Will The Pirate Bay of
the dark web domains, the number 1 global torrent portal and online
digital content index for entertainment, media and software, be
lasered into non-existence by authorities around the world? And what
about the other well known pirate sites? The odds on, are that they
are all likely to meet this fate.
Now, millions more
viewers are blocked from the king of torrent portals due to The
Pirate Bay (TPB) losing copyright crackdown cases. “Ever since it
was set up almost 15 years ago, it has been prominently in the
cross-hairs of copyright holders and anti-piracy organisations, and
shows no signs of letting up” [1]. It gained its anti-establishment
reputation through its torrent files which enables everyone to freely
download copyrighted material that the right's holders have not given
permission to use.
Photo
credit: ExtremeTech
The Low Down on
Torrent Files
Torrent files are not
per se, illegal in and of themselves. However, the files which are
utilised to download free copyrighted content that the copyright
holder has not given permission for, certainly are. And while
Torrents do not carry the files users want to download, they do
nonetheless, enable the users' computers to download the data that
they have asked for in small compilations from an online participant
network [2].
Singapore Goes
Anti-Pirate
As reported by
TorrentFreak, the publication dedicated to bringing the latest news
on privacy, copyright, and everything that is connected to file
sharing: “several major ISPs [internet service providers] in
Singapore have blocked dozens of torrent and streaming sites
following a high court order. The Pirate Bay was the biggest name on
a list of 53 sites across 154 domains that were blocked” [1]. In
addition to this, five top internet service providers in Singapore
blocked variants of Solarmovie and KickassTorrents due to a complaint
from the Motion Picture Association of America, which accused the
ISPs of gross copyright infringement. After their success, a
spokesperson representing the association noted that within
Singapore: “these sites are responsible for a major portion of
copyright infringement of films and television shows [and] that this
action... [protects] the creative industry, enabling creators to
create... jobs, protect their works, and ensure the continued
provision of high-quality content to audiences” [1].
Sweden Forced on the
Anti-Pirate Track by Pressures from Hollywood Heavyweights
TPB's native Sweden is
also changing. A number of leading Hollywood studios including Warner
Bros, Universal Studios and Disney, have collaborated with with
Swedish film companies in order to beef up the country's The Pirate
Bay blockade. The companies demand that Sweden's largest ISP, Telia,
block Fmovies, Nyafilmer, Dreamfilm and The Pirate Bay, along with a
number of related mirror sites and proxies [3].
Taking a Winning
Strategy
Using the same strategy
as BREIN - the Dutch anti-piracy group applied in 2017, the Hollywood
studios requested a preliminary ruling that would implement the
blocks prior to the case being fully processed. To that end, they
requested a block against the pirate sites as a whole, as opposed to
the just the current operating domains. The film companies put
forward the argument that “without this option, the rights holders
will have to burden the legal system with repeated blocking requests
if and when the operators behind the illegal services change domain
names” [3].
Becoming Anti-Pirate
by Default
Recently, the TPB was
irrevocably blocked by one high profile ISP. The large Swedish
telecommunication company, Telenor, has battled against blocking
pirate sites in Sweden for a very long time, yet they have now
announced that they will be putting a block on TPB. “The block was
not sparked by a direct court order against the company. Instead it
occurred after Telenor fully consolidated with Bredbandsbolaget, an
ISP that was previously ordered to block The Pirate Bay” [1].
Announcing the change, Telenor stated that: “We have not
discontinued Bredbandsbolaget, but we have merged Telenor and
Bredbandsbolaget and become one. “When we share the same network,
The Pirate Bay is blocked by both Telenor and Bredbandsbolaget, and
there is nothing we plan to change in the future” [1].
Major Security
Issues with Torrents
In the case of torrent
files, there is close to zero vetting on the TPB site. As a result, a
number of cyber criminals have successfully spread fraudulent files
and malware via torrents. Jason Syversen, CEO of the cyber security
company, Siege, informed Consumer Reports of the “very
real technical concerns” [2] regarding downloading torrent content.
He declared: “There are some very real technical concerns. You’re
dealing with these shady third-party sites, so it’s a great
opportunity for people to insert malware into the BitTorrent client
as well as transferring files with malicious content” [2].
It is also important to
note that engaging with piracy actually poses a serious risk to
consumers. Of note, a study undertaken for the Digital Citizens
Alliance by cyber security experts, RiskIQ, indicates that with
regard to content theft sites: “one out of every three... exposed
users to malware. Internet users who went on content theft sites were
28 times more likely to get malware from a content theft site than
from mainstream websites or licensed content providers ” [4].
The Digital Citizens
Alliance's Executive Director, Tom Galvin, has stated that: “Internet
users that visit content theft websites have up until now seen it as
harmless, but the RiskIQ research is a wake-up call that these
websites dangle free movies, TV shows and music to lure consumers”
[4]. These pirate websites then infect the user's devices, sometimes
causing extensive issues and costly repairs and replacements.
Other Shut-Downs
Torrentz.eu,
ExtraTorrent and Kickass Torrents – all favourite torrent websites,
were all forcibly given the axe in 2017. As of now, TPB faces a ban
in Britain by the majority of ISPs. Further, anyone who uses a
torrent site to download material which is copyrighted, could well
receive a letter of warning from their broadband provider [2].
Australia is Now
Putting the Screws in & Google is Under Pressure
“GOOGLE
has been called on to remove online piracy sites, such as The Pirate
Bay, from search results” [5]
Now, more copyright
holders such as the large entertainment companies Foxtel and Village
Roadshow, which are responsible for The Lego Movie, Mad Max: Fury
Road; The Matrix, and Ready Player One, Steven Spielberg’s most
recent film, are putting their collective foot down, and have asked
Google to stop showing piracy websites in their search engine
results. Further, the copyright holders have stated that Bing,
Google, and other search engines need to be given an official
mandatory order to take down all pirate sites from their search
listings [5].
This action has come
about after a review and request for feedback on effectiveness, and
the possible need for more changes to the Australian Department of
Communication's three year old pirate site laws. A number of
entertainment industry reactions were filed, with demands for greater
enhancement of anti-piracy powers. Torrent Freak reported that in one
submission, Graham Burke, the co-chief of the Village Roadshow, noted
his company: “strongly supported the original site blocking
legislation and now we strongly support strengthening it” [5]. Yet,
he continued: “with all major pirate sites blocked in Australia,
[although] the front door of the department store is shut... pirates,
facilitated by Google and other search engines, are circumventing
Australian laws and courts, and opening a huge back door” [4].
Thereby insisting that the country must have the capacity to make:
“Google and other search engines take reasonable steps to stop
facilitating searches which lead to pirate sites” [5]. This is a
very valid argument indeed.
Lowering the Bar for
What is Constituted as a Piracy Site
Foxtel, the pay-for
television company, has requested that Bing and Google do the same
with searches. Moreover, they have asked that the “threshold” for
what is regarded as a pirate site, is lowered. At the present time, a
website should: “have a “primary purpose” to “infringe, or to
facilitate the infringement” of copyright - which Foxtel sees as
too high. This means, if Foxtel have their way, Australia’s
anti-piracy laws could affect a whole new set of sites” [5].
Google Chrome
Indirectly Stepping Up to the Battle Against Pirates
Earlier this year,
Google Chrome's built-in ad blocker went into gear, with adverts
including pop-ups (which expand on their own), being immediately
blocked. As Torrent sites are heavily reliant on ad revenue, a number
of sites may have to shut up shop. One anonymous torrent site owner
stated that: “The torrent site economy is in a bad state. Profits
are very low. Profits are fxxxxx compared to previous years.
“Chrome’s ad-blocker will kill torrent sites” [5].
So What's the
Solution for Users Who Cannot or Will Not Go For Pay-TV?
Step forward OONA...
“OONA
goes beyond TV and OTT – it is a world 1st Free Entertainment &
Messaging platform which gives users virtual currency rewards for
interacting, & a cool way of choosing, sharing and editing their
fab entertainment and ads”
OONA's founder and CEO,
leading digital strategist, Christophe Hochart, has developed a
unique way to work with telcoms by collaborating with them and
offering his expertise to create a win-win situation for all
concerned. Focusing on delivering free entertainment any time any
where, along with premium options, OONA in partnership with one of
the world's largest telcom companies, Telcom Indonesia, is currently
on track to fulfill the fun factor for 185 million Indonesians, and
is well on its way to doing the same for billions of viewers in other
parts of Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, the US and
Europe.
Users no longer have to
waste away their time on pirate sites that are being systematically
closed down, or risk being warned buy their telcom provider or
charged by their country's authorities for watching illegal sites.
Moreover, users getting frustrated browsing, searching and switching
channels, can now become a thing of the past as OONA empowers viewers
with all the exciting television they could ever desire in just one
place - be it live sports, the latest films, top series, motor shows,
celebrity news, fashion TV, cooking specials, documentaries,
educational broadcasts, breaking news and more, over up to 300 top
national and international channels.
Virtual Currency
Rewards
With OONA, viewers are
even rewarded with a virtual currency - tcoins, which they can earn
for watching TV, sharing interesting video ads, and engaging with
other users and the helpful AI Genie in the OONA App, Siskabot. They
can then redeem them for telkom products, free phone minutes, and a
vast selection of branded goods and services, as well as take away
meals and other fun things.
Everyone Should Be
Able to Enjoy Free Entertainment
OONA's ethos is that
“fun should be part of everyone's daily lives,” and through its
regulated platform, the OONA Team are inspired to make people feel
good by lifting their emotions and happiness levels via the
platform's inclusive ethical free streaming service. In addition to
this, saying goodbye for good to pirate channels is a big relief for
many users once they have a cool second-to-none data and sub-free
regulated entertainment platform.
As the piracy content
market comprises the highest level of consumers in the mobile TV
market due to the fact that it does not involve any form of payment
or subscription (a 99% prepaid market), OONA is set to sweep up and
do social good across the board.
OONA
is a game changer: it delivers fantastic high level entertainment to
viewers free of charge, and at the same time, generates a ready to
launch revolutionary business synergy between TELCOM companies and
content owners and broadcasters, enabling leading TELCOM companies to
leverage their user base and network infrastructure to significantly
expand their Mobile TV business. TELCOMS can now generate
multi-revenues by offering the best ad supported live video and VOD
that goes way beyond OTT and TV, while at the same time, doing social
good by providing high quality free entertainment.
In summary, the pirate
ships are being systematically sunk, no matter how successful they
have been. They are meeting their Waterloo, and there will not be any
submerging or going back to the way things have been, as the
copyright holders and the film industry and all it entails, need to
be protected. Fortunately, for those who are unwilling or in
countless millions of cases, unable to pay for a service, then there
is an alternative that can empower the copyright and content holders,
the film studios, the telcoms, and the viewers – OONA FREE Mobile
TV.
References
[1]. Dassanayake, Dion
(2018). “Pirate Bay Ban: Piracy crackdown orders new block on
world's leading torrent site.” Express.
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/965221/Pirate-Bay-torrents-movies-TV-shows-online-piracy-crackdown-block-ban
Accessed 31 May, 2018.
[2]. Brown, Aaron
(2018). “Google Chrome can now HIDE any fake or DANGEROUS torrents
on The Pirate Bay.”
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/946289/Google-Chrome-Extension-Hide-Fake-Torrent-Pirate-Bay-UK
Accessed 31 May, 2018.
[3]. Ernesto (2018).
“Hollywood Pushes to Expand Swedish Pirate Bay Blockade.” Torrent
Freak.https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-pushes-to-expand-swedish-pirate-bay-blockade-180530/
Accessed 31 May, 2018.
[4]. Digital Citizens
Alliance (2015). “Victims No More: Malware Risk Prompts Internet
User to Steer Clear of Content Theft Sites, According to New Survey.”
Retrieved
from:http://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/news/press-releases-2015/victims-no-more-malware-risk-prompts-internet-user-to-steer-clear-of-content-theft-sites-according-to-new-survey/
Accessed 31 May, 2018.
[5]. Dassanayake, Dion
(2018). “Pirate Bay BLOW - Calls for online piracy sites to be
REMOVED from Google.” Express.
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/936141/Pirate-Bay-update-torrent-movies-TV-sites-removed-from-Google
Accessed 31 May, 2018.
No comments:
Post a Comment