AfterDawn: News

TorrentSpy begins filtering copyrighted content

The large public torrent tracker TorrentSpy, which has been ordered by a judge to start logging user activity, has now decided to give in and begin fighting piracy by adding a content filtering tool called FileRights.

The tool will filter content based on their hashes. FileRights however, will need movie studios and music labels to supply file hashes for their content if the tools is to be at all successful.



This seems to be a "good faith" effort by the admins of TorrentSpy in an effort to reduce penalties or sentences in their pending legal case.

TorrentSpy was ordered last week to log user activity but the site has claimed that they have never kept logs and therefore cannot produce any. The judge has said however, that the information necessary is in the server RAM and that TorrentSpy just needs to record it.

TorrentSpy is fighting the ruling with help from the EFF but have abandoned the fight over filtering. Their decision should show that they have no desire to incite infringement but it wont get them off the hook for the past years of infringement.

Source:
Arstechnica

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Jun 2007 14:22

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• 15 comments

• borhan9

  This is going to be a long fight i feel. Only the beginning.

  25.6.2007 15:51 #1

• Cinnjerm

  Whatever. You can never get rid of piracy now that people have been exposed to its benefits. There's always someone out there with a new way of skirting past the copy protection and laws put in place. What started with p2p applications then became decentralized with mIRC and bittorrent and now, with music in particular, is becoming increasingly pervasive in web forums and on mass-filesharing web servers like megaupload and rapidshare. I reiterate, you cannot defeat piracy not before, not now, not ever.

  25.6.2007 16:18 #2

• DVDBack23

  Originally posted by Cinnjerm:Whatever. You can never get rid of piracy now that people have been exposed to its benefits. There's always someone out there with a new way of skirting past the copy protection and laws put in place. What started with p2p applications then became decentralized with mIRC and bittorrent and now, with music in particular, is becoming increasingly pervasive in web forums and on mass-filesharing web servers like megaupload and rapidshare. I reiterate, you cannot defeat piracy not before, not now, not ever.megaupload has been comprimised though...;)

  25.6.2007 17:27 #3

• PeaInAPod

  Quote:megaupload has been comprimised though...;)How so?

  25.6.2007 19:28 #4

• hikaricor

  I don't see how file hashes will help in any way.
  All you need to do is re-encode the media in question and the hash changes. They're making it look like they're doing something. Props to TorrentSpy for their brilliance.

  25.6.2007 19:42 #5

• vinny13

  I'm 14, and I have to say, screw that! I'm never using that site again. I've already been caught once because of it.
  
  Long live Mini Nova lol
  
  BCG is another hero(only games though...)

  25.6.2007 20:12 #6

• fgamer

  The only site left that pretty much can't or might not get touched is thepiratebay. No more torrentspy, such an impresive site..too bad :(

  25.6.2007 21:21 #7

• plutonash

  To hell with torrentspy demonoid as semi public tracker is way better

  26.6.2007 06:31 #8

• georgeluv

  mininova is way better anyway, the only thing torrentspy had on them was porn.
  
  of course, bt is lame anyway, forced serving? no thanks.
  
  www.vcdq.com + gnutella 2 = pure piracy bliss.

  26.6.2007 06:52 #9

• ZippyDSM

  ISO hunt "filters" their stuff however they have yet to be raped by the man.

  26.6.2007 08:21 #10

• LILBUCK

  Torrentspy was at one time a good place to download/upload....but now is total shit this is the begining of the end for that website. I personaly use DEMONOID AND MININOVA they are fucking fantastic

  26.6.2007 14:58 #11

• madman91

  noobs.. How many times do i have to say this.. Private Trackers beat public trackers, anyday of the week. Even wednesdays.

  29.6.2007 06:39 #12

• NHS2008

  I useD TO USE TorrentSpy but it's wastage of BANDWIDTH with filthi porn all around
  ISOHUNT is way to go!

  30.6.2007 01:48 #13

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by NHS2008:I useD TO USE TorrentSpy but it's wastage of BANDWIDTH with filthi porn all around
  ISOHUNT is way to go!
  not to mention half of its porn is protected and wants 1buck for passwords.
  :P

  30.6.2007 13:05 #14

• jaynius

  Hey madman - how do you find private trackers as opposed to public ones? Share the love !
  I have been a Torrentspy fan/user for quite a while, and have found btjunkie as a great search site for torrents - is that public or private ? Help. (thanks in advance !)

  30.6.2007 16:54 #15