5 major ISPs roll out the "six strikes" policy regarding illegal downloads.

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Void

Experiencer
<Gold Donor>
9,374
10,989
Torrentfreak asked a series of questions to a number of VPNs and broke down a list of the most secure VPNs right now, take a look if you're suddenly in the market for such a thing.
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http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services...dition-130302/

I suggest AirVPN using BitCoin.

Or you could get a subscription to Usenet, been using it for many years and it's great.
I have no use for BitCoins, and with no logs being kept I don't know that it matters if someone tracks my credit card to a VPN, but I went with Private Internet Access, which also accepts BitCoins if that matters to you. They have been fantastically stable, easy yet flexible, basically everything I wanted.

I also have had Usenet for many years now, but I wouldn't trust just that alone to keep me from getting those warning letters nowadays, particularly with the number of files taken down from newsgroups. Obviously someone is aware of them, so I wouldn't assume you are safe. I would still probably get a VPN if you torrent/newsgroup heavily. The $3 a month for VPN is totally worth it, in my opinion.
 

The Ancient_sl

shitlord
7,386
16
If I get one more email from Netflix asking me to forgive them and try again, I'll, I'll... delete it too.
This is a little off topic, but Netflix now does this awesome thing where if I'm watching a show in succession it automatically skips past intros like "previously on" etc..
No clue how it does it.
 

moonarchia

The Scientific Shitlord
20,911
37,909
So assuming we want too something about this who do I have to yell at? Stuck with comcast so yeah
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The MAFIAA would be the right place, but since any credible news outlet is in bed with them... good luck, sir. The ISPs are stuck between a rock and a bigger rock right now. If they don't try to appease the MAFIAA, the MAFIAA will just buy harsher laws that cost the ISPs more money to comply with. Shitty system is shitty.
 

MossyBank

N00b
542
5
I have no use for BitCoins, and with no logs being kept I don't know that it matters if someone tracks my credit card to a VPN, but I went with Private Internet Access, which also accepts BitCoins if that matters to you. They have been fantastically stable, easy yet flexible, basically everything I wanted.

I also have had Usenet for many years now, but I wouldn't trust just that alone to keep me from getting those warning letters nowadays, particularly with the number of files taken down from newsgroups. Obviously someone is aware of them, so I wouldn't assume you are safe. I would still probably get a VPN if you torrent/newsgroup heavily. The $3 a month for VPN is totally worth it, in my opinion.
The thing that is great about Usenet is that you don't upload anything to it (unless you want to), it's strictly a one way downstream. So the MPAA/RIAA can't really take you to court from downloading from Usenet, since you're not sharing. They mostly target Bittorent users right now because they are easy targets and are uploading and downloading, due to the way the torrent protocol works. If you're on one of the five major ISPs that are participating in this six strike policy, and use Bittorrent, the easiest way to avoid them is using a VPN and a private tracker. Usenet can serve 90% of your needs, but you're right, the DMCA take downs on Usenet content is starting to get heavier, you can fill the gaps with Cyberlockers and such, if you need.

EDIT: I should also mention most Usenet providers also allow you to use SSL, so your downstream stays encrypted. All the ISP sees (if they were snooping) would be gibberish.
 

Nostrovia_sl

shitlord
442
0
Seems to me this is nothing more than a scare tactic.
I have comcast business and have noticed no slow down at all, no warnings, and I have done almost 1tb of downloading since this supposedly started.
Unless it hasn't been implemented yet.
 

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,516
8,969
Seems to me this is nothing more than a scare tactic.
I have comcast business and have noticed no slow down at all, no warnings, and I have done almost 1tb of downloading since this supposedly started.
Unless it hasn't been implemented yet.
Comments on article after not having read article.
 

Soriak_sl

shitlord
783
0
I have regular comcast and didn't notice any difference either. Then again, newsgroups with SSL are probably fairly secure.

Targeting newsgroup providers makes a lot more sense than targeting downloaders anyway. Unlike torrents, there is actually a central server where everything is hosted.
 

moonarchia

The Scientific Shitlord
20,911
37,909
The MAFIAA cannot go after usenet users en masse because a) downloading isn't illegal (just uploading), and b) they have no legal way to find out who is downloading in the first place. They can, however, go after the uploaders if they can track them down, and of course they can kill the feed itself with takedowns. Most usenet providers will cheerfully nuke anything anyone asks them to because they do not want the legal problems they would incur by not complying.
 

chaos

Buzzfeed Editor
17,324
4,839
I don't know why people bother justifying piracy. You're not talking to your mother.

Is it wrong to pirate something? I don't care. If you make it harder to pay for your product than to pirate it, through DRM or other annoying restrictions, fuck you I'm taking it. If you're gonna be a dick and force me to sit through 15 minutes of ads on a DVD I *PAID $20* for without the ability to skip to the menu (I don't know if they still do this), not only will I pirate it, but doing so will bring me joy.

The bottom line is that people respond to incentives. Piracy will continue to exist regardless of the morality involved. So if you ask people to pay for your product instead of pirate it,then punish them for paying(through DRM, ads, etc), they will pirate it. On the other hand, if you give an incentive for following the law, so many more people would pay. I haven't pirated a song since the second I discovered Spotify, and I would probably pay up to $40 a month for it before I decided that pirating would be preferable. Steam also makes it often preferable to pay. Convenient list of my games. Uninstall with 1 click, reinstall with 1 click. WAY easier than searching for each game, applying cracks, etc etc.

Piracy is now a market force. Companies that accept that have success in preventing it. Companies who scream "but it's wrong!" fail. Right vs wrong? Lol at that question.
Agreed, mostly.