaints about Google abusing its position as the Internet's search leader to favor its other services. That issue is the focal point of an antitrust investigation by antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe.

Microsoft said it has no plans to make information in its competing Web mail service available to Google's search engine. Yahoo, which operates another Gmail rival, had no comment.

When it started in 2004, Gmail provided 1 gigabyte of free storage, an amount that was unheard of at the time. Now, many long-time Gmail users have 10 gigabytes of storage. That has turned Gmail into a valuable storehouse of personal information going back several years.

Gmail users already can pluck information contained in old correspondence by conducting a search within Gmail. Google is betting Gmail users will appreciate being able to eliminate a step by including any relevant email information alongside the results of its main search page.

In the process, Google is hoping Web surfers will have even more reasons to use its dominant search engine, which already processes more than 100 billion requests every month.

Luring more queries is crucial to Google because they give the company more opportunities to show the ads that generate most of its revenue, which is expected to exceed $49 billion this year.

Personal information from Google Plus, a social networking service started last year to compete with Facebook, has been featured in Google's main search results since January.

Ultimately, Google hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can answer their questions with the precision and insight of the artificial intelligence that so far has been the stuff of science fiction.

"The destiny of search is to become that perfect Star Trek computer," Singhal said.

In another step toward that goal, Google said Wednesday that it will soon be releasing an improved version of its voice-powered search application for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPad.

Google released the tool last month on its Nexus 7 tablet computer and other devices running on the latest version of its Android mobile operation system. The version for Apple's operating system, expected within a week, will be an alternative to Siri, the built-in virtual assistant on the iPhone 4S.

Source:

CODE

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/08/09/google-to-include-people-gmail-in-search-results/

Demonoid busted by the police

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:51:49 -0500

News broke today that Demonoid was busted by Ukrainian authorities in the middle of last week. The massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that brought the site to its knees late last month was apparently just the beginning.

Last week, the server was turned off completely and the site led to a dead end. Then it came back to life and started redirecting to random sites full of advertisements. Eventually this stopped and both demonoid.me and demonoid.ph went back to not responding. Now we know why.

Government officials reportedly arrived at ColoCall, the largest datacenter in Ukraine, to shut Demonoid down. An anonymous ColoCall source gave a statement to Kommersant (via TorrentFreak). Here is a rough translation from Russian courtesy of Google Translate, with some grammar fixes:

Shortly after this hacker break-in occurred, and even a few days later, came the investigators. Investigators copied all the information from Demonoid's servers, and sealed them. Some equipment was not seized, but now that [the connection] does not work, we were forced to terminate the agreement with the site.

Demonoid's servers may have been closed off, but the site's administrator appears to still be at large. The source noted that the site's management is located in Mexico. In fact, the admin declared late last week that Demonoid would be back, eventually.

The general consensus is that Demonoid did not break Ukranian law. In fact, the site went to extreme measures to avoid the wrath of local authorities: it blocked all Ukranian IP addresses. Nevertheless, it is believed that the U.S. got involved, and suddenly Ukraine started looking into the torrent site.

On Friday, Ukraine's Interior Ministry announced that the site was taken down the night before its First Deputy Prime Minister Valeriy Khoroshkovsky arrived in the U.S. to discuss matters with United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk. One of the issues on the docket was, unsurprisingly, intellectual property rights. In fact, this was the first matter mentioned in their joint statement, which was released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative:

We discussed the importance to each country of greater progress on the 2010 IPR Action Plan for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR). The United States supported Ukraine's commitment to redouble efforts, especially those identified in the Action Plan, to implement protections that benefit both Ukrainian and American inventors and creators. The United States also hailed Ukraine's planned increase in intellectual property inspectors, as called for in the 2010 IPR Action Plan, as well as its adoption of a new Customs Code intended to improve customs valuation procedures.

If the site administrator manages to bring back Demonoid, he'll have to find a new country for the site's servers. That's happened before, so there's a chance it will happen again.

Bye Bye Demonoid...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:50:12 -0500

Demonoid is sadly gone...

CODE

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19166779

Torrents

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 03:26:04 -0500

Hi
Do you also cannot find a torrent client to download from?
Are they all dead. I am loosing it I think.What is happening?
If there is any torrent client still working please tell me
Apart from Viperfiles there is no need to be on the internet

FileSonic, Oron and Their Users Hit With Piracy Lawsuit

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:30:09 -0500

FileSonic, Oron and Their Users Hit With Piracy Lawsuit

FileSonic and Oron, two prominent file-hosting services, have been dragged to court by adult entertainment company Flava Works. In a complaint filed at a federal court in Illinois, the cyberlockers are joined by 26 John Doe defendants who stand accused of sharing copyrighted material. These files were also allegedly shared on several other cyberlockers including FileServe, Hotfile and RapidShare.

After targeting hundreds of thousands of BitTorrent users, adult entertainment companies have recently expanded their legal efforts to file-hosting sites and their users.

Flava Works, known for winning its landmark lawsuit against MyVidster, a case which involved Google, Facebook and even the MPAA, is now targeting two prominent file-hosting services and 26 of their users.

In papers filed at the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois last week, the company accuses FileSonic and Oron of several copyright related offenses.

Among other things, the complaint alleges that FileSonic and Oron are �websites that copy, store, distribute, display, profit from unauthorized copyrighted materials, and/or induce and assist others to infringe copyrighted materials.�

The two cyberlockers are joined by 26 John Doe defendants who allegedly shared links to copyrighted material with each other via several Yahoo groups. It is claimed that through these mailing lists the defendants actively traded links, some of which were uploaded by the defendants themselves.

oronAccording to Flava Works the file-hosting sites directly profited from these infringements through their affiliate programs.

The complaint characterizes FileSonic as an �illegitimate� outfit, a description repeated for Oron.

�On information and belief, at all relevant times, Filesonic.com is not a legitimate file storage company. Filesonic.com�s affiliates reward program offered members the opportunity to make money by uploading copyrighted videos.�

�Affiliates members are paid based upon the number of downloads of their posted materials and based upon how many other premium memberships were bought by users accessing Filesonic.com through the member�s links.�

Flava Works goes on to accuse FileSonic, Oron and the Doe defendants on several counts including direct copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement and inducement of copyright infringement.

The adult company asks for a permanent injunction and temporary restraining order against the defendants. Flava Works further requests statutory, compensatory and punitive damages for the alleged infringements.

It is unclear why Flava Works has singled out these two file-hosting services as the complaint also mentions that Hotfile, Fileserve and Rapidshare were used to share files. Filesonic in particular seems to be an odd choice since the cyberlocker disabled public file-sharing months ago, which led to an exodus of users.

For Oron, this is the second lawsuit brought against the site this summer. Last month adult studio Corbin Fisher sued the company for no less than $34.8 million for alleged copyright infringements. As part of a settlement, Oron then offered to assist the studio prosecute its own users.

Both Oron and FileSonic have yet to respond to the complaint.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/filesonic-oron-and-their-users-hit-with-piracy-lawsuit-120730/

Ubisoft DRM Lets In Remote Attackers, Google Engineer Reports

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:24:35 -0500

Ubisoft DRM Lets In Remote Attackers, Google Engineer Reports

Hacker Tavis Ormandy has discovered a serious vulnerability in a well-known PC game DRM system. The Google engineer said that after buying a game from Ubisoft he became aware that its �Uplay� browser plug-in might prove problematic. In the early hours of this morning Ormandy confirmed that the add-on allows remote and �wide access� to machines running the DRM, potentially giving malicious attackers free reign to wreak havoc.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) software is seen as an essential part of life for many games developers. It allows them to control who and who cannot copy, install and otherwise operate their software, usually for the purposes of piracy control.

But all too often DRM hits the headlines when it either fails to do its job or generates unintended side-effects that cause headaches for legitimate users. Today could be the start of a very big headache indeed for Ubisoft and people who have purchased the company�s games.

According to hacker/researcher Tavis Ormandy, the Uplay DRM system designed and operated by Ubisoft could be opening up the company�s customers� machines to a whole world of hurt.

�While on vacation recently I bought a video game called �Assassin�s Creed Revelations�. I didn�t have much of a chance to play it, but it seems fun so far,� Ormandy wrote on the Full Disclosure mailing list yesterday.

�However, I noticed the installation procedure creates a browser plugin for its accompanying Uplay launcher, which grants unexpectedly (at least to me) wide access to websites. I don�t know if it�s by design, but I thought I�d mention it here in case someone else wants to look into it.�

Just 24 hours later Ormandy was back with a worrying update.

�I got it working,� he wrote. �I submitted it to Ubisoft via the online form.�

What Ormandy appears to be suggesting is that once hackers understand how this vulnerability works, websites could incorporate an exploit into their designs which could then allow them to gain access to a Ubisoft game-player�s PC. The sky�s the limit with this kind of opening � software installs, keyloggers, bots or other malware all become possible.

A list of games running Uplay DRM can be found here

CODE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft#Games

� they include some huge names such as the Assassins Creed series, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, Driver: San Francisco, Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic, and all the Tom Clancy games.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/ubisoft-drm-lets-in-remote-attackers-google-engineer-reports-120730/

Kim Dotcom Sings: Are You Going to Fix This Mr. President?

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:45:26 -0500

Kim Dotcom Sings: Are You Going to Fix This Mr. President?

Kim Dotcom has just released his long-awaited new song �Mr. President�, directed at United States President Barack Obama. In the song Megaupload�s founder says that Hollywood is taking over politics and that the Government is killing innovation. Dotcom released the song and video on his newly launched website, and both can be shared for free.

�The war for the Internet has begun. Hollywood is in control of politics. The Government is killing innovation. Don�t let them get away with that.�

These are the opening words of Kim Dotcom�s newly released track �Mr. President�. The song is directed at U.S. President Barack Obama who, according to Dotcom, played an important role in the destruction of Megaupload.

Despite being involved in what the Department of Justice describes as �the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States,� Kim Dotcom has not chosen to lay low. Instead, he is fighting the forces behind the criminal investigation both off- and online.

�Our Internet Freedom is under attack on President Obama�s watch,� Dotcom told TorrentFreak this morning commenting on the release of the song.

�President Obama should have a look at the situation and reassure his voters that Internet freedom and innovation are his priorities. He should consider helping millions of Mega users to get their files back. Obama should motivate Hollywood to innovate and adopt to today�s light speed Internet environment instead of freezing innovation and progress,� Dotcom adds.

CODE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MokNvbiRqCM

Megaupload�s founder previously told TorrentFreak that Vice President Joe Biden was the one who ordered the shutdown of the file-hosting service. According to Dotcom the Mega investigation was a �gift� to Hollywood, facilitated by corrupt Government forces.

By targeting Megaupload and teaming up with Hollywood, the U.S. Government chose a path of destruction that will kill many new and innovative businesses on the Internet, Dotcom believes. This needs to change.

�There needs to be a dialog leading to solutions. Aggression and destruction will hurt the US economy. The innovators of tomorrow will avoid doing business in the US. Shutting down one of the leading cloud storage sites, ignoring due process, the rule of law and the constitutional rights of our users is not the way to go,� Dotcom told us.

�Are you going to fix this, Mr. President?�

Dotcom is encouraging everyone who stands by him to copy and share the song. Or as Kim sings:

�We must oppose. Don�t vote for those who want to take us back in time. We must expose the people who chose to turn innovation into crime.�

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/kim-dotcom-sings-are-you-going-to-fix-this-mr-president-120720/

Cyberlocker Offered To Help Prosecute Users To Settle $34.8m Copyright Suit

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:38:23 -0500

Cyberlocker Offered To Help Prosecute Users To Settle $34.8m Copyright Suit

A cyberlocker being sued for $34.8 million by an adult studio agreed in principle to a remarkable set of demands to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit. TorrentFreak has learned that file-hosting service Oron said it would turn over the IP addresses, banking details and email addresses of users alleged to have infringed copyright. The troubled cyberlocker then offered to assist plaintiff Liberty Media in civil prosecutions against its own customers.

Last month, adult studio Corbin Fisher (through owners Liberty Media) sued the operators of file-hosting service Oron for a cool $34.8 million, claiming that they induce the sharing of copyright infringing files via their service.

The rhetoric in court filings has been harsh, with Liberty Media�s lawyer Marc Randazza openly referring to Oron as �criminals� who do not qualify for safe harbor under the DMCA.

After having their funds in the US frozen, Oron unsuccessfully tried to have several hundred thousand dollars released, ostensibly to pay for their legal battles and hosting. A judge agreed to release $100,000 but no more, leading Liberty Media to warn Oron users that the file-hoster could collapse.

But for all the rhetoric and public aggression, more considered discussions were going on behind the scenes last month.

It is already a matter of record that Liberty Media asked Oron for $500,000 to settle the case and that Oron rejected the amount as �unreasonable�. But the negotiations between the two companies went much further than straightforward cash offers � much, much further.

TorrentFreak has learned that on June 23rd Oron offered Liberty Media $50,000, some ten times less than was originally demanded. In addition, Oron said that should an agreement be reached it could become particularly helpful towards the adult studio.

After a request from Liberty, Oron said it could indeed take �both strong and bold measures to keep Liberty Media content off of its servers� by giving Liberty direct and �unfettered� deletion access to its systems.

Then, in order to generate revenue, removed copyright-infringing content could be substituted for links pointing to locations where people could buy official product from Liberty instead.

�Oron will receive no income from such links until Liberty has recouped gross income of $400,000 after which Liberty shall pay to Oron 50% of its profits from said links,� Oron suggested.

There is nothing particularly surprising in the above since similar systems are operated at other file-hosting sites. But this is where things begin to escalate.

Oron also offered to �permanently ban, by email address, PayPal account, IP address or any other reasonable and robust metric, any user who is the subject of even a single Liberty Media takedown notice.� Any user flagged as infringing Liberty�s copyrights would also have their payments frozen by Oron.

Then, in a wakeup call to anyone who thinks that cyberlockers offer almost bulletproof security, at Liberty Media�s request Oron confirmed that should a settlement deal be reached, the company could offer the following:

Oron will assist Liberty in identification and civil prosecution of any parties who have been using Oron to distribute Liberty�s copyrighted material, including but not be limited to, full disclosure of IP addresses, banking information, emails and any other information that may assist in Liberty in such prosecution.

Finally, and to wrap the whole deal up in a neat bow, Oron accepted Liberty Media�s offer to provide �some public relations help for Oron in order to minimize the chance of other lawsuits being brought against it� by stating, contrary to earlier assertions, that Oron does deserve safe harbor under the DMCA after all.

Liberty Media�s offer was dated June 22 and Oron�s counter offer was dated June 23 with a June 25 deadline. General agreement was evident on all major issues except the cash offer. Whether their differences on that point will kill the whole deal remains to be seen.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/cyberlocker-offered-to-help-prosecute-users-to-settle-34-8m-copyright-suit-120706/

Legendary television actor Andy Griffith dead at 86

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:19:18 -0500

Legendary television actor Andy Griffith dead at 86

Legendary television actor Andy Griffith, who made a name for himself with his self-titled comedy "The Andy Griffith Show" and later on the long-running series �Matlock,� has died at the age of 86.

Griffith was rushed to a North Carolina hospital by an EMS team after they were called to his home Tuesday morning. Judy Panitch, a rep for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to where the actor donated a great deal of time and funds, later confirmed the news of his death to Fox411 Tuesday.

Griffith died about 7 a.m. at his coastal home in Manteo, Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie said in a statement. The family will release further information, Doughtie said.

He had suffered a heart attack and underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2000.

Griffith's career spanned more than a half-century on stage, film and television, but he would always be best known as Sheriff Andy Taylor in the television show set in a North Carolina town not too different from Griffith's own hometown of Mount Airy, N.C.

Griffith set the show in the fictional town of Mayberry, N.C., where Sheriff Taylor was the dutiful nephew who ate pickles that tasted like kerosene because they were made by his loving Aunt Bee, played by the late Frances Bavier. He was a widowed father who offered gentle guidance to son Opie, played by Ron Howard, who grew up to become the Oscar-winning director of "A Beautiful Mind."

Howard expressed his condolences Tuesday via his Twitter page.

"Andy Griffith. His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life I'm forever grateful. RIP Andy," he wrote.

RELATED: Click here for more on Andy Griffith.

Don Knotts was the goofy Deputy Barney Fife, while Jim Nabors joined the show as Gomer Pyle, the unworldly, lovable gas pumper.

On "Matlock," which aired from 1986 through 1995, Griffith played a cagey Harvard-educated defense attorney who was Southern-bred and -mannered with a practice in Atlanta.

In his rumpled seersucker suit in a steamy courtroom (air conditioning would have spoiled the mood), Matlock could toy with a witness and tease out a confession like a folksy Perry Mason.

The character -- law-abiding, fatherly and lovable -- was much like Sheriff Andy Taylor with silver hair and a shingle.

In a 2007 interview with The Associated Press, Griffith said "The Andy Griffith Show," which initially aired from 1960 to 1968, was seen somewhere in the world every day. A reunion movie, "Return to Mayberry," was the top-rated TV movie of the 1985-86 season.

"The Andy Griffith Show" was a loving portrait of the town where few grew up but many wished they did -- a place where all foibles are forgiven and friendships are forever. Villains came through town and moved on, usually changed by their stay in Mayberry. That was all a credit to Griffith, said Craig Fincannon, who met Griffith in 1974.

"I see so many TV shows about the South where the creative powers behind it have no life experience in the South," Fincannon said. "What made `The Andy Griffith Show' work was Andy Griffith himself -- the fact that he was of this dirt and had such deep respect for the people and places of his childhood. A character might be broadly eccentric, but the character had an ethical and moral base that allowed us to laugh with them and not at them. And Andy Griffith's the reason for that."

Griffith's career included stints on Broadway, notably "No Time for Sergeants"; movies such as Elia Kazan's "A Face in the Crowd"; and records. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts Hall of Fame in 1992 and in 2005, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the country's highest civilian honors.

"The Andy Griffith Show" was one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top of the ratings. (The others were "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld.") Griffith said he decided to end it "because I thought it was slipping, and I didn't want it to go down further."

When asked in 2007 to name his favorite episodes, the ones atop Griffith's list were the shows that emphasized Knotts' character. Griffith and Knotts had become friends while performing in "No Time for Sergeants," and remained so until Knotts' death in 2006 at 81.

"The second episode that we shot, I knew Don should be funny and I should play straight for him," Griffith said. "That opened up the whole series because I could play straight for everybody else. And I didn't have to be funny. I just let them be funny."

Letting others get the laughs was something of a role reversal for Griffith, whose career took off after he recorded the comedic monologue "What It Was, Was Football."

That led to his first national television exposure on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1954, and the stage and screen versions as the bumbling draftee in "No Time for Sergeants."

In the drama "A Face in the Crowd," he starred as Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, a local jailbird and amateur singer who becomes a homespun philosopher on national television. As his influence rises, his drinking, womanizing and lust for power are hidden by his handlers.

"Mr. Griffith plays him with thunderous vigor," The New York Times wrote. Said The Washington Post: "He seems to have one of those personalities that sets film blazing."

Griffith said Kazan led him through his role, and it was all a bit overwhelming for someone with, as he put it, just "one little acting course in college."

"He would call me in the morning into his little office there, and he'd tell me all the colors that he wanted to see from my character that day," he recalled in 2007.

"Lonesome Rhodes had wild mood swings. He'd be very happy, he'd be very said, he'd be very angry, very depressed," he said. "And I had to pull all of these emotions out of myself. And it wasn't easy."

His role as Sheriff Taylor seemingly obliterated Hollywood's memory of Griffith as a bad guy. But then, after that show ended, he found roles scarce until he landed a bad-guy role in "Pray for the Wildcats."

Hollywood's memory bank dried up again, he said. "I couldn't get anything but heavies. It's funny how that town is out there. They see you one way."

More recently, Griffith won a Grammy in 1997 for his album of gospel music "I Love to Tell the Story -- 25 Timeless Hymns."

In 2007, he appeared in the independent film "Waitress," playing the boss at the diner. The next year, he appeared in Brad Paisley's awarding-winning music video "Waitin' on a Woman."

Griffith was born in 1926 in Mount Airy and as a child sang and played slide trombone in the band at Grace Moravian Church. He studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and for a time contemplated a career in the ministry. But he eventually got a job teaching high school music in Goldsboro.

His acting career began with the role of Sir Walter Raleigh in Paul Green's outdoor pageant, "The Lost Colony," in Manteo. And he remained in the area even after superstardom knocked at his door.

Griffith protected his privacy by building a circle of friends who revealed little to nothing about him. Strangers who asked where Griffith lived in Manteo would receive circular directions that took them to the beach, said William Ivey Long, the Tony Award-winning costume designer whose parents were friends with Griffith and his first wife, Barbara.

Griffith helped Long's father build the house where the family lived in a community of bohemian artists with little money, sharing quart jars of homemade vegetable soup with each other.

Both Long and Fincannon recalled Griffith's sneaky tendency to show up unexpectedly -- sneaking into the choir at "The Lost Colony," or driving the grand marshals of the local Christmas parade incognito in his 1932 roadster convertible.

Fincannon described Griffith as the symbol of North Carolina, a role that "put heavy pressure on him because everyone felt like he was their best friend. With great grace, he handled the constant barrage of people wanting to talk to Andy Taylor."

He and his first wife, Barbara Edwards, had two children, Sam, who died in 1996, and Dixie. His second wife was Solica Cassuto. Both marriages ended in divorce. He married his third wife, Cindi Knight Griffith, in 1983.

"She and I are not only married, we're partners," Griffith said in 2007. "And she helps me very much with everything."

When asked if the real Griffith was more wise like Sheriff Taylor or cranky like Joe, the diner owner in "Waitress," Griffith said he was a bit of both, and then some.

"I'm not really wise. But I can be cranky," he said. "I can be a lot like Joe. But I'm lot like Andy Taylor, too. And I'm some Lonesome Rhodes."

Source:

CODE

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/07/03/legendary-television-actor-andy-griffith-dead-at-86-report-says/

Massive Copyright Infringement Suit Could Collapse Cyberlocker, Studio Warn

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:53:06 -0500

Massive Copyright Infringement Suit Could Collapse Cyberlocker, Studio Warns

The plaintiffs in a massive copyright infringement lawsuit against a cyberlocker service are warning users of the site to back up their files. Corbin Fisher, the movie studio currently suing Oron for $34.8m, say that the file-hoster could collapse after a judge denied it access to additional funds to pay for their hosting. Is this another Megaupload-style data loss debacle in the making?

Less than two weeks ago, adult studio Corbin Fisher sued the operators of file-hosting service Oron for a cool $34.8 million, claiming that they induce the sharing of copyright infringing via their service.

�Oron is cognizant of its role as the vehicle in which infringers act in concert with one another to copy and distribute huge amounts of infringing material,� Corbin Fisher�s lawyers wrote, adding that since Oron only registered a DMCA agent in June 2011, it could not seek �safe harbor� immunity for infringements made before that date.

The immediate effects of the suit were highly damaging for Oron. All company assets in the U.S. and Hong Kong were frozen and payment processors such as PayPal were ordered to stand down. Additionally, the file-hoster�s domain registrar was told to forbid any transfer of the Oron.com domain.

Of course, having no cash is a serious issue for any business, so Oron went back to court to ask for funds to be released to pay for legal expenses and operating costs. The file-hoster asked for roughly $375,000, but Judge Gloria M. Navarro couldn�t see her way clear to granting the full amount.

�Defendants do not provide any itemization or accounting for the Court to consider in making its determination if the amount requested is reasonable. Therefore, the Court authorizes $100,000 U.S. dollars to be released from Defendant�s PayPal account,� Navarro said.

But quickly Oron were back again asking for more money � $355,000 in total. The company said that it needed to pay its hosting company, Netherlands-based LeaseWeb, $75,000 by last evening plus an additional payment of $280,000 by next Monday.

While Corbin Fisher�s language towards Oron has been predictably aggressive, comments and accusations leveled at LeaseWeb are bound to raise eyebrows. Challenging Oron�s need to make such large payments to LeaseWeb, Corbin Fisher�s lawyers directly accused LeaseWeb of conspiracy and/or extortion.

�The evidence put forth by [Oron] shows that these expenses fall far outside of the norm for the industry. Something is amiss. Either Oron is fabricating this newfound need for hundreds of thousands of dollars or LeaseWeb is conspiring with Oron,� XBIZ reports.

�Logic suggests that LeaseWeb is either colluding with Oron to assist Oron in removing hundreds of thousands of dollars from this court�s jurisdiction; extorting Oron; or Oron is not being entirely forthcoming with the court,� Corbin�s lawyers said.

And the criticism of LeaseWeb didn�t stop there. An investigator for the studio said that LeaseWeb is known to ��ignore DMCA notices or at the very least, minimize their impact.�

But Friday brought more bad news for Oron. Judge Gloria Navarro denied the request for extra funds, despite Oron�s warnings that without them their business would not be able to continue.

�If Oron�s servers are shut down for non-payment of those monthly hosting fees its users � 99.9 percent of whom have no connection to this litigation � will lose access to their data,� the company�s lawyers wrote.

Liberty Media, the owners of Corbin Fisher, were quick to pile on the pressure.

�This leads us to believe that Oron neither maintains nor is instituting any backup of user data. Therefore, if there are any legitimate users of Oron out there, Liberty Media Holdings advises them to back up any important files for which they are the proper owner or licensee,� the company wrote in a press release.

So while the lawyers fight, what we appear to be witnessing here is another Megaupload data-loss debacle in the making, in which completely innocent individuals could lose access to their cloud-stored data due to someone else�s legal problems.

But perhaps what is of most concern to Joe Public right now is that despite warning the court that without funds the site could close, Oron have zero warnings on their site or information on the issues the company faces.

Of course, there�s a fine line between causing panic and keeping people informed, and indeed the company may be quietly confident that it will ride out the storm, but people should have the option to take precautionary backups, However, they won�t do that if they don�t think anything is amiss.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/massive-copyright-infringement-suit-could-collapse-cyberlocker-studio-warns-120702/

Busted: Microsoft Harbors BitTorrent Pirates

Mon, 28 May 2012 02:15:00 -0500

Busted: Microsoft Harbors BitTorrent Pirates

In recent weeks the anti-piracy antics of Microsoft have made the news on a few occasions. From censoring The Pirate Bay to funding BitTorrent poisoning startups, the software giant is determined to attack piracy head-on. But perhaps the company should make a start by educating its own employees first. In Microsoft�s offices around the world many company employees are using BitTorrent to download and share pirated movies.

microsoft pirateYouHaveDownloaded is a treasure trove of incriminating data on alleged BitTorrent pirates all across the world.

The site, launched late last year, exposes what people behind an IP-address have downloaded using BitTorrent. This data was gathered from public BitTorrent trackers, and the founders released it to show how much information can be found on BitTorrent users who don�t hide their IP-address.

The site�s founders inform TorrentFreak that since this mission has now been accomplished, they have stopped adding new info to the site. However, existing data is still online and that allows us to �out� a group of corporate BitTorrent pirates once more.

In recent weeks Microsoft has taken a strong position against copyright infringers. They censored Pirate Bay links in Windows Live Messenger, funded a startup that aims to kill BitTorrent traffic, and a few days ago it was revealed that they are the most active sender of DMCA takedown notices to Google.

Clearly, Microsoft is anti piracy. But would they also prevent their employees from using Microsoft office connections to download pirated films through BitTorrent? Let�s find out.

The methodology is easy. Look up a range of IP-addresses assigned to Microsoft and enter those into the search form on YouHaveDownloaded one by one. While we expected that it might take a while to find one, we already had a handful of offenders after two dozen tries.

Below are a few of our findings, all downloads that are linked to Microsoft�s office in Sammamish, Washington (or Seattle). Interestingly, most of the hits we ran into are movies such as �The Debt�, �Bordertown� and lesser known �Blind�.

No listing of pirated files would be complete without an adult film. We had plenty to choose from, but Rocco�s Psycho Love was one of the better ones.

In Microsoft�s office in Arlington, Virginia, (or Charlotte) there are also quite a few hits, including some educational and inspirational books.

The above shows that despite Microsoft�s anti-piracy efforts, there are plenty of employees downloading files through BitTorrent, and not just legal files either.

Of course this is hardly a surprise. In companies with thousands of employees there will always be people who use BitTorrent for illicit purposes. And in tech companies it�s probably even more common.

Microsoft is in good company also.

Previously we were able to show that unauthorized downloads occur even in the most unexpected of places, from the palace of the French President, via the Church of God, to the RIAA and the US House of Representatives.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/busted-microsoft-harbors-bittorrent-pirates-120527/

I Was a Member of Centropy, The World�s Leading Movie Piracy Group

Mon, 28 May 2012 01:48:08 -0500

I Was a Member of Centropy, The World�s Leading Movie Piracy Group

During the first half of the last decade, people downloading movies from the Internet would very often be looking for the same things as they are now. They wanted movies that were only available officially in theaters but not only that, they wanted them in the absolute finest quality. There was one group that met all of these requirements, a group so influential that the FBI mounted a massive operation to catch them. That group was called Centropy.

In 2005 and along with many others, then 22-year-old Matthew Thompson of Lubbock, Texas, was raided by the FBI as part of Operation Sitedown. This international initiative spanning 10 countries was aimed at bringing leading figures of the so-called Warez Scene to their knees.

Thompson was involved in movie piracy, but not just with any old group. Wicked1, as he was better known online, was a member of Centropy, the world�s leading movie piracy group.

Today, 7 years on, Thompson is sharing with TorrentFreak readers an excerpt from his forthcoming book, This is the Scene.
This is the Scene

My name was Wicked1 and I was a member of Centropy. For people not around in the early 2000�s and/or think the pinnacle of movies comes from the likes of IMAGiNE or aXXo, allow me this chance to correct you.

Centropy (CTP), when we existed, was the biggest release group in the world. Most people tend to think of ISO games groups as the leaders of The Scene, but there has always been more than one group operating at a given time. During my time, there was Razor1911, Fairlight, and Deviance. There was only ever one group the quality of Centropy in the movie scene.

We were the pioneers in how to pirate a movie in theaters. Our releases of The Matrix Reloaded, and Star Wars Episode 2 were part of the reason why one of the most common phrases in the pirating of new release movies was �I�ll wait for the Centropy�. The quality of our releases is virtually unmatched to this day.

Through our former DivX release partners in Deity, and later under our own spinoff, Brutus, we also released some of the largest DVD copies of movies ever, such as Lord of the Rings The Two Towers. Our most famous release was the March 1st release of The Return of the King, almost 2 and a half months before it came out on DVD.

Centropy

What was my job in the two years I was a member of CTP? Was I the guy sitting in the movie theaters or the guy who uploaded movies to our encoding boxes? No, I was the guy who supplied computer hardware to the guys who sat in movie theaters and the person who found the suppliers who gave us the vast majority of our movies.

I was also one of the guys in The Scene who people would come to with fast business Internet connections to help set up topsites for Centropy, like a site run out of Michigan in a Comcast datacenter.

I became a member of Centropy in 2002 after having been a member of some very different groups. First, there was A-Team, a scrubby movie release group. Our only claim to anything was a subpar release of the first Harry Potter movie.

After bouncing around a few other groups like Esoteric and Obus, I ended up helping the TV group FFN pay for the internet connection for one of its cappers. It got me a leech account on some of the better sites around then, and it helped me join the racing group Enrage.

The leader of Enrage, a guy who went by the name of Blackjack, was someone fairly high in the Scene. After I had left Esoteric, he came to me one day telling me that Centropy was looking for someone to help keep their supplier happy. Within two months, I was supplying hardware, money, and bringing in new potential suppliers. Random topsites like AKSISO, a gigabit site in the Czech Republic, decided to give me site-op privileges in hopes that Centropy would become an affiliate of the site.

Things were great for me as a pirate; I had access to whatever I wanted and was a member of some of the biggest groups that have ever existed. Then Operation Fastlink happened.

Operation Fastlink was a multi-year, joint-operation run by the United States Department of Justice and the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section of INTERPOL designed to take out the groups Fairlight, Kalisto, Echelon, ProjectX, and Class.

I had been around somewhat in 2001 during Operation Buccaneer, but that had very minimal effects on the world of piracy. Fastlink was different, as Fairlight (FLT) and their associated acts were some of the largest groups and some of the most secure in all of warez.

I woke up the morning of April 22, 2004, to what could pretty much be called chaos on IRC [Internet Relay Chat]. The private Centropy IRC server was down, and nobody from the group was on Efnet or Linknet, and virtually all of my sites were down for security reasons.

When I finally got in touch with a few of my other Scene buddies, they had told me that FLT and most of their sites had been busted and that I should probably lay low for a while. The fact that FLT had been busted didn�t bother me all that much; what bothered me was that their two US sites, Optical Illusion and DOH, were both sites I was on and both had been busted.

Like most rational people who are scared of going to prison would do, I freaked out and destroyed my hard drives and burned every burned CD and DVD I had in a random field outside of my town. For the next two months, I disappeared from piracy until my friends korax and Dact told me about this cool gigabit US topsite run by a guy named Griffen.

That topsite�s name was CHUD, or Can�t Hold us Down. Griffen and his site would later come back to haunt us in the biggest way imaginable�.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/i-was-a-member-of-centropy-the-worlds-leading-movie-piracy-group-120526/

Illegal File-Sharing Chips Away At North Korean Propaganda

Mon, 28 May 2012 01:37:41 -0500

Illegal File-Sharing Chips Away At North Korean Propaganda

In the high-stakes debate over control of the Internet, it is common to hear how the free flow of information is crucial to development of humanity. For North Korea, a country that has almost zero Internet access and is repressed beyond anything experienced in the West, the free flow of information is a distant concept. But according to a new report, the sharing of pirate TV shows and music among the citizens of the country is challenging the DPRK regimes� depiction of the outside world.

When it comes to censorship, few countries in the world are as restrictive or repressive as North Korea.

Citizens of the DPRK are routinely deprived access to any and all information, unless of course it has been created, or authorized, by the regime.

The end result is a largely brainwashed society which is fed an alternative version of reality in order for it to be manipulated and controlled. But according to a new survey, developments in technology are giving citizens of the DPRK new access to information and insights into life beyond their borders.

The report, titled A Quiet Opening surveyed North Korean refugees and those who managed to travel outside the country. What it shows is that increasing numbers are gaining access to pirated media from outside the hermit nation, with potentially life-changing consequences.

While devices such as standard radios and televisions are manufactured so that citizens (at least those who can afford them) can only listen to state-run radio stations, imported devices are able to pick up signals from South Korea, China and beyond, although receiving these broadcasts is a crime.

With Internet unavailable to all but a tiny percentage of the elite, citizens of North Korea are obtaining their information through other means, notably file-sharing devices such as DVDs, MP3 and MP4 players, and USB drives.

Through these means they are being increasingly exposed to pirated TV shows and pop music leaking from neighboring South Korea. What they gain from these files is an alternative take on the world which challenges the propaganda of their leaders.

�I was told when I was young that South Koreans are very poor, but the South Korean dramas proved that just isn�t the case,� explains a 31-year-old who managed to escape North Korea in 2010.

Although there is no Internet, computers are legal in the country and are essential for shifting data to and from USB sticks and other media playback devices. What the report shows is that since computers are still rare, people buy blank devices and use their social networks to acquire pirate South Korean media from people with PC access.

�The MP4 [player] was empty but I received movies and music from friends who had computers and then I watched and listened to them. The battery was charged with electricity and it was portable so young people liked it,� says a 23-year-old former Pyongyang resident.

And it appears that the unlawful sharing of files is widespread, particularly among the youth.

�About 70-80 percent of people that have MP3/4 players are young people,� a 44-year-old male who left DPRK in 2010 reports. �When you do a crackdown of MP3/4 players among high school and university students, you see that 100 percent of them have South Korean music.�

In North Korea possession of unauthorized TV shows or music is a very dangerous affair. Depending on how the offense is viewed, punishments can range from 3 months unpaid labor to 5 years in a prison camp if the media originates from South Korea.

But despite the massive risks, young people in the DPRK are apparently prepared to defy the regime by consuming unauthorized media anyway, something they have in common with the US youth who share files in the face of $150,000 statutory damages.

As we read yesterday, the introduction of tougher and tougher laws to combat the spread of pirate material in Sweden also failed to reach the desired effect when they conflicted with social norms.

Of course, the situation in North Korea goes way beyond anything experienced in the US or Europe, but the battles being fought center around the same thing � the free flow of information. Access to information will eventually set the North Koreans free and if that can be achieved through file-sharing, it will be the activity�s biggest achievement to date, bar none.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/illegal-file-sharing-chips-away-at-north-korean-propaganda-120526/

Rickroll Meme Destroyed By Copyright Takedown

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:58:55 -0500

Rickroll Meme Destroyed By Copyright Takedown

It�s possibly one of the most popular ever memes in the history of the Internet but today it lies in tatters. The Rickroll phenomenon, whereby people are promised one thing but given �Never Gonna Give You Up� by Rick Astley instead, has been ended by a copyright takedown request by AVG Technologies. It�s a brave move � Rickrolling was invented by 4chan and who knows how they�re going to react.

Anyone who has spent much time online, especially on Internet message boards of any kind, will be aware of Rickrolling.

It�s an incredibly simple concept. The meme is based on a bait and switch, whereby someone posts a hyperlink which allegedly provides content relevant to the current discussion, but in fact leads to the 1987 Rick Astley song �Never Gonna Give You Up� instead.

People who follow these links and end up viewing the song/video are said to have been �Rickrolled� and over the years millions of people have been fooled into doing so. However, those falling into the trap today are being met with something not nearly as entertaining and, if it�s even possible, something that is even more annoying.

Due to a copyright complaint, the original Rickroll video has been removed from YouTube.

Taking down a five-year-old video with tens of millions of views is strange enough, but it is far from clear why AVG Technologies � the people behind AVG Anti-Virus (?) � would want to do so at all.

Hopefully there has been some terrible mistake and everything will be sorted out soon. If not, the consequences could be unpredictable. The Rickroll meme started life on the notorious 4chan message board in 2007 and developed into a worldwide sensation from there, and as we all know that particular community is not known for its patience, nor lack of creativity when it comes to revenge tactics.

This is not the first time that the Rickroll video has been removed though. It was removed by YouTube in 2010 but reinstated shortly afterwards.

TorrentFreak contacted both AVG and Google-owned YouTube for comment and we�ll post their statements here when they arrive.

Update: After being blocked for 24 hours, the video is now back. We�re still waiting for an official explanation on what happened.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/rickroll-meme-destroyed-by-copyright-takedown-120523/

trusted members

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:22:34 -0500

I wanted to ask if there could be a rating system. something that can indicate if it's 85% ok to download from a member. I usually check how long they have been members but thats really not a great way to know. just a thought. I know we should be checking for viruses ourselves but if you knew a memeber had a good track record it would make the process easier, because I would just download from certain trusted members. Thanks

Facebook hit with $15bn privacy lawsuit ahead of stock market debut

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:05:51 -0500

Facebook hit with $15bn privacy lawsuit ahead of stock market debut

The company is being sued for $15bn - almost as much as the $16bn raised in its record breaking initial public offering - for tracking users against their wishes, even after they have logged out of their Facebook accounts.

The lawsuit, filed today in a Federal Court in San Jose, California, combines 21 separate cases across the US and could have far-reaching ramifications for the social network at a critical time.

Facebook priced its flotation at $38 a share last night, valuing the company founded by 28-year old Mark Zuckerberg at $104bn. It will begin trading at 4pm today, shortly after the opening of the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York.

As a public company, Facebook will be expected to grow its advertising revenues very rapidly, putting it under considerable pressure to collect more and more user data to help it target its ads.

The company made 85pc of its $3.71bn of revenues from advertising last year but that figure appears paltry in the context of Facebook�s extraordinary reach. The social network has 900m users worldwide.

Many analysts and experts are sceptical about the effectiveness of paid-for advertising on Facebook.

Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of the world�s biggest advertising group, WPP, has said he has �fundamental� doubts over whether Facebook provides the right �context� for ads, and earlier this week General Motors, the US car manufacturer, said it would stop buying ads on the social network.

However, Facebook argues that its ability to carefully target its adverts makes them increases their value. If, for example, a female user changes her relationship status to �engaged�, Facebook is able to tap into that and ensure lots of adverts for wedding dresses and other bridal services appear on her Facebook page.

If the claimants are successful in their $15bn case against Facebook, they could prevent Facebook from collecting so much data and severely impede its ability to grow advertising revenues.

�This is not just a damages action, but a groundbreaking digital-privacy rights case that could have wide and significant legal and business implications,� said David Straite, a partner at Stewarts Law, the US law firm that is representing the companies in the class-action lawsuit.

Source:

CODE

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9274891/Facebook-hit-with-15bn-privacy-lawsuit-ahead-of-stock-market-debut.html

Bomb explodes during UN visit in Syria

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:56:37 -0500

Bomb explodes during UN visit in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) � A roadside bomb exploded in a restive suburb of the Syrian capital as senior U.N. officials toured the area on Sunday, the latest incident in which the unarmed observer mission has nearly been caught up in the country's bloodshed.

No casualties were reported in the blast, which detonated about 150 meters (500 feet) away from visiting U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous and Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the chief of U.N. observers in Syria. Journalists accompanying the team also were nearby. The explosion blew off the front of a parked vehicle.

A U.N. observer team with more than 250 members now on the ground has failed to quell the bloodshed in Syria, although it says it has had a "calming effect" in certain areas. Meanwhile, on several occasions, the team has come close to being caught in an attack, although there is no conclusive proof that it has been targeted.

Earlier this month, a bomb targeting an army truck exploded seconds after a convoy carrying Mood went past in the country's south. Last week, a roadside bomb damaged the mission's cars in a northern town just minutes after witnesses said regime forces gunned down mourners at a funeral procession nearby.

It was not immediately clear what the target of Sunday's explosion was, but the damaged car was parked near a security checkpoint in the suburb of Douma. A security official at the checkpoint told the U.N. observers that gunmen had targeted two military buses in Douma earlier in the day, wounding more than 30 security agents.

"We obviously don't have the specifics about what happened here this morning," Mood said Sunday.

Ladsous gave a grim assessment of conditions for civilians in Douma, the scene of repeated clashes between security forces and rebels in recent months.

"The city (Douma) is completely paralyzed," Ladsous said. "There is still some fighting taking place. ... It's absolutely imperative that all parties exercise restraint and don't engage into any more fighting. It serves nothing."

Activists reported heavy shelling Sunday in the town of Soran in the central Hama province. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called on the international observers to visit Soran and investigate reports of more than a dozen killed.

In Damascus, opposition groups reported fighting overnight between government forces and army defectors in the district of Kfar Souseh, a hotbed of dissent against President Bashar Assad's regime. The district is a high security area, housing the Foreign Ministry and several security and intelligence agencies. It has also been the scene of frequent anti-Assad demonstrations since the uprising began.

"Violent clashes broke out between rebel fighters and regime troops at a checkpoint in Kfar Souseh district," the Observatory said in a statement. Both the Observatory and another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, said explosions and gunfire were also heard in several other neighborhoods of Damascus.

Syrian rebels claimed in an Internet statement that they carried out a sophisticated attack that killed top political and security officials meeting in the capital. The posting claimed those killed included Maj. Gen. Assef Shawkat, the deputy chief of staff for security affairs; Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha; Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar and former defense minister, Hassan Turkmani.

Several of those officials reported killed subsequently showed up in public to refute the claims. Al-Shaar denied them at a press conference. Turkmani was interviewed by state-run Syrian TV in his office and said the claims were "blatant lies."

Syrian officials rarely respond to statements issued by the opposition and their quick denials on Sunday were unusual.

The revolt against Assad's regime started in March 2011 with mostly peaceful protests calling for political change. The deadly government crackdown led many opposition supporters to take up arms. Now, the regime is facing an armed insurgency targeting government installations, soldiers and security forces.

In March, the U.N. said that 9,000 people had been killed. Hundreds more have died since.

Clashes in the heart of the Syrian capital have become more common recently but are still rare compared to other opposition strongholds in Syria that witness deadly violence almost daily.

A cease-fire that was supposed to start last month has never really taken hold, undermining the rest of international envoy Kofi Annan's plan, which is supposed to lead to talks to end the 15-month crisis.

World powers remain divided on how to end Syria's crisis. The U.S. and other Western and Arab nations have called for Assad to leave power, and the U.S. and European Union have placed increasingly stiff sanctions on Damascus. But with Russia and China blocking significant new U.N. punishments, U.S. officials are trying to get consensus among other allies about ways to promote Assad's ouster.

Also Sunday, an anti-Syrian cleric and his bodyguard were shot dead in neighboring Lebanon, where a spillover of Syria's conflict has inflamed tensions and triggered deadly sectarian fighting in recent days.

The two were on their way to a rally in a remote northern Sunni region when they were shot. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain unclear but the state-run National News Agency said Sheik Ahmed Abdul-Wahid and his guard appeared to have been killed by soldiers after their convoy failed to stop at an army checkpoint.

The deaths could add to the tensions between pro and anti-Syrian groups in the region, and there were fears of clashes breaking out as the cleric's supporters blocked roads with burning tires in protest.

The Lebanese army issued a statement, saying it deeply regretted the incident and that a committee will investigate.

Clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian groups in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli left eight people and dozens wounded this week.

Karam reported from Beirut.

Source:

CODE

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gJ5J4p00kQgmCI-Z4bWUee3NpMVQ?docId=5be218de6e1e441db970ac7ba1c01dcd

How's everyone been? (Viper)

Sat, 19 May 2012 17:02:07 -0500

It's been a while.

File-Sharing Is Linked to Depression, Researchers Find

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:44:53 -0500

File-Sharing Is Linked to Depression, Researchers Find

A new paper published by researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology reveals that people with depressive symptoms are more avid file-sharers than those without them. The research in question was conducted among students whose connections to the campus network were monitored. Perhaps more worrying than the results themselves, the lead researcher suggests that it might be a good idea to monitor people�s file-sharing habits for use as a diagnostic tool.

sad pirateNearly every day we write about negative associations towards file-sharing, and today is no different. A new academic paper now reveals how file-sharing is linked to depressive symptoms.

The paper carries the self-explanatory title �Associating Depressive Symptoms in College Students with Internet Usage Using Real Internet Data� and will be published in an upcoming issue of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine.

In brief, the researchers monitored how 216 undergraduates at Missouri S&T used the campus network. They then linked these findings to the results of a self-rated depression scale (CES-D survey).

What they found was that the use of peer-to-peer octets, packets and duration is positively correlated with depressive symptoms. In other words, people who are �depressed� are more avid file-sharers than those who don�t show depressive symptoms.

According to lead researcher Dr. Sriram Chellappan, the findings are unique among their kind.

�The study is believed to be the first that uses actual Internet data, collected unobtrusively and anonymously, to associate Internet usage with signs of depression,� he told Psys. �Previous research on Internet usage has relied on surveys, which are �a far less accurate way� of assessing how people use the Internet.�

It is unclear what the direction of the relation between depressive symptoms and file-sharing is. The MPAA and RIAA may use the results to claim that file-sharing is bad for your mental health, but this can�t be concluded from the current findings.

Aside from heavy P2P use, people with depressive symptoms also use online chat more, and spend more time sending email. HTTP traffic and streaming were not correlated to depressive symptoms.

As a category file-sharers are in good company as previous studies have linked depressive symptoms to online shopping, excessive online video viewing, social networking, online gambling, and excessive late-night Internet use.

Where things do get scary is when Dr. Sriram Chellappan suggests that it might be a good idea to develop applications that scan people�s Internet use for these risky behaviors.

�The software would be a cost-effective and an in-home tool that could proactively prompt users to seek medical help if their Internet usage patterns indicate possible depression. The software could also be installed on campus networks to notify counselors of students whose Internet usage patterns are indicative of depressive behavior,� he explains.

This goes a bit too far, and is also uncalled for as there is absolutely no evidence that even a decent percentage of all avid P2P users show depressive symptoms.

That a researcher even suggests this is baffling. Not everything has to be monitored and checked. Most people just want their monthly invoice from their ISP, not a complete mental health report. Or perhaps i�m just being far too negative�

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/file-sharing-is-linked-to-depression-researchers-find-120517/

File-Sharing Church Weds First Couple

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:53:13 -0500

File-Sharing Church Weds First Couple

Earlier this year the Church of Kopimism was approved by the authorities as an official religion. Since then, the movement has gathered thousands of believers across the world and two of them have now entered into a �Kopimist� marriage. The Church encourages the newlyweds to �copy and remix some DNA-cells and create a new human being.�

weddingAll around the world file-sharers are being chased by anti-piracy outfits and the authorities. But while copyright holders are often quick to label file-sharers as pirates, there is a large group of people who actually consider copying to be a sacred act.

To emphasize the holiness of copying, philosophy student Isaac Gerson started the Church of Kopimism in Sweden. After a rough start with two failed applications, the new religion was finally recognized by the authorities in January.

For a church that holds CTRL+C and CTRL+V as sacred symbols it is no surprise that the word of this new religion spread quickly. In recent months it expanded globally, from the United States to Estonia. All followers believes that copying and sharing is the most beautiful thing in the world.

This belief in sharing is not restricted to files, code and information, but also applies to love. It was only a matter of time before the first Kopimist couple would become married, and last weekend this joyful union took place at the Share conference in Belgrade.

On stage, a Romanian woman and an Italian man were joined in a holy Kopimist act. Both promised to share the rest of their lives together and to uphold the highest sharing standards.

The Church was delighted to bring the news and commented: �We are very happy today. Love is all about sharing. A married couple share everything with each other.�

Like any other matrimony, a Kopimism marriage is bound by rules. The Church of Kopimism allows the couple to share their love with others, as long as those others don�t steal it. Most importantly, however, they have to copy and remix themselves.

�Hopefully, they will copy and remix some DNA-cells and create a new human being. That is the spirit of Kopimism. Feel the love and share that information. Copy all of its holiness.�

Or to put it in the words of another famous religion.

�Be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it.�

Amen.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/file-sharing-church-weds-first-couple-120507/

wanna make a bit of cash on line??

Fri, 04 May 2012 20:01:20 -0500

CODE

http://www.likenet.ca?ref=517635950

There's a new website out there, you earn money by liking stuff online, entering codes and having friend join up. try it out, I have made $20 in the last week for maybe 10 minutes of clicking. Once you make $35 you can cash out. Use my link and try it out.

Microsoft Puts Windows Live out of Its Misery

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:08:06 -0500

Microsoft Puts Windows Live out of Its Misery

Windows Live is dead.

On Thursday, Microsoft dished out its latest thesis on how software services should be branded in the cloud era. Since 2005 it has used the Windows Live monicker to describe cloudy things. People signed up for Windows Live accounts and used those to manage such services as Hotmail for e-mail and SkyDrive for online storage. As Microsoft described it, Windows Live was �a set of personal Internet services and software designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with more safety and security features across their PC, devices, and the Web.� Phew.

Well, the Windows Live brand failed to capture the public�s imagination, and now Microsoft has decided that the cloud is a right rather than a brand. In the future, people using Windows computers and phones will sign into their Windows account, which will then open up all those same online services. As terminology, Windows Live no longer exists. And the change is more than mere nomenclature fiddling.

Microsoft is basically saying now that when you log into a machine, you�re logging into the cloud as well and don�t need to take that extra step of hopping onto Microsoft Live�s website. No matter which computer you�re on, your data and apps will follow. This is Microsoft putting its stake in the ground as a cloud believer.

The company still has branding nightmares, however. With a Microsoft account, users access SkyDrive for storage, Zune for music and movies, and Xbox Live for gaming. Of all of these services, Xbox Live clearly carries the most cachet. It�s beloved by the young, the hip, the gamers. SkyDrive has a lot of users�17 million active folks per month�which is fine, but I rarely hear people professing their love for the service. And I�ve never heard a non-Microsoft employee mention the Zune service, which is named after a now-defunct MP3 player.

As a user of all these services, I�d love to see Microsoft tie them together better. I want to pay for my Xbox Live and Zune subscriptions together, and find all my data�photos, videos, game stuff, and documents�in one spot. My suspicion is that �Zune� is not long for this world and that Microsoft has some other brand in the works that will unite SkyDrive with its entertainment services.

Microsoft�s services are far better than most people realize, and the company could sure use any boost�naming or otherwise�to get folks to give them a try.

Source:

CODE

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-03/microsoft-puts-windows-live-out-of-its-misery

Judge: An IP-Address Doesn�t Identify a Person (or BitTorrent Pirate)

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:01:25 -0500

Judge: An IP-Address Doesn�t Identify a Person (or BitTorrent Pirate)

A landmark ruling in one of the many mass-BitTorrent lawsuits in the US has suffered a severe blow to a thus far lucrative business. Among other things, New York Judge Gary Brown explains in great detail why an IP-address is not sufficient evidence to identify copyright infringers. According to the Judge this lack of specific evidence means that many alleged BitTorrent pirates have been wrongfully accused by copyright holders.

ip-addressMass-BitTorrent lawsuits have been dragging on for more than two years in the US, involving more than a quarter million alleged downloaders.

The copyright holders who start these cases generally provide nothing more than an IP-address as evidence. They then ask the courts to grant a subpoena, allowing them to ask Internet providers for the personal details of the alleged offenders.

The problem, however, is that the person listed as the account holder is often not the person who downloaded the infringing material. Or put differently; an IP-address is not a person.

Previous judges who handled BitTorrent cases have made observations along these lines, but none have been as detailed as New York Magistrate Judge Gary Brown was in a recent order.

In his recommendation order the Judge labels mass-BitTorrent lawsuits a �waste of judicial resources.� For a variety of reasons he recommends other judges to reject similar cases in the future.

One of the arguments discussed in detail is the copyright holders� claim that IP-addresses can identify the alleged infringers. According to Judge Brown this claim is very weak.

�The assumption that the person who pays for Internet access at a given location is the same individual who allegedly downloaded a single sexually explicit film is tenuous, and one that has grown more so over time,� he writes.

�An IP address provides only the location at which one of any number of computer devices may be deployed, much like a telephone number can be used for any number of telephones.�

�Thus, it is no more likely that the subscriber to an IP address carried out a particular computer function � here the purported illegal downloading of a single pornographic film � than to say an individual who pays the telephone bill made a specific telephone call.�

The Judge continues by arguing that having an IP-address as evidence is even weaker than a telephone number, as the majority of US homes have a wireless network nowadays. This means that many people, including complete strangers if one has an open network, can use the same IP-address simultaneously.

�While a decade ago, home wireless networks were nearly non-existent, 61% of US homes now have wireless access. As a result, a single IP address usually supports multiple computer devices � which unlike traditional telephones can be operated simultaneously by different individuals,� Judge Brown writes.

�Different family members, or even visitors, could have performed the alleged downloads. Unless the wireless router has been appropriately secured (and in some cases, even if it has been secured), neighbors or passersby could access the Internet using the IP address assigned to a particular subscriber and download the plaintiff�s film.�

Judge Brown explains that the widespread use of wireless networks makes a significant difference in cases against file-sharers. He refers to an old RIAA case of nearly a decade ago where the alleged infringer was located at a University, on a wired connection offering hundreds to tracks in a shared folder. The Judge points out that nowadays it is much harder to pinpoint specific infringers.

Brown also cites various other judges who�ve made comments on the IP-address issue. In SBO Pictures, Inc. v. Does 1-3036 for example, the court noted:

�By defining Doe Defendants as ISP subscribers who were assigned certain IP addresses, instead of the actual Internet users who allegedly engaged in infringing activity, Plaintiff�s sought-after discovery has the potential to draw numerous innocent internet users into the litigation, placing a burden upon them that weighs against allowing the discovery as designed.�

Judge Brown concludes that in these and other mass-BitTorrent lawsuits it is simply unknown whether the person linked to the IP-address has anything to do with the alleged copyright infringements.

�Although the complaints state that IP addresses are assigned to �devices� and thus by discovering the individual associated with that IP address will reveal �defendants� true identity,� this is unlikely to be the case,� he concludes.

In other words, the copyright holders in these cases have wrongfully accused dozens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands of people.

Aside from effectively shutting down all mass-BitTorrent lawsuits in the Eastern District of New York, the order is a great reference for other judges dealing with similar cases. Suing BitTorrent users is fine, especially one at a time, but with proper evidence and not by abusing and misleading the courts.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/judge-an-ip-address-doesnt-identify-a-person-120503/

Google, Wi-Fi Snooping, and the Ever-Shifting 'Creepy' Line

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:23 -0500

Google, Wi-Fi Snooping, and the Ever-Shifting 'Creepy' Line

Google�s snooping into wireless network data via its Street View cars�behavior that triggered a Federal Communications Commission investigation, as well as multiple lawsuits�is back in the news via a report on Tuesday from the New York Times that identifies the engineer behind the project. But while there has been much public outrage about what Google (GOOG) did, it�s interesting to note that even the FCC said the company�s data capturing wasn�t illegal because the networks in question were effectively public. (The Federal Trade Commission also dropped a similar case.) Is this a sign of how broken the laws around privacy are, or is the Street View furor an overreaction?

The latest information about the case comes from internal Google documents that were given to the FCC as part of its investigation�documents showing that the capture of data other than a Wi-Fi network�s location (which Google engineers referred to as �payload data�) was in fact deliberate and fairly widely known within the company. This contrasts with Google�s official response after the snooping was first discovered, in which the company described it as something that occurred accidentally while Street View cars were driving around taking photos, the result of a single engineer�s side project.

Privacy advocate Chris Soghoian says the FCC should be hauled before a Congressional committee for having failed to reveal this information sooner. Some commenters on Twitter and elsewhere have suggested Google should be fined millions of dollars for what it did. Some are even declaring that the engineer in question�who invoked the Fifth Amendment in refusing to testify during the FCC investigation�should be sent to prison for his involvement in the project. Said Soghoian: �[N]othing prevented the agency from alerting the public, the media, and Congress to the full extent of Google�s sins. Instead, the agency opted to keep the public in the dark.�

But if the behavior was so sinful, why did the FCC decide Google did nothing wrong? According to the federal regulator, capturing data in such a way doesn�t break any laws because the Wi-Fi networks in question were broadcasting the information publicly over the airwaves. In a defense of Google�s behavior, technology blogger Mike Elgan argued something similar: Since the data was being transmitted in an unencrypted fashion into a public space, Google did nothing wrong in capturing it. This is no different from eavesdropping on conversations in a public space or looking over someone�s shoulder at what they are reading, Elgan says,

Most of the response to the snooping, however, takes the opposite position�namely, that Google invaded people�s privacy by doing this and that even taking snapshots of data that exists on a Wi-Fi network while driving by someone�s house is like reading their mail.

Reading someone�s mail is an interesting analogy because of course, Google already does that. It has been doing it since the company launched its Web-based Gmail service in 2004. Just as there is now a fuss about Wi-Fi payloads and other kinds of automated �snooping,� there was initially a substantial outcry about Gmail and the idea that Google was going to be reading every message people sent, albeit in an automated way. (Google executive Marissa Mayer was reportedly concerned about this issue.) The idea that anyone would be upset by this now seems almost quaint and old-fashioned.

Much of the debate about Google�s Wi-Fi sniffing veers back and forth between different perceptions of what is appropriate behavior and what isn�t. In a number of European countries such as Germany, even taking photos of someone�s home without their permission is hugely controversial, so it�s no surprise that capturing e-mails and chat messages (even if no one other than government regulators and lawyers ever read them) is seen as a heinous invasion of privacy. But in the U.S., taking photos and even recordings in public places is legal.

As my colleague Stacey Higginbotham pointed out recently, it is difficult to find exactly where the �creepy� line is until you cross it. But what makes it even harder is that the line shifts, depending on whom you are asking: There was a huge amount of outrage about the Girls Around Me app because it showed where women were located, even though they had chosen to share that information publicly. Kashmir Hill, who writes about privacy for Forbes, said the reaction from many critics was creepier than the app and that many young women choose deliberately to share this kind of information.

As Hill put it: �We increasingly live in a �creepy� world, in which we can find and manipulate information in unforeseeable ways. These new information flows sometimes feel �creepy� because they�re new, unfamiliar, and to some people, unexpected.�

The other common response to the Google Wi-Fi case is to argue that many users aren�t aware that information from their wireless networks is effectively being broadcast publicly unless they choose to lock their network. But how far should we go in protecting people from the consequences of their own behavior? If Google captures data from your network while driving past your house, is that Google�s fault or yours? If you can�t figure out how curtains work and someone looks in your window, do you have the right to get angry?

The devices we carry with us everywhere broadcast details about our locations, as well as all kinds of �digital exhaust� that could be (and probably is being) captured. Some of that is done deliberately and some isn�t. Some of it is likely leaking because users can�t be bothered to learn about or check their default settings or privacy controls. Is it even possible to hold the companies involved responsible for this�and if so, should we?

Source:

CODE

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-02/google-wi-fi-snooping-and-the-ever-shifting-creepy-line

Young File-Sharers Respond To Tough Laws By Buying a VPN

Tue, 01 May 2012 13:38:54 -0500

Young File-Sharers Respond To Tough Laws By Buying a VPN

A new survey has revealed that young people are responding to tough legislation and increasing levels of online spying by investing in VPN services. The study, carried out by the Cybernorms research group at Sweden�s Lund University, found that when compared to figures from late 2009, 40% more 15 to 25-year-olds are now hiding their activities online.

Faced with the almost impossible task of physically restricting people�s activities online, during recent years authorities and copyright holders have sought to have legislation tightened up, to encourage citizens towards a path of �doing the right thing� through the fear of more and more serious consequences.

In Sweden, the results of intense lobbying are clear. Due to a combination of fat Internet pipes and its status as the spiritual home of The Pirate Bay, Sweden and file-sharing go hand in hand. As a result the country is being subjected to considerable online surveillance.

But according to new research from the Cybernorms research group at Sweden�s Lund University, an increasing proportion of the country�s population are taking measures to negate the effects of spying on their online activities.

The study reveals that 700,000 Swedes now make themselves anonymous online with paid VPN services such as The Pirate Bay�s iPredator.

A similar study carried out in 2009 revealed that 500,000 Swedes were taking steps to anonymize their connections. Today�s results therefore reveal a 40% increase in privacy service uptake in roughly 2.5 years.

Of particular interest is the response to surveillance by the younger generation. According to Cybernorms, 200,000 individuals aged between 15 to 25-years-old are now hiding themselves online. This figure represents 15% of the total group, up from 10% in 2009.

M�ns Svensson, PhD in Sociology of Law at Lund and study manager, says that further uptake of anonymization services will only increase as new legislation is introduced.

�If the [recent] European Court of Justice opinion leads to an intensified hunt for file sharers, there is evidence that the use of these types of services for anonymity will grow even faster,� says Svensson.

While the researchers at Lund estimate that file-sharing is one of the key drivers behind the update of anonymity services, according to the foundation administering Sweden�s top-level .SE domain, monitoring of other kinds is also playing its part.

�Where monitoring is increasing, both from government and from private players like Facebook and Google, so does demand,� .SE president Danny Aerts told Svenska Dagbladet.

Whether it�s for file-sharing, domain blockage circumvention or freedom of speech, anonymization services are here to stay. Welcome to the encrypted Internet.

source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/young-file-sharers-respond-to-tough-laws-by-buying-a-vpn-120501/

Bandit to Hollywood but a Hero to Soldiers

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:42:58 -0500

At 92, a Bandit to Hollywood but a Hero to Soldiers

MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. � One of the world�s most prolific bootleggers of Hollywood DVDs loves his morning farina. He has spent eight years churning out hundreds of thousands of copies of �The Hangover,� �Gran Torino� and other first-run movies from his small Long Island apartment to ship overseas.

�Big Hy� � his handle among many loyal customers � would almost certainly be cast as Hollywood Enemy No. 1 but for a few details. He is actually Hyman Strachman, a 92-year-old, 5-foot-5 World War II veteran trying to stay busy after the death of his wife. And he has sent every one of his copied DVDs, almost 4,000 boxes of them to date, free to American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With the United States military presence in those regions dwindling, Big Hy Strachman will live on in many soldiers� hearts as one of the war�s more shadowy heroes.

�It�s not the right thing to do, but I did it,� Mr. Strachman said, acknowledging that his actions violated copyright law.

�If I were younger,� he added, �maybe I�d be spending time in the hoosegow.�

Capt. Bryan Curran, who recently returned from Afghanistan, estimated that from 2008 to 2010, Mr. Strachman sent more than 2,000 DVDs to his outfits there.

�You�re shocked because your initial image is of some back-alley Eastern European bootlegger � not an old Jewish guy on Long Island,� Captain Curran said. �He would time them with the movie�s release � whenever a new movie was just in theaters, we knew Big Hy would be sending us some. I saw �The Transformers� before it hit the States.�

Jenna Gordon, a specialist in the Army Reserve, said she had handed out even more of Mr. Strachman�s DVDs last year as a medic with the 883rd Medical Company east of Kandahar City, where soldiers would gather for movie nights around personal computers, with mortar blasting in the background. Some knew only that the discs came from some dude named Big Hy; others knew not even that.

�It was pretty big stuff � it�s reconnecting you to everything you miss,� she said. �We�d tell people to take a bunch and pass them on.�

White-haired, slightly hunched and speaking in his Depression-era Brooklyn brogue (think Casey Stengel after six years of Hebrew school), Mr. Strachman explained in a recent interview that his 60-hour-a-week venture was winding down. �It�s all over anyways � they�re all coming home in the near future,� he said of the troops.

As he spoke, he was busy preparing some packages, filled with 84 discs of �The Artist,� �Moneyball� and other popular films, many of them barely out of theaters, to a platoon in Afghanistan.

As for his brazen violation of domestic copyright laws, Mr. Strachman nodded guiltily but pointed to his walls, which are strewed with seven huge American flags, dozens of appreciative letters, and snapshots of soldiers holding up their beloved DVDs.

�Every time I got back an emotional e-mail or letter, I sent them another box,� he said, adding that he had never accepted any money for the movies or been told by any authorities to stop.

�I thought maybe because I�m an old-timer,� he said.

In February, Mr. Strachman duplicated and shipped 1,100 movies. (�A slow month,� he said.) He has not kept an official count but estimates that he topped 80,000 discs a year during his heyday in 2007 and 2008, making his total more than 300,000 since he began in 2004. Postage of about $11 a box, and the blank discs themselves, would suggest a personal outlay of over $30,000.

Born in Brooklyn in 1920 to immigrants from Poland, Mr. Strachman left high school during the Depression to work for his family�s window and shade store in Manhattan. He became a stockbroker on Wall Street � �When there were no computers, you had to use your noodle� � before retiring in the early 1990s.

After Mr. Strachman�s wife of more than half a century, Harriet, died in 2003, he discovered a Web site that collected soldiers� requests for care packages. He noted a consistent plea for movie DVDs and wound up passing his sleepless nights replicating not only the films, but also a feeling of military comradeship that he had not experienced since his own service in the Pacific during World War II.

�I wouldn�t say it kept him alive, but it definitely brought back his joie de vivre,� said Mr. Strachman�s son, Arthur, a tax accountant in New York. Mr. Strachman has never ripped a movie from a store-bought DVD and does not even know how; rather, he bought bootlegged discs for $5 in Penn Station before finding a dealer closer to home, at his local barbershop. Those discs were either recordings made illegally in theaters or studio cuts that had been leaked.

Originally, Mr. Strachman would use his desktop computer to copy the movies one tedious disc at a time. (�It was moyda,� he groaned.) So he got his hands on a $400 professional duplicator that made seven copies at once, grew his fingernails long to better separate the blank discs, and began copying hundreds a day.

Last month, in black grandpa shoes and blue suspenders that hoisted his trousers up to his sternum, Mr. Strachman and his spindly hands steered a master copy of �The Artist� into the machine, fed the seven other bays with blanks, and pressed �Record.� Six minutes later, in went �The King�s Speech.� Then �Moneyball.�

He eventually stuffed the maximum of 84 discs (12 titles, 7 each) into a United States Postal Service fixed-rate box, secured it with several yards of packing tape and scrawled out a packing slip for the Massapequa Park post office. The contraband, which he said could take up to three months to arrive, was addressed to an Army chaplain.

�Chaplains don�t sell them, and they fan out,� Mr. Strachman said. �The distribution is great.�

The movie studios are less enthusiastic. Although the most costly piracy now takes place online through file-sharing Web sites, the illegal duplication of copyright DVDs � usually by organized crime in Eastern Europe and China, not by retirees in their 90s in the American suburbs � still siphons billions of dollars out of the industry every year. And while Mr. Strachman�s movies were given to soldiers as a form of charity, studios do send military bases reel-to-reel films, which are much harder to copy, and projectors for the troops overseas.

Howard Gantman, a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America, said he did not believe its member studios were aware of Mr. Strachman�s operation. His sole comment dripped with the difficulty of going after a 92-year-old widower supporting the troops.

�We are grateful that the entertainment we produce can bring some enjoyment to them while they are away from home,� Mr. Gantman said.

Careful to minimize his malfeasance, Mr. Strachman said he had kept no copies for himself and had destroyed every master disc soon after the new releases came in.

Before long, the sole evidence of his operation will be on his walls and on a little bookshelf, next to his cholesterol-control pills and a few envelopes of farina, where seven three-ring binders overflow with letters and pictures, most addressed to �Big Hy,� from appreciative soldiers.

�Our downtime is spent watching movies as we clean our weapons,� one handwritten note said.

Another accompanied a flag from a combat mission over Afghanistan: �I can think of no one more deserving than you, and no one who understands what this flag stands for and means to our veterans.�

The fun will stop soon, Mr. Strachman said. �I�m not sure who�s going to be left over there anymore,� he said, happier for the soldiers� return than for his need to find another hobby.

And with that the duplicator beeped, spitting out seven more copies of �The Artist.�

Mr. Strachman scooped them out of their trays, put a rubber band around them and inserted the stack into a box, perhaps his very last.

Source:

CODE

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/nyregion/at-92-movie-bootlegger-is-soldiers-hero.html?hp

Epic 6-Year File-Sharing Case

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:36:43 -0500

Epic 6-Year File-Sharing Case Over Just 3 Songs Comes To An End

A file-sharing prosecution that has been dragging on for six long years has finally come to an end. The original complaint, filed by the Portuguese Phonographic Association in 2006, targeted a then 17-year-old. Now 23, their target has just received a suspended jail sentence and a fine of 880 euros. None of this has helped the country�s music industry � physical product sales nosedived more than 34% last year.

When the Portuguese arm of IFPI first decided to bring file-sharing prosecutions to the country, their aims would have been simple � to scare Internet users away from file-sharing networks and into the shops. It didn�t work out that way.

Since 2006, the Portuguese Phonographic Association filed more than two dozen cases with the Attorney General�s Office. Only two bore any fruit at all � one in 2008 and another just over a week ago having dragged on for an epic six years.

The case was brought against a then 17-year-old teenager who allegedly shared hundreds of songs online without permission. However, for �technical and procedural reasons� (read: lack of evidence), those claims were reduced massively and in the end it was decided he shared just three, a pair from local artists and �Right Through You� by Alanis Morrisette.

Now, the Lisbon Criminal Court has finally delivered its ruling in the case. For violating copyright, the now 23-year-old received a two month suspended jail sentence. The Court decided that since the man was just 17 at the time of the offense and has a completely clean record, the sentence should be changed to a fine of 880 euros � 640 euros plus 4 euros in lieu of each day not served in prison.

After having made 40 similar complaints against file-sharers since 2006, the Portuguese Phonographic Association says it will now give up on the strategy.

�At the time, it was believed that, in fact, through the application of existing law we could begin to control the problem of Internet piracy,� said Association president Eduardo Simoes.

Current legal framework, Simoes added, can not cope with online file-sharing. Inevitably he is calling on the government to introduce new laws that do away with prolonged prosecution periods that reduce the deterrent effects of bringing cases to trial. What the Association wants is a �3 strikes� style arrangement whereby file-sharers are sent escalating warnings and eventually punished.

As the local branch of IFPI, the Portuguese Phonographic Association controls 95% of recorded music in Portugal but it is currently facing a crisis. The Association reports that in the last decade profits have dropped by 80%, and in 2011 sales of physical products nose-dived 34.4%.

Interestingly, in addition to blaming the piracy bogeyman and the economic crisis for these reductions in sales, Simoes also cites an undeveloped digital offering and artists� growing tendency to self-publish as additional factors compounding the problem.

Despite the apparent lack of legal support, Portugal�s movie industry say they are working hard to reduce piracy by other means. According the MPA-backed FEVIP, they shut down 302 local sites offering pirate material during 2011.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/epic-6-year-file-sharing-case-over-just-3-songs-comes-to-an-end-120430/

The Net vs. The Power of Narratives

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:34:49 -0500

The Net vs. The Power of Narratives

The net changes the world�s power structures in a much more fundamental way than changing the way a few groups of entrepreneurs are able to make money. The net is the greatest equalizer that humankind has ever invented. It is either the greatest invention since the printing press, or the greatest invention since written language. The battles we see are not a result of loss of money; they are caused by a loss of the power of narratives.

Imagine if you were able to write all the world�s news for a week. You would have no bounds in what you wrote, and nobody would question your news � it would be accepted as unconditional truth. What would you write?

The people who sit on this kind of power hold the power of narrative. They hold the ability to literally dictate truth from lies. If you are able to determine and describe the problems that society must solve, and perhaps even how to solve them, you hold the greatest power of all.

Some people, when faced with this thought experiment, think in terms of affecting public opinion on some favorite issue. Those who are a little more daring think in terms of getting rich. But it doesn�t stop there, far from there. If you held the power of narratives, you wouldn�t need money ever again in your life: you could be a god. You could quite literally be seen as a walking deity on the planet.

The ability to interpret reality and tell other people what is true and what is false is the greatest power that humans have ever held. The power of narratives.

In the Middle Ages, this power was held by the Catholic Church who interpreted the Bible in sermons all over Europe. The Bible was written in Latin, and you could even be sent into exile for unauthorized reading of that Bible in Latin.

The Church had no reason to fear any laws being made against their interest, for they controlled the entire worldview of the legislators. They defined the problems and they defined the applicable solutions.

In this day and age, some crazy guy named Gutenberg made it possible to bring Bibles by the cartload into the streets of Paris?. In French! Readable without interpretation! This tore down the church�s power of narrative like a house of cards under a steamroller.

In this, the Church saw themselves as the good guys and wanted to set the record straight, to prevent the spread of disinformation. They had learned that they were the carriers of truth and could not unlearn having this position. Thus, the penalties for using the printing press gradually increased all over Europe, until it hit the death penalty: France, January 13, 1535.

Yes, there has been a death penalty for unauthorized copying. Guess what? Even the death penalty didn�t work.

But as illustrated here, cracking down on the copying technology wasn�t really a matter of preventing copying. It was a matter of maintaining the power of narratives � the complete and total control over the world�s knowledge and culture.

Between the printing press and now, that power has been held by the operators of printing presses. They have observed, they have interpreted, they have retold the story of reality. Recently, the printing presses have received company from radio and TV broadcasts, but the model has remained the same: a small, small elite has determined what the world should know and how they should relate to the events going on.

The net changes everything.

All of a sudden, anybody can publish their ideas to the world in 10 minutes. And just like the Catholic Church, the previous powerholders of the narrative can�t deal with the situation this time around either, and see it as their job to restore order.

The gatekeepers of music � the record labels � are a very minor player in this game. It is much, much larger than that. The net redefines the entire previous classes of power. Those able to tell their story, rule. Those being arrogant enough to demand that people should just keep listening to them for no reason will lose their powers of influence.

Just like when the means of spreading ideas and information accurately, quickly and cheaply came along with the printing press in the mid-1450s, those who now hold the power of narrative are fighting the already-happened loss of their power of narrative with everything they have, and using any excuses they can think of. The actions are the same from every regime in the world � only the excuses differ.

In China, it is sometimes worded as �stability� or �morale of the nation�.

In some very religious Muslim countries, �sanctity of the Prophet� has been heard as motive.

In the West, it can be �terrorism�, �file sharing�, �organized crime�, and �pedophilia�.

Everywhere on the planet, the current regime � not necessarily meaning elected political leaders � choose locally acceptable excuses to crack down on the net. But the actions remain the same, and are aimed at preventing something much more fundamental.

The power for every person on the planet to observe, interpret, and tell their story is breaking the power of money. A fat bank account can no longer buy belief in a story. This equalization of humankind is something tremendously beneficial for about 99.99% of humanity � for the ones trying to destroy the net with every trick in the book are the very few that are being equalized downwards.

Just like in the 1450s. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/the-net-vs-the-power-of-narratives-120429/

IMAGiNE BitTorrent Piracy Group Indicted, Face Years In Prison

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:47:08 -0500

IMAGiNE BitTorrent Piracy Group Indicted, Face Years In Prison

After being busted last year following an ICE Homeland Security investigation, four alleged members of the movie release group IMAGiNE have now been indicted. The defendants, all US residents aged between 27 and 57 years old, face up to five years in prison for criminal copyright infringement. Rumors persist that they were led to the slaughter by a rival release group with a grudge.

During September 2011, TorrentFreak was tipped off that IMAGiNE, one of the Internet�s leading BitTorrent release groups, had been busted by the authorities following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation.

The year before IMAGiNE had launched their own private BitTorrent tracker that failed massively in its quest to stay under the radar. The site, UnleashTheNet (also known by its acronym UtN) attracted plenty of attention and it now appears it was the group�s Achilles� heel.

As revealed by an indictment returned on April 18, 2012, and unsealed yesterday, four individuals have now been charged in the Eastern District of Virginia for their alleged roles in IMAGiNE.

Jeramiah Perkins, 39, of Portsmouth, Va., Gregory Cherwonik, 53, of New York, Willie Lambert, 57, of Pennsylvania, and Sean Lovelady, 27, of California, are all charged with one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and two counts of criminal copyright infringement.

Perkins, Cherwonik and Lambert are charged with two additional counts of criminal copyright infringement, and Perkins and Cherwonik are charged with a sixth count of criminal copyright infringement of a work being prepared for commercial distribution.

The indictment lists several movie titles that were reproduced, distributed and seeded on BitTorrent prior to the U.S. DVD release data including �The Green Hornet,� �The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader� and �Yogi Bear.� All films carried the group�s �IMAGiNE� tag.

According to the announcement from Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Justice Department�s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil MacBride and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton, Perkins, Cherwonik and Lambert were arrested Monday. Lovelady reported to the authorities yesterday.

�These four defendants are charged with serious intellectual property crimes. Through IMAGiNE, they allegedly sought to become the leading source of pirated movies on the Internet,� said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.

�This Justice Department, working with our partners at ICE, has made fighting intellectual property crime a top priority, and we will continue to bring cases against individuals and entities devoted to cheating consumers and undermining artistic pursuits.�

Given the claims in the indictment and how the group�s activities are being portrayed, the IMAGiNE defendants are in serious trouble. First, it quite rightly points out that between 2009 and September 2011, IMAGiNE obtained video and audio for the latest movies from different sources, combined them, and then released them online.

But then, presumably because of their involvement with the UtN tracker, they are blamed for the subsequent infringing actions of UtN members. According to the indictment the four are responsible for the reproduction and distribution of �tens of thousands of illegal copies of copyrighted works.�

The maximum prison sentence for conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and for each count of criminal copyright infringement is five years in prison. All four defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on May 9, 2012.

As reported by TorrentFreak last year, rumors persist that IMAGiNE were led to the slaughter by a rival group with a grudge.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/imagine-bittorrent-piracy-group-face-years-in-prison-120426/

Australian Police Accused of Mass Software Piracy

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:58:28 -0500

Australian Police Accused of Mass Software Piracy

Australian police are involved in a massive piracy lawsuit. Software company Micro Focus is claiming that the police are making unauthorized use of its ViewNow software, which they use to access the COPS criminal intelligence database. In addition, it�s alleged that the police shared the proprietary software with third parties. Micro Focus is fighting the case in court and is demanding at least $10 million in damages.

pirate policeThe Aussie police are clearly not setting the right example when it comes to copyright infringement. In 2008 computers of the South Australian police force�s IT branch were found to contain hundreds of pirated movies.

There is, however, an even ongoing bigger case in which the New South Wales police are accused of massive software piracy involving its criminal intelligence database.

The software in question, ViewNow, is developed by the UK company Micro Focus. While the company licensed its software to the police in the past, it discovered nearly two years ago the police were using thousands of unauthorized copies.

Even worse, the police also shared the software with third parties such as the Ombudsman�s Office, the Department of Correctives Services and the Police Integrity Commission. All without permission from the software company.

In an attempt to get compensated for several years worth of mass piracy, Micro Focus has filed a lawsuit in which it�s demanding more than $10 million in damages. Micro Focus� managing director Bruce Craig says they saw no other option than to sue, as they can�t go to the police.

�When someone pirates your software you think who am I gonna call, the police? In this case, they�re the pirates,� Craig comments on 7.30.

�This is potentially a crime that has to be handled as a civil matter because everybody�s got their hands dirty,� he added. �The victims can�t go to police � it�s the police who are doing the stealing.�

At the center of the legal battle is a dispute over the licenses for the ViewNow software. Micro Focus says the police had licenses to install ViewNow on up to 6,500 computers, but in fact more than 16,000 copies were installed. In addition, the police shared copies with other organizations without permission.

�The licenses were for police only. Yet police were out there handing out our software like confetti,� Craig says. �They did not pay for those extra licenses. It�s incredible. It shows an organization that�s completely out of control.�

The police on the other hand claim that they are not aware of any restrictions. Instead, they claim that they could use as many copies as they want according to their interpretation of the contract.

To make matters even worse, Micro Focus is now threatening a new lawsuit as they suspect that the police have replaced the ViewNow software with an alternative called NetManage Applet. This application also belongs to Micro Focus, and they have not licensed the police to use that without restrictions either.

Who�s right and who�s wrong will eventually be decided by the court, but there is already one losing party � the taxpayer. The police have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and the case has barely begun.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/australian-police-accused-of-mass-software-piracy-120424/

Mediafire Starts Blocking FilesTube Search Traffic

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:39:00 -0500

Mediafire Starts Blocking FilesTube Search Traffic

File-hosting service Mediafire decided to block all incoming traffic from the popular media search engine FilesTube. Commenting on the move Mediafire�s co-founder explains that it was a logical step as their service was never intended to be indexed in public.

mediafireWith millions of daily visitors FilesTube is among the most frequently visited websites on the Internet.

Founded in 2007, the Polish-operated site is the largest meta-search engine for content hosted on cyberlockers such as Hotfile, 4Shared and Mediafire. FilesTube refers a significant amount of traffic to these sites, but not all of them are very happy about it.

In fact, Mediafire don�t want to be indexed at all, took action to block all incoming traffic from FilesTube last month.

�As a private service MediaFire was never designed to be indexed which is why we don�t have an index,� Mediafire co-founder Tom Langridge explains to TorrentFreak.

�Our meta tags for file access are set to not-indexable and services like Google, Bing and other search engines honor this. FilesTube was not honoring this and thus we were forced to block them.�

While the decision makes sense from Mediafire�s point of view, it would be naive not to relate the recent change to the increased debate about the legality of cyberlockers� business models. After the Megaupload raids and arrests Mediafire and other file-hosting services have been publicly scrutinized by Hollywood.

Mediafire was among the five cyberlockers labeled as rogue sites by the movie studios recently. Mediafire was quick to refute the allegations and emphasize that they run a perfectly legitimate business.

This week the debate continues when RapidShare published a set of guidelines cyberlockers should follow to deter mass-copyright infringement.

While we assume Mediafire�s recent change is in part aimed at deterring infringement, it is no silver bullet.

The FilesTube block stops users from clicking through to Mediafire, but it doesn�t prevent links being indexed, as FilesTube gathers this information from third-party sources. This means that FilesTube users can still find content on MediaFire, but instead of clicking on a direct link they have to manually paste the URL in their browsers.

FilesTube points out this workaround on their Facebook page.

Update: The article was updated to make clear that Mediafire made these changes last month.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/mediafire-starts-blocking-filestube-links-120422/

The History of File-Sharing

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:37:00 -0500

The History of File-Sharing

Last century filesharing was a fringe hobby, only for geeks who were lucky enough to own a computer that could dial into the World Wide Web. How different is that today, where filesharing has become daily routine for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In just a few years swapping files has become mainstream. Time to take a step back and see how it all came about.

sharing is caringDigital filesharing has come a long way since the early days of the floppy disk, starting with a 79.7 kB storage capacity in the early 1970s.

Two decades ago 3.5″ disks were the most sought after medium to distribute files. At the time, their massive 1.4 MB file size was more than enough to distribute files. But things got really interesting when people started to swap files on the Internet.

In just 2 score years, filesharing has evolved into an amazingly efficient process which has enhanced lives everywhere. It has brought great exposure to underexposed types of media and democratized distribution, making it possible for individuals to share files with the rest of the world at virtually no cost.

Let�s briefly examine how filesharing has become what it is today in a non-exhaustive overview.
BBS: The Early Days (70s-90s)

The BBS, or Bulletin Board System, has been largely attributed with the beginning of contemporary digital filesharing. Beginning with the Hayes Smartmodem, Bulletin Board Systems became automatic enough that Sysops (or administrators) were able to own and operate these mediums from their own homes as both a hobby and, later, as a business. Typically, the BBS was almost like an intranet in which users would dial-in with their modems to read/send messages, access news, and most importantly for us, share files.

Shareware became incredibly popular through the distribution provided by Bulletin Board Systems. From Wolfenstein to Commander Keen, users were able to learn about a BBS by word of mouth and, in its pinnacle, through printed magazines focusing on BBS�s. Many well-known software packages, including PKZIP, were made popular through the BBS. Many users today still use PKZIP�s .zip algorithm when compressing and decompressing archives.

There are still many traditional Bulletin Board Systems in operation today.
Usenet: Beginnings of Decentralization (Late 70s-Present)

Usenet or Newsgroups were similar to Bulletin Board Systems. However, they operated using UUCP and were able to transcend beyond the centralization of a BBS. Essentially, Usenet servers were able to receive files and re-distribute them amongst other Usenet servers effectively creating multiple copies of messages and files across hundreds upon thousands of servers. Usenet was the medium for discussions which gave birth to several projects, including the World Wide Web, Linux, and Mosaic, amongst other amazing projects.

While Usenet has been in existence since the late 70s, major filesharing did not typically occur until much later. In 1993, Eugene Roshal created RAR which allowed users to split files into multipart archives. Given the decentralized copy-nature of Usenet, this helped distribute files much faster and more efficiently, as corruption in file transfers no longer required files to be re-uploaded in their entirety.

Although many may disagree, Usenet is still very much in use today. However, it is used mostly for filesharing rather than for its original purpose of messaging, which has been mostly replaced by contemporary web forums and IRC.
FTP and FXP: Topsites and the ISO Scene (90s-Present)

Soon after, the underground filesharing scene gave birth to an intricate private network of FTP sites known as Topsites. These networks were based on invite only systems and adopted many of the features of Usenet.

Generally, release groups would upload new media to their release servers and create various kinds of announcements thereof (generally, IRC bot based). Then, couriers who had access to the release servers, as well as other servers, would transport or �race� new releases from one server to another, typically with the use of FXP. By doing so, they would earn credits (typically 1:3 ratio) for uploading files as long as the file was considered to be appropriate and unique (not a dupe � hence the racing).

Through this culture and rewards system, files eventually would make their way to topsites all over the world in this decentralized nature. Much like Usenet, split-file or RAR archives were utilized in order to further enhance the racing culture.

Of course, due to the private and closed nature of this distribution network, it was difficult for many users to gain access to these topsites. Topsites are very much still in existence today.
IRC (90s-Present)

IRC has been around for a long time and has played quite a role in society, both in filesharing as well as politics. Many IRC clients feature a DCC (direct client to client) protocol which allows users to do exactly as the name implies.

Through DCC, and later with advancements and bots known as XDCC servers, filesharing took yet another turn. Distribution groups who were able to get their hands on releases were able to serve files to the masses using these XDCC servers, which were typically hosted anywhere from powerful machines, brute forced Windows NT computers, personal computers, and university computer labs.

XDCC is still quite popular and a quick search through Netsplit.de shows many active channels across many active IRC networks still utilizing XDCC for distribution. Additionally, IRC is still widely used for its original purpose of chat as well as a bootstrap mechanism for filesharing mediums which sprouted later.
Hotline (90s)

For a brief period Hotline was a very popular medium for sharing files. At first, Hotline was very mainstream with many mega corporations participating in the Hotline network. However, it quickly faded away due to many complications, including but not limited to the encrypting of source files on Hotline computers which essentially crippled the company.
Napster (Late 90s)

Napster arguably brought MP3 and filesharing to the masses. There are very few netizens who haven�t used or heard of Napster. The software operated as a peer to peer filesharing network strictly used for music. Napster�s database, however, was centrally located, which eventually helped lead to its shutdown and subsequent demise. However, not before it helped to spread the idea of filesharing, in its entirety, to the masses.
Gnutella, eDonkey2000 and Kazaa (Early 2000)

The centralized nature of Napster gave way to a single point of failure � or single point of shutdown. As such, many gifted developers researched methods to avoid such complications. Gnutella, eDonkey2000, and Kazaa were different implementations which all did quite well in their heyday. While their protocols were all different, they were each very similar in that there was no central server. However, each protocol ended up �failing� as they were rooted in commercial (and corporate) interest � which ended up becoming an attack point.

Gnutella, originally created by the Nullsoft people, was once the most used network thanks to LimeWire. The LimeWire client was sued by the RIAA and shutdown in 2010, which turned Gnutella into a ghost network. The original eDonkey2000 from Jed McCaleb was toppled as well, but clones have kept the eDonkey network alive. The Kazaa team later created Skype, which is a widely used VoIP/IM platform.
DC++ and i2hub

DC++ and i2hub were popular methods of sharing files in closed-networks. Both were highly used within the university and college scene where students would share hub/server addresses with each other in order to share files at very high speeds within the local college networks. The advantages provided within these was that outside agencies and other various third parties could not access the content found within these networks.

However, the RIAA found a way into i2hub and was able to shut it down. DC++ is still in active development today, but is not as common or widespread as it once was.
BitTorrent (2001)

Bram Cohen created BitTorrent, which almost anyone with an Internet connection today has used, knowingly or not. BitTorrent essentially took on all of the greatest properties of its predecessors and packed them all into one, easy to use file sharing platform.

Taking on the concepts of breaking files into multiple chunks (Usenet, Topsites) as well as the decentralized peer-to-peer distribution mechanism (Napster, Gnutella, eDonkey2000, Kazaa), BitTorrent has catapulted into a mainstream filesharing mechanism which is fast, efficient, and difficult to stop.

Early versions of BitTorrent required centralized trackers to operate, but have later become able to utilize trackerless �torrents.�

Increasingly BitTorrent users have grown concerned with their privacy. Indexes such as YouHaveDownloaded.com have been able to maintain logs of every file downloaded by IP, which has raised significant awareness to whether it is safe to download files through BitTorrent. In addition, many ISPs have been known to cap speeds when detecting BitTorrent downloads.

As a result of these privacy concerns millions of BitTorrent users have signed up with Anonymous VPN services to mask their IP-addresses when downloading files
Filelockers and Forums (2000 to Present)

In recent years Megaupload, Rapidshare, Hotfile and other file lockers became quite popular. These file lockers provided the simplest means of filesharing when compared to all of their predecessors. Files are simply uploaded to the file locker, and a URL is provided to the file which is download through HTTP/HTTPS.

Generally, the URLs are shared through forums. Due to the affiliate compensations some cyberlockers offer to file uploaders on a per-file based download count, many files are distributed in split-file or RAR archives much like in the days of topsites and Usenet. This is mainly due to for-profit reasons as opposed to cultural or technical reasons as seen in the scene (topsites) or on Usenet respectively.

However, governments as well as special interest groups including the RIAA and MPAA have targeted file lockers leading to widely publicized lawsuits, including the arrest and destruction of Megaupload and Kim Dotcom.
Final Thoughts

Filesharing has come a long way, and with it, many industries have been born.

While it provides challenges to many of the big media conglomerates, it undoubtedly enriched the lives of many independent creators. Distribution is no longer something for the happy few, which shows as tens of thousands of artists share their work for free online every year.

Filesharing as a technology is good. Let�s make sure it stays around so that we may continue to share our thoughts, ideas, and art in order to better ourselves, our communities, and our earth. Anyone who is against that must obviously dream of world destruction, or at the least, wish for human progress to stop.

Source:

CODE

http://torrentfreak.com/the-history-of-filesharing-120422/

If your ISP is blocking DL sites

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:17:57 -0500

Some time ago I faced a problem where I was not able to DL my favorite audio books from Letitbit. So, I was like WTF...

Here is the link to the program, that will remedy your problems.

CODE

http://ultrasurf.us/