First real evidence that p2p software users are being watched?
Posted on 08/02/03 18:56 by Dennis                             
First real evidence that p2p software users are being watched?

BadReligionPR submitted an interesting article on the MSFN website. A while back we already reported on a company called MediaForce, a New York based anti-piracy group that monitors piracy across the internet and report infringing users.

On the MSFN website we can read that people in Sweden are now also receiving letters from MediaForce. Someone received a mail which contained a legal notice telling him that he has been monitored sharing copyright protected files over the sharing program 'Direct Connect':


The letter has been composed by the Director of Enforcement from Mediaforce in New York. The Director of Enforcement wrote this letter on behalf of New Line Cinema Corporation, a division of AOL Time Warner ("New Line"). IP, downloading time and username were also included in the letter.

This is one of the first real evidences that big media companies like AOL Time Warner behalf divisions which monitor the sharing networks for copyright violation.


If the article is true then consider it a warning.. Peer-to-peer file-sharing is becoming more and more dangerous and Hollywood might just be watching you. Read the complete copyright-infringement letter here.

Source: MSFN

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Reactions
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By Guest, Saturday 08 February 2003 19:19
OH SHIT!! *sound of fuel being poured all around* *sound of lighter* *sound of fire spreading everywhere* :4 :4 :4
By Zyron, Saturday 08 February 2003 19:26
In denmark many users of popular filesharing tools have allready got legal letters from APG (Danish Anti Piracy Group) and many have allready paid a large amount of money for illegal trading. So, old news Wink
By Kay, Saturday 08 February 2003 19:29
KayAnd sued the company for privacy breaking?
By Guest, Saturday 08 February 2003 20:01
Now they've moved onto Direct Connect? Nooooooooo! Oh well, I have serious doubts whether this whole strategy is effective. I'm more inclined to believe it's a scare tactic. Where does the Privacy Act of USA come into play?
By Bobsen, Saturday 08 February 2003 20:58
You think they are behind you.... No, they are on the right.... They never sleep... They're awake all night.... They have got your number... They know your name.... Its a matter of time.... When you play this game... Need an Infra red connection ... at my neighbors place.... When I hear the door being busted... I can only say 'shared connection'.... and put the blame some other place.... Send lawyers, guns and money and a can of mace! ...---...
By feroujem, Saturday 08 February 2003 22:37
2 questions. Do they sent the letters to people that share movies or to anybody shearing mp-3s and games? And can they monitor all p2p networks or just a the few mentioned?
By Mgz, Saturday 08 February 2003 23:33
What ........I thinks every info in p2p network are encrypted . How the hell they can trace it Frown
By chsbiking, Saturday 08 February 2003 23:56
There is no P2P program that is encrypted. That's the problem.
By lanky, Sunday 09 February 2003 00:04
Even if it the network is encrypted, how does ya machine know how to get files off someone else? or the other way around? it _has_ to get the IP off the other end (your machine). if it can get the IP, you are tracable.. Encrypted P2P doesnt protect you. It never can. Only other way is a central proxy type of server, but then they shut that down. <sigh>
By Redneck, Sunday 09 February 2003 00:16
Redneckno central proxy type server Smilie just plain proxys, and proxy chaining =)
By clawso1, Sunday 09 February 2003 00:30
If you have a fire-wall like "ZoneAlarm Pro" you don't have to worry about your IP being traced because you can set it so that it can't!!! :4 :4
By Wild_Bill, Sunday 09 February 2003 00:51
Mmmm - They have the IP address!! But can they prove who was sat at the computer? Wink NO - I Thought NOT !! devil
By Guest, Sunday 09 February 2003 02:36
They don't have to prove who sat at the computer at the time of sharing, whom ever pays the bill for that Internet connection is responsible. The same as a compnay is responsible for what their employees do. And how exactly did this company know what the person was sharing? Wouldn't they have to download the files in question as well which places them in the same boat for downloading copyrighted software? Where is the little hate monger when you need him?
By r2d3p0, Sunday 09 February 2003 03:08
Well here is the excuse for all of you to use if your caught. " You know my computer has been acting kinda funny.. I think I may have had one of those remote control trojans on it at that time and someone may have used my PC unlawfully" Trust me back door trojans are rampet online. I used to love sub7 LoL what fun those days were!
By Guest, Sunday 09 February 2003 05:10
Clawso1 ... wake up you are dreaming. ZA Pro can't hide your IP not now not ever. If your IP could be hidden then how could anyone send/connect to you ? PLZ explain that to me, because I woudl love to know.
By ShadowBlaster, Sunday 09 February 2003 06:26
ShadowBlasterIt's serious... but at least they can't catch me, my ISP server uses dynamic IPs, so it would be a whole mess for they to investigate what phone line was connected at that time... I guess the solution would be dynamic IP addresses assignment, don't you think??? Anyway, my connection is pirated, so if they knew what account was connected they cannot take any action, since it's an account that is supposed to be cancelled. Prodigy's courtesy Wink
By WRFan, Sunday 09 February 2003 08:21
the best way to protect yourself is to stay on p2p as little time as possible. hit and run tactics. start, search, find, doubleclick, download, switch off programme, remove the downloaded stuff from the share folder. even if you are noticed in that short amount of time, nobody will care, because those anti-piracy groups fight against people who share, if you just download and have little or nothing in your share folder, you are out of danger. besides, it seems some isps are more strict than others. I have the strong suspicion that my german isp just dumps all warning letters into the dust bin, because actually I should have got a letter from a certain company, whose products I tried to use with illegal serial numbers, but I got no letters. while other people, who used the same product with the same serial numbers have been cut off from the internet by their isps RoadRunner and others.
By lanky, Sunday 09 February 2003 08:47
ShadowBlaster: dynamic IPs are no safeguard.. ISPs have to able to track who was on when and IP assigned due to criminal investigations by law enforcement bodies. So dynamic IPs simply do not protect you in any way unfortunately.
By themushroom, Sunday 09 February 2003 09:19
alpha: If someone's being spied on when using DirectConnect, they really need to try a different node for whatever they're after. :4 beta: Fourteen different adware/spyware programs are installed with Kazaa; why does the concept of being watched while using a P2P client get regarded as fresh news? Because someone other than an Internet marketer got to read the results? puke
By Guest, Sunday 09 February 2003 09:42
I don't see why anybody would be suprised by this, it was only a matter of time. They will win in the end just a matter of time.
By Guest, Sunday 09 February 2003 11:37
Perhaps our protection lies here: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tim.leonard1/pg/index.htm It's a very basic firewall that blocks IPs of known P2P spies. It's only in the early stages of development (alpha), but the next version will be able to read addresses from Web pages giving up to date protection.
By Guest, Sunday 09 February 2003 15:14
This is as scarry as hell!!!! Is ZoneAlarm Pro really prevent you from being traced. If not, is there any way I can get on P2P networks being untracable? I want to be able to share files in peace. I want to prevent myself from being traced by evil ass law enforcement. Anyone who'd be reponsible for prosecuting someone for swapping copyrighted works deserves to rot in hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By WRFan, Sunday 09 February 2003 15:59
no, of course not. Zone alarm doesn't hide the ip, it spoofs it or something like that, but in the long run it will not work, because if IP is spoofed, the server will become confused and half of your downloads (whether from http or ftp or mms or p2p) will get lost, and that's not what you want. the only way to really hide the ip is to use some socks server as a remote proxy, but this will slow down your downloads (although, on edonkey it doesn't actually matter, because it's a lame ass anyway :4)
By electrician123, Sunday 09 February 2003 16:35
Why cant we use the EULA to our advatage just like they do to screw us.When you install the software bill clinton internet privacy act. Before you enter this web space, access any files from or otherwise attempt any form of any access to any PDX owned data, server, or service you must read and abide to the disclaimer below. Under any circumstances are you to view any information by, or pertaing to paradox security if you do not agree to the disclaimer and if you violate this code you are also you are violating code 431.322.12 of the Internet Privacy Act signed by Bill Clinton in 1995 and that means that you can NOT threaten our ISP or any person(s) or company storing these files, cannot prosecute any person(s) affiliated with this page which includes family, friends or individuals who run or enter this web site. And also face procsecution by our legal team to the fullest extent possible under law. Give them a taste of their own medicine
By Guest, Sunday 09 February 2003 16:52
What's the easiest way to prevent yourself from being traced when online? I want a way to hide your IP address so it won't slow down your downloads.
By WRFan, Sunday 09 February 2003 20:07
quote: 'you are violating code 431.322.12 of the Internet Privacy Act signed by Bill Clinton in 1995 and that means that you can NOT threaten our ISP or any person(s) or company storing these files, cannot prosecute any person(s) affiliated with this page which includes family, friends or individuals who run or enter this web site' oh man, this stupid excuse for trading warez is all over the net, every single warez site uses it, I must admit I used to use it too when I used to have a warez site, but this whole crap is worthless, only because this is included on the frontpage of your warez site or in the disclaimer or in the agreement of a programme doesn't mean that you are safe. Believe me, Clinton didn't sign this act to make life for warez traders easier. some idiot spread the rumour that somehow this act protects warez people, so everybody started putting it on their pages, but this is just a ridiculous interpretation of the act, every court will laugh at you if you will try to argue against RIAA etc. on the basis of this act. and besides, european courts don't give a phuck about Bill Clinton, you are caught in Switzerland or Germany sharing warez on p2p, you go to jail on the basis of the EUCD (european union law = DMCA in the US), simple as that, even if Clinton came into the court room and begged the judge to set you free
By Gorskar, Sunday 09 February 2003 21:13
GorskarDoes anyone remember that encrypted p2p network that was being developed? Possibly in scotland?
By onlinetracker, Sunday 09 February 2003 22:58
onlinetrackerOK... There are no successful ways of hiding your IP. Its just not possible, the ISP has everything logged, and if your IP is dynamic, they can trace it, with a court order, the logs can be obtained, audited, and your physical location given to the correct authorities.<br> <br> Internet Privacy Act of 1995 doesn't exist: http://www.snopes.com/legal/privacy.htm <br> The Consumer Internet Privacy Act of 1997 does, and it protects against unlawful use of consumer information [buying power, profiling, etc]<br> <br> To Wolverine (and anyone else who thinks that copyright law is no good)... for gods sake, if you EVER write code, create a piece of artwork, invent something, create a product, and its good... you better hope that you copyright your work and legally enforce is, or you'll go out of business within 2 years.<br> <br> Just as a point... I am not against copyright, I'm against the monopolistic tactics that MPAA and RIAA utilize to keep prices in the $16-$20 CD range, and $30-$60 DVD range even though technology has increased efficiency and hence should have lowered production costs.<br> <br> If you use an anonymous proxy, it had better not be in the US, anyone who aids in the commiting of a crime is just as liable for the crime [essentially].<br> <br> Want more?
By chsbiking, Sunday 09 February 2003 23:54
Why does everyone wanna hide their IP? Who cares if the RIAA knows what your IP is. What the fuck are they gonna do with that? The important thing to hide is what your downloading and uploading. That's what we're trying to keep from the RIAA. And we should have that privacy. Monitoring the network is one thing, but if they monitor it and decrypt it that's a circumvention tool. That could be a violation of the DMCA for the RIAA.
By Guest, Monday 10 February 2003 03:33
To onlinetracker: Intellectual Information should be for free. Intellectual property should be made knowing it can be copied, so therefore it should be made for because someone enjoys making it not for money.
By Guest, Monday 10 February 2003 06:24
I use Black Ice PC from ISS and I have no problems. My own ISP can only tell when I log in and Log off. They cannot tell what I am doing between those times because I checked it in under my profile because they log everything that you visit. I have nothing under my log. This is the same firewall program that Motarola uses. later pete
By Guest, Tuesday 11 February 2003 08:56
Get a Router, install a Firewall. Use SSL, 1024-bit encryption!!
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