Neowin.net - Warez And Big Brother Will See You

Warez And Big Brother Will See You

Posted by Tom Warren on 19 December 2005 - 19:55 · 70 comments & 18887 views

Stop, hold the presses! The RIAA is not the evil spying corporation that we've been reading about the past year.

No contrary to popular belief it is not the RIAA who employee techs to spy on naughty people downloading copyrighted material, it's Bay TSP. Bay TSP is a comprehensive, automated 24x7 surveillance operating with worldwide coverage of:

Websites
All major P2P networks
65,000+ newsgroups
FTP sites
IRC
Auction/retail sites

The RIAA/MPAA are clients of Bay TSP who collect all the data and work out exactly what pirated movie or software application is popular each month and whom is downloading it.

According to Bay TSP last month, The Interpreter was the most popular movie after being downloaded 50,336 times, shortly followed by The Skeleton Key at 47, 348. Interestingly the most pirated software was SUSE Linux 9.0 at 78, 159 copies followed by Acrobat 7 at 43, 803.

The data is comprehensive pinpointing the peak time of day, average shared files per user and how this varies across different methods of sharing files. It's impressive that this kind of data can be extracted from file sharing networks, IRC and newsgroups to name a few but is it stopping piracy? You have to wonder whether said data is being collected until such a time when the companies have more power to act against those who pirate copyrighted materials.

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(11 replies) #1 Posted by madnuke on 19 Dec 2005 - 19:59: boo hiss down with them all!

How can Linux be pirated?

(1 reply) #2 Posted by Toastyone on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:00: The Interpreter sucked I watched it in the theaters the week it came out....why don't people ever pirate movies that are good

#3 Posted by Qumahlin on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:01: Um...this is not news. Nor did anyone think the RIAA actually employed people themselves unless said person was misguided

the RIAA/MPAA has always used 3rd party companies to do their work and in most cases the RIAA/MPAA is the main/sole benefactor of these companies thereby keeping them in business when noone else will.

On a side note most of their data is not accurate, or even close. One example is they have no way whatsoever of finding out how many people downloaded what from newsgroups without the help of the NG provider.

#4 Posted by lammmetak on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:04: and who says they had permission to record this kind of things. It isnt allowed here to record that kind of stuff only if there is profe i am guilty, to record and try to prove that i am guilty.incoccent till otherwise proven.

(5 replies) #5 Posted by scuzlbut07 on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:12: before bay tsp can prove that one of the files is actually pirated software... they have to download it first... i just dont get how that is different than what home users do and why they cant be prosecuted

#6 Posted by Fedorpheux on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:25: And to think that I actually paid not only for me but also for my girlfriend to go see Skeleton Key in theaters...tisk tisk....

Actually, I don't regret it. It was an okay movie and I think the overall theater experience (dark room, large screen, sound system) really added to it.

(2 replies) #7 Posted by one321 on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:31: How do they go about monitoring Newsgroups? Can they actually monitor who is downloading files or just who is uploading them?

(2 replies) #8 Posted by glazzz on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:34: "File-trading groups and individuals often race to be the first to post a pirated movie or software application to the eDonkey and Bit Torrent file sharing networks. Targeting the first uploaders sends a clear message that individuals who are the first to introduce stolen intellectual property on a peer-to-peer network face a 100% chance of legal prosecution."

BayTSP has really done their homework on the scene...But i guess there is money to be made from giving the RIAA the idea that you're actually helping them stop piracy. lolz

"Can you track stolen content from people who download my content to their home PC?
Yes - and No. Yes - if the files are in publicly accessible areas of a computer we track and identify the file. No- if it is not publicly accessible, as we do not violate anyone's' privacy."
-This can't be legal.

Last edited by glazzz on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:44

#9 Posted by fjv on 19 Dec 2005 - 20:48: they have a crappy website... maybe they should charge more to the RIAA

fjv.

#10 Posted by hotdog963al on 19 Dec 2005 - 21:01: Death to the Anti-Pirates.

(1 reply) #11 Posted by NiceCarpet on 19 Dec 2005 - 21:10: bah! there all evil in my books

(3 replies) #12 Posted by miniM3 on 19 Dec 2005 - 21:14: RIAA sucks

#13 Posted by Croquant on 19 Dec 2005 - 21:17: So, now we know who the hackers will be targeting next. Have a happy 2006, Bay TSP.
:evil grin:

(1 reply) #14 Posted by corey1138 on 19 Dec 2005 - 21:37: Anyone can get on a P2P network, IRC channel, or news group. P2P networks can even show who’s seeding and downloading. But IRC? I’m sure its over millions of downloads and im sure windows XP has beat Linux. Not to mention how many times it is burned (ether copied or by ISO). There is actually no way to estimate how much there is....

Getting this info doesn’t make them a security firm.

(2 replies) #15 Posted by obsolete_power on 19 Dec 2005 - 21:37: These companies should cease to try and stop something that is unstoppable! Piracy should be viewed as a way for various products to become known by society. In my opinion piracy isn't causing nearly as much damage as these marketing a-hole firms are stating. They are taking advantage and abusing statistics to try and convince the rest of the world how much they are "suffering!" Codswallop in my opinion, shame on all your lies Bay TSP and may all your employees and their families and up on the streets miserable!

#16 Posted by TwoTailedFox on 19 Dec 2005 - 22:25: Big Brother hasn't seen me yet.

And it didn't see me during my Sub7 Days in the late nineties, either.

#17 Posted by Cyranthus on 19 Dec 2005 - 22:56: So... it sounds like Bay TSP is just the middleman for RIAA and MPAA...
so that makes no difference in RIAA/ MPAAs' evil credibility... they can all choke on dicks for all i care.

(2 replies) #18 Posted by obsolete_power on 19 Dec 2005 - 23:13: There are a lot of reasons for pirating. Many people do it because it is the only way they can hurt people they hate. Also, since nothing is free in this world, that is, nothing that is obtained legally, people take this easy way to get what they want. It takes anyone a few hours to download something but to them it is money saved especially since many things that people buy they only use once. So if you think about this enough then it starts to make sense. Maybe some people dont have thousands of dollars to spend on software they mught really need but cannot afford. Trust me, I used to think otherwise but I no longer think of people that pirate as crooks or whathaveyou. It is not their fault that software is so easily available on the internet. There is also pressure from society. People want to fit in and want to be "cool" not viewed as "stupid." Their peers can put pressure on them and if they might go out and buy something then the people around them will look down upon them and call them names and such. I am in university and I have done a project on society and law that also covered piracy and I came to understand the different reasons that people have for doing this. Honestly, after my research I dont think these people should be so condemned and hunted like rats. Regardless of whether it is stealing or not, the law does not have morals and cannot satisfy every case. It is very flawed as it is and not because it is created wrong. It is because many times it doesn't work and innocent people end up prosecuted for no reason. They are found innocent 10 years later after useless time in prison and all they get is a sorry, my bad. Well thats what software pirates should do, say "Sorry, my bad!"
The law is flawed and people are flawed but they make such a perfect balance that it is worth it to just leave it alone. These companies make so much money out of marketing schemes and basically lure people in to spend their money, if that isn't wrong then I don't know what to think anymore. So through piracy, people have a power over these rich folks and can finally destroy a rogue firm that took a lot to form in a very short time. This is the rule of business. They don't care about the customer, they just want to make money at any cost. They treat you very well as long as you are a potential money-making source for them. The second they get wind of otherwise they totally turn on you. So I do not think that piracy is wrong. Think of it as a way for people to get their money back.
I learned a lot from the various projects I did and they were enough to alter my once negative view of piracy. In theory, it is stealing, and therefore it is wrong. But theory is just that, theory. Again, many theories are proven wrong and as a scientist I have had my fair share of experience in that field. I think piracy is fascinating as it is something which can be debated for years on end and still nothing will be relized and most importantly nothing will be solved. So stop wasting money to try and stop it and direct your funds towards good such as helping children and families in third world countries live past tomorrow! Oh wait, I forgot, you are corporate bastards!

(2 replies) #19 Posted by Syphonic on 19 Dec 2005 - 23:26: I would question the legality of this.

#20 Posted by Slugsie on 19 Dec 2005 - 23:30: Gotta wonder how they go about tracking who downloads stuff from newsgroups. The only way I can see they can do that if they have hooks into each and every ISPs and premuin newsgroup providers.

Gotta love NNTP

(1 reply) #21 Posted by Trix on 19 Dec 2005 - 23:50: FTP's? eh how are they monitering those? they'd have to own the master box which all the slaves connect to to find out anything interesting. ohwait. yes there talking about those public ones that noone uses. forgot that.

#22 Posted by Lexcyn on 20 Dec 2005 - 03:15: This isn't legal in Canada as far as I know.

(1 reply) #23 Posted by TC17 on 20 Dec 2005 - 05:03: "No contrary to popular belief it is not the RIAA who employee techs to spy"

Bull if it isn't the RIAA/MPAA who employees people to spy. Apparently this website is trying to scare people for some reason about warez and take the blame off the RIAA/MPAA for whatever reason.

How about posting stories about all the companies who rip off customers? I'm so dang sick of hearing about companies losing money they never had in the first place. Customers on the other hand lose actual money.

Its also *impossible* for them to monitor newsgroup downloading. And maybe even uploading if its true anonymouse uploading. Not to mention the fact the United States does NOT rule the world or the Internet.

#24 Posted by kaelsmith on 20 Dec 2005 - 08:20: capitolism is reaching its limits.

#25 Posted by Destruction.Thrash on 20 Dec 2005 - 11:04: The BayTSP site looks a little messed up viewing it in 1280x1024 with opera
Alot of images are 404'd aswell

#26 Posted by Foub on 20 Dec 2005 - 11:35: I block Bay TSP anyways.

#27 Posted by IndoShindo on 20 Dec 2005 - 12:08: Several linux distros actually put up torrents to allow less stress to be put on their servers, that is how I got my first copy of mandrake .. a torrent off their own site! As for Suse being commerical I didn't want to download it so they mailed me a copy with the documentation and everything for free no shipping either ... clearly these idiots don't know linux is free

#28 Posted by tx83 on 20 Dec 2005 - 16:50: Hey, SuSE 9.0 is COMPLETELY FREE....

nobody pirated them... they make money by selling customer support !

I think Bay TSP are just incompetents jerks.

#29 Posted by davidtb on 20 Dec 2005 - 17:10: If Bay TSP has anything to worry about it's the fact that movies and music are shaping up to be so bad that no one would was the hard drive space on them.

Knock a couple of bucks off both and piracy won't be a problem.

#30 Posted by Shadrack on 20 Dec 2005 - 20:13: I thought that Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Office would be at the top of the list.

#31 Posted by Magallanes on 21 Dec 2005 - 01:47: Many open torrent sites discourage to pubish ms, macromedia, adobe or hollywood stuffs... but they can be downloaded using disguised/different names (windows xp, xp, wxp, winblows and such). So if exist someone to collect this datas, it can be very difficult to group the download in the same product. How the can group?
by keyname?.. "xp" came from windows or from office?
by size?... there was not a standard or definitive size for some files.
by crc?... not think so, xp.iso torrent have different torrent to xp.iso+demonoid.txt

#32 Posted by PureLegend on 21 Dec 2005 - 12:31: Hmm...those figures do seem low...

I still don't see much of a threat, because I don't think they prosecute as many people as you think. Which is why when someone does get taken in, everybody has a song and dance about it. Because it is rare.

As for the software part...why would you arrest someone for stealing something free? You don't grab somebody for taking a free sample, even if the person handing them out was away.

#33 Posted by Spider_Man on 23 Dec 2005 - 13:07: I find it rather funny that no one ever had an inkling as to the idea that someone else was doing the spying. I've personally had the feeling that someone else was doing this work since we first heard about it ages ago with Kazza. I know that they weren't the first one's targeted, but I do consider that attack to be a "landmark" in the battle. Personally, as a musician myself, and being an unknown musician more so, that P2P networks are a great way for me to get my music out to the entire world vs. local fans and state fans. The amount of revenue lost from the pirating of movies and music is really not as big as it is stated. Having opened for a number of major record label artists and speaking with memebers of these groups, their own words state clearly that their income is the same as it was the day they were signed. I know that this statement is probably something argued over time and again, but, the real issue is that the record labels and the movie studios are mad becasue they're losing money, not the bands or the actors or the directors and so on, and so forth. As for software, the production costs do make it a legitimate concern for smaller software companies, but your major software companies are only mad becasue they're not raking in 12 digit figures or more. Argue with me all you want. But my opinions are based soley on the observations and the comments made by the people that we're being told are upset. If the actual RIAA reps would come forward publicly and say they were pissed off instead of laying the blame on the artists, then honestly, I'd be ok with that. The fact is, they're making it out to seem that it's the bands that are hurting becasue of this. Utter BS. There are some groups out there currently that had it not been for P2P, they would never have been known.

Now, let's see who wants to debuke me. I know someone wants to show their "intelligence."

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