Lifehacker Australia

Caught Downloading Copyrighted Material—Now What?

There are a few things you should be doing in order to better secure your .torrent usage.

1. http://www.mininova.org/tor/535093

Grab the uTorrent IP Filter Updater and run it.

This is for updating the ip filter list in µTorrent which will create a blacklist of IP addresses to block (MPAA/RIAA/AntiPiracy etc). To enable IP filtering in µTorrent, set “ipfilter.enable” to “true” in µTorrent’s Advanced Options. To reload ipfilter.dat without restarting µTorrent, simply set ipfilter.enable to false, then to true again.

2. Download and install PeerGuardian 2

Make sure peerguardian is up to date and enabled.

3. Privoxy is also a good program to have running.

I’ve been using uTorrent for a number of years now and have never been sent a single notice. I would conclude in this instance at least that the above mentioned tactics have reduced the bullseye on my IP address from the size of the Milky Way Galaxy to the size of a sparrow in flight.

These are a couple of things that the LifeHacker article did not explain when telling its readers how to use Bittorrent.

There are plenty of legitimate uses for Bittorrent technology, one of which being how I downloaded my copy of Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope, as well as a copy of Command and Conquer Red Alert when Westwood was giving it out for free.

One thing I will concede is that Bittorrent, just like any technology, can be used for good and bad things, with good and bad defined depending on who you talk with. If the case is the latter, and you are downloading things which the RIAA/MPAA frown down upon (insert whatever intellectual property cartel exists in your country), then these three steps will reduce your bullseye.

Personally, I believe copyright is out of control and entities such as RIAA/MPAA have no jurisdiction to enforce such ridiculous and outlandish demands over the world. Copyright laws are not representative of the majority of people, as clearly seen by the rampant and flagrant disregard for it around the world.

Just because you have a lot of money to influence lawmakers in governments to make laws in your favor does not mean the general population will obey your newly bought laws. That’s why there is such thing as democracy… the majority did not agree to it, and today they refuse to comply, no matter how much money or how many lawyers are sent out to attack.

In short, just download whatever you want.

Yes there is a consequence for doing so if you are caught, and this is something you must realize. On the books it’s against the law, but those laws are meant to be made by the majority, and corporate interests as well as governments need to realize they cannot and will not cow tow the majority against their will.