AfterDawn: Tech news

The Pirate Bay adds 'user deletion'

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Jun 2009 6:03 User comments (21)

The Pirate Bay adds 'user deletion' Earlier today we reported that the infamous public torrent tracker The Pirate Bay had been sold to the software company Global Gaming Factory X, who then decided to shut down the tracker and remove its torrents.
Responding very quickly to user requests for it, the admins of the Pirate Bay have now added a "user deletion" option for those users who do not want any part of the new "legal" Pirate Bay.

Says the blog:

"We are going to build a user deletion interface later today. Many people have asked about having their account removed and we will not force anyone to stay on of course.



However, we also want to point out that we have no logs of anything, no personal data will be transferred in the eventual sale (since no personal data is kept). So no need to be worried for safety. We always care for that.

It also feels a bit sad to see the comments on the previous blog entry. We understand that you're upset. But we have reasons to do this that we cannot ignore. We need to keep the site going and this is the only working alternative. We cannot finance the growth of the site anymore and we cannot back down. The only way is up and this is the only route to that place.

The support we had, is support we still need. We've been fighting for years for you; and yes; you have supported us in that endeavor. We still need you, even if you abandon the site. The important thing is that you keep sharing and keep on saving the internets. We will try to do that, but right now, we need and deserve a break. Some things needs to be reborn and rebooted. Let's make this into something good!"

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21 user comments

130.6.2009 18:19

Hmmm... An interesting concept.

230.6.2009 18:24

Quote:
Responding very quickly to user requests for it, the admins of the Pirate Bay have now added a "user deletion" option for those users who do not want any part of the new "legal" Pirate Bay
What is meant by "legal" Pirate Bay exactly? It looks like all torrents are still available on this site.

330.6.2009 19:06

Originally posted by Ryu77:

What is meant by "legal" Pirate Bay exactly? It looks like all torrents are still available on this site.
The site hasn't changed hands yet. It's still the same old TPB until the site is actually sold and the databases, etc. are transferred over to Global Gaming Factory X.

430.6.2009 19:21
varnull
Inactive

Not bothered.. still deleted my account earlier

530.6.2009 19:52
jony218
Inactive

RIP Pirate Bay you where one of the great ones. We followed your battles from afar, everytime you where knocked down, you bounce back up like the prizefighter that you where. You fought long and hard, but "the man" finally delivered a crippling blow and you went down. You will be missed.

61.7.2009 02:56

Screw Peerialism have a l00k at:

http://anomos.info/wp/category/anomos/

71.7.2009 03:40
varnull
Inactive

Yeah.. I did a long time ago.. and it still won't work as intended and will be SO SLOW it's pointless.. and dumping 256MB's of encrypted data into ram while running inherently insecure python scripts to test it's actually complete and what was requested? .. No further comment .. there were people peddling the same kind of system last year.. they went silent after some serious questioning by people who know how to read source code. Anyway.. the headers still contain your IP if it's data intended for you .. again another system which sounds good on paper but isn't in practice.. ask anybody who uses the tor network for torrents and they will tell you what trying to do a 9 gig file at 2kb/s feels like.. and why they don't bother.

81.7.2009 04:05
jingzao
Inactive

spam removed

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 01 Jul 2009 @ 3:05

91.7.2009 04:44

LOL actually i dont think the goal is to completely hide your IP (as that would make it completely impossible to deliver the packets to you machine) its instead to use Protocol Obfuscation, Packet Obfuscation or encryption, to prevent someone from being able to tell what you are downloading and inside the packets.

I know most of the emule (edonkey) spin offs now use Protocol Obfuscation for Kademlia chatter, not as good as encryption but far better than just a standard connection.

Regarding TOR i know its seriously slow, although thats not what it was intended for and its to be expected it would preform in such a way, thats why projects like anomos came about..

I know previously anomos had overhead problems whilst it was in alpha but from what ive heard the have addressed a large number of the issues now, but its still beta atm so what do you expect.

As for the guys at TPB they just cashed in and ran, they have sold the site to a company who wants to get in bed with the riaa etc, but still make statements like it wont change we wouldnt allow it to fall into the wrong hands.. they are now laughing all the way to the bank or should i say TPB Island donation fund.(COUGH).. at the end of the day they were called TPB they took advantage of everyone in one way or another and plundered and pillaged their guts out... what makes me laugh is people for what ever reason appear shocked by this... lol... HELLO they just lived up to thier name.

As ever something else will take over in its place, its only a matter of time until another torrent site or better protocol takes over, its been that way since the start of P2P.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing

101.7.2009 05:23
varnull
Inactive

That's all fair enough.. but any simple protocol encryption will do to hide what you are downloading from your isp.. that isn't how people get caught.

Really.. What were the bay boys supposed to do? When a whole countries legal system can be bought and corrupted to the point of after a trial has started having to invent a "new" crime.. because what they were convicted of isn't a crime any more than it's a crime to make a car which is used in a hit and run.. and also wasn't the charge they were brought to court with... serious procedural error.. and a complete mockery of the law .. then it's always a no win situation. I think they have salvaged what they can. Now the tracker will go offline and the remaining trackers will become a lot more private and locked down. This is actually a good thing.. what this "legit" business has bought is nothing at all. No bay users will play along with this crap.. reselling your bandwidth.. nonsense.. to pay you they will need a bank account to pay into.. and nobody will play that game with some maafia/riaa scumbag patsy company.

Well done bay boys.. you managed to salvage something from the ruins.. and kept to your principles all along. Some of us stood by you even when the going got rough..Don't sell us down the river now y'hear?

111.7.2009 05:51

Originally posted by varnull:
but any simple protocol encryption will do to hide what you are downloading from your isp
I never said thats was the full story i was just tring to address/answer/retort to your point about the IP header.

Most people get caught because the share out what every they have already downloaded on or their hard disks, the networks are then scowered to discover who is sharing these files, its far less likely you will get in trouble for actually downloading the files, its the distribution to others.

Thats not to say they cant detect your attempting to download a file, as your client may make a request to their fake file (hash) and hence they can work out your trying to download it, proving you did is another matter.

As for the guys a TPB i think domie summed it all up.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/18341.cfm

And if you think that they are not going to turn in to complete sell outs i think time will tell.....
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 01 Jul 2009 @ 5:52

121.7.2009 06:50
varnull
Inactive

I do know a lot more about torrent technology and security than most.. as a member of the EFF it's in my interests to keep an eye on the shenanagins employed by the spies to trap people.. they have ways to get ip's from a swarm without joining it for long enough to get more than a list...

Like I said.. I'm not sure about what their plans are now.. They have enough cash to clear their expenses (just about) and the leftovers to what I think is a good cause. All we can do is watch and see what happens.. not much point quoting some blogger who knows about as much about it as we do. Domie is just another member of this site.. no more no less. He always spouts his "pay the f---in newsgroups or stop stealing" crap.. I seem to remember he was one of the ranters demanding they take down fully legal publicly available documents a year or so ago... typical.. and now they save something from the wreckage for themselves he tries to spin it into something it isn't.. sorry.. member vs addict who has been quoted by Stallman (remember the vcreative labs fiasco?) and is a paid up member of the EFF.. I guess that says it all... I will stand by their proven record of being as good as their word when it comes to freedom of speech and privacy rights weighed up with the right of access to publicly available information.

I looked at this new "distribution" system... hahaha.. I already have sopcast, and if they think they have a cat in hells chance of getting people in the UK on our capped to hell 2Mb (if we are lucky.. 256k down 17k up more like) to sign up to that kind of crap they have another thing coming... http://www.peerialism.com/index.php/products
read and weep.. it's sopcast/sage/webplayer using p2p junk.. and will probably be stuffed full of drm and advertising. kerching.. no sale :)

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 01 Jul 2009 @ 6:55

131.7.2009 08:02

I dont want to buy any music or movies, not if its 1c or $100, i will not support the corruption of art by profiteering from the RIAA and MPAA types. 99% of the crap produced these days i wouldnt even take for free but ill keep supporting the independent artists and film makers.

As for TPB, the site is as good as dead, and the TPB crew gave us some great times while it lasted, i have no ill feelings towards them, nothing lasts forever

141.7.2009 13:02

The founders of the pirate bay have always seemed like robin hoods for the internets to me. In a way, they took from the rich, gave to the poor, and only kept enough for themselves to keep doing so.

This is seen as noble, and in fact, they weren't even doing as much as that. They were providing a gateway, a bridge to both legitimate and illegitimate treasures. They essentially only point the direction, and it is up to us to make the leap. This is why tpb has lasted as long as it has, and why this file-sharing question is so gray and convoluted. They were firm believers in net-neutrality, that our harnessing of electrons can't damn us or make us feel guilty. For the most part the public agrees with them. Who can sympathize with cops busting down a 13 year old girls door and attempting to arrest her for using simple computer programs?

And yes, the conviction is bullshit, and makes it clear that even in such a progressive country as Sweden, law enforcement is controlled not by harmony, but by money. The judicial system in Sweden, as well as the rest of the world, when it comes to the internet and things it has no expertise on, is more like a bounty hunter seeking to line his own pockets, or like a western where the law is only as strong as the money that supports it.

I read on one page that if this website is accountable, then technically all websites should be, because all websites link to other websites, which create a chain of websites that will eventually link to illegal content. So by this recent precedent, all websites should be shut down, fined, and the creators jailed. Ridiculous.

The founders of the pirate bay were heroes ready to do anything for this cause, and in showing their firmness, the world supported their noble efforts. Unfortunately for us, they turned out to be fearful nerds who lacked the strength to uphold their convictions. Robin hood does not at some point make a deal with the rich to spare himself some pain. They were afraid of the fines and possibly impending jail-time, showing themselves to be basement-dwellers that are quite afraid to trade in their basement prisons for a different one. Granted, they have immense pressures on them, but the cause is a noble one, and they have shown that they don't have the stones to stick to their beliefs. Whether they have lost faith in their domestic support, or the Swedish judicial system, is really a side-question.

They don't believe in their cause firmly enough to stomach the risk and government punishment, so eventually another group of people in the same situation will have to answer this question for us, and the world will look at them as the true believers, and there will likely be an international backlash against these legal systems and corporate conglomerations that will force a real change in the law, and hopefully companies will stop fining and sending people to jail over electrons.

151.7.2009 13:17
varnull
Inactive

I think at this point it becomes relevant to post this link.. it's to my blogs but it isn't my article.

http://my.afterdawn.com/varnull/blog_entry.cfm/3435

Just for the wider picture.. There are other discussions going on elsewhere.. never fear.. I will keep people posted of the outcome of those talks when there is something to report.

I guess the best thing to do now is delete any accounts we may hold.. say a fond farewell to the lads who have given us such a great resource over the years.. and give the mpaa/riaa and the legal corruption system the finger when it comes time to vote for the corrupt fat cats who claim they work for us while lining their pockets and the pockets of their friends... I remember the days of the indie news flyers printed and distributed for free.. time for a little more of that I think..

Rest assured.. I remembered this at Euro elections time when they wanted my vote.. and I will again when it comes to government elections time.. lines get drawn and some times we have to decide which side we stand and then stay there through thick and thin... we have all lost something this week more precious than we could ever imagine.

I found my spray paint.. tonight I may just go for a walk where the horrid cctv poison hasn't reached and make my feelings known.

162.7.2009 00:09

Originally posted by plazma247:
LOL actually i dont think the goal is to completely hide your IP (as that would make it completely impossible to deliver the packets to you machine) its instead to use Protocol Obfuscation, Packet Obfuscation or encryption, to prevent someone from being able to tell what you are downloading and inside the packets.

I know most of the emule (edonkey) spin offs now use Protocol Obfuscation for Kademlia chatter, not as good as encryption but far better than just a standard connection.

Regarding TOR i know its seriously slow, although thats not what it was intended for and its to be expected it would preform in such a way, thats why projects like anomos came about..

I know previously anomos had overhead problems whilst it was in alpha but from what ive heard the have addressed a large number of the issues now, but its still beta atm so what do you expect.

As for the guys at TPB they just cashed in and ran, they have sold the site to a company who wants to get in bed with the riaa etc, but still make statements like it wont change we wouldnt allow it to fall into the wrong hands.. they are now laughing all the way to the bank or should i say TPB Island donation fund.(COUGH).. at the end of the day they were called TPB they took advantage of everyone in one way or another and plundered and pillaged their guts out... what makes me laugh is people for what ever reason appear shocked by this... lol... HELLO they just lived up to thier name.

As ever something else will take over in its place, its only a matter of time until another torrent site or better protocol takes over, its been that way since the start of P2P.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing


Yes but what good is protocol obfuscation if they can see your IP? All it takes is someone to start downloading from you a chunk of a file, and then they (LEA, MPAA, RIAA, etc) have you. What I would really like to see is all of the emule/kad traffic migrate over to something that Anomos offers, but that is unlikely since speeds might even be slower than emule itself! And Anomos seems built up from a Tor like system..which is slowwww. I think eventually demand will inspire some genius kid to come up with something but until then, we're sitting ducks.

172.7.2009 03:24

Yeah protocol obfuscation is not that great its old technology, it wasnt really invented as a way to protect you from being found out, as you said if they download something from you its not going to stop them finding out. However it came about stop IPS, largely in america from being able to detect what type of traffic it was and either dropping or throttling the connection as it traversed their network.

As me and varnull discussed above TOR is piss poor slow for P2P as it was never designed to work with P2P technology, more so for a general system for all transports. However thinks like Anomos are built up from ground with the intention of using P2P so its should be possible to get far more from it.

Additionally some links for mootchin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_P2P
http://board.planetpeer.de/

and my fav :

http://www.i2p2.de/
http://forum.i2p2.de/viewtopic.php?t=3665

Not sure whats going on with the main website for imule, maybe its been swamped with downloaders :) lol
http://forum.i2p2.de/viewtopic.php?t=3665

182.7.2009 16:17

All the good sites are selling out, it will be disqworld next

192.7.2009 17:57

Protocol obfuscation is not useful for, and was NEVER intended to be, hiding your IP. Its oly purpose is exactly what its name impliesv: con fusing the issue as to what data a given packet contains. THis - hopefully - makes it more difficult to lsow down/stop packets that the "net cops" don't like.

202.7.2009 22:31

Am I being dense or what? But the website is still up and working as per norm.

213.7.2009 15:28

Originally posted by varnull:
Not bothered.. still deleted my account earlier

I never had one to start with :P

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