BitTorrent Admin Monitored by US Government, Forced to Dump GNU/Linux
Written by enigmax on August 22, 2007Sk0t, an ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker is to have his internet connection forcibly monitored by the US Government. If that wasn’t bad enough, the monitoring software is Windows based - which means he is being forced to ditch GNU/Linux - or face being barred from the internet.
Scott McCausland (sk0t), the ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker isn’t having much luck lately. Back in September 2006, he pleaded guilty to two charges - ‘conspiracy to commit copyright infringement’ and ‘criminal copyright infringement’. Both charges relate to him uploading ‘Star Wars: Episode III’ onto the internet hours before the theatrical release, earning him 5 months in jail and 5 months home confinement.
Sk0t has now been released from jail but this doesn’t mean that everything is back to normal.
Back on 17 July, sk0t had to see his Probation Officer for the first time and two days later he had to have a special ankle bracelet attached. This monitoring device is there to enforce the terms of his release: Monday to Friday 08:30 to 21:00 he is free to do as he pleases. Weekends are more restrictive - freedom is allocated between 08:30 to 17:00. The one good thing about this device is that it will be removed before Christmas (Dec 19th).
According to a post on his blog, following another meeting with his Probation Officer, it seems sk0t is having more trouble:
So, I am getting shafted by the Justice Department again…”
sk0t was informed by his Probation Officer that he has to have special software installed on his PC so that the government can monitor his online activities. However, what is a more bitter pill to swallow for him is that the monitoring software is Windows only and as sk0t is an Ubuntu user, the Justice Department is forcing him to switch operating systems.
I had a meeting with my probation officer today, and he told me that he has to install monitoring software onto my PC. No big deal to me, that is part of my sentence. However, their software doesnt support GNU/Linux (Which is what I use). So, he told me that if I want to use a computer, I would have to use an OS that the software can be installed on.
Sk0t is left with a tough choice. Give in to the evils of the monitoring software, format his hard drive and install Windows - or be barred from using a PC completely.
Sk0t told TorrentFreak: “I think that this whole situation is just one more way that they can impose their will onto me. I have contacted my attorney, and we are going to fight this. It isn’t the fact that I have to be monitored that bothers me, it is the fact that I have restructure my life (different OS, different software on that OS) and that they would require (force) me to purchase software while I a currently unemployed and relatively unemployable with the 2 felonies that they gave me. It is just a ridiculous situation. Why should I conform to them when I am consenting to the software… they should have software that conforms to me.”
Unfortunately, thanks to the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, some BitTorrent users are considered criminals these days, which means these unusual measures can be forced upon them. In a society where ‘the punishment should fit the crime’, you can’t help but think that somewhere along the line there’s been a big miscalculation when regular citizens are turned into criminals for sharing files.
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why not use ReactOS ?
http://www.reactos.org/en/index.html
Quote:
ReactOS® is an advanced free open source operating system providing a ground-up implementation of a Microsoft Windows® XP compatible operating system. ReactOS aims to achieve complete binary compatibility with both applications and device drivers meant for NT and XP operating systems, by using a similar architecture and providing a complete and equivalent public interface.
Just to keep all of you informed: the gateway monitoring scenario is useless because VPN software packets can get through — and because they are encrypted, cannot be deciphered. That is useless.
The monitoring software probably tracks end-user GUI activities (clicking, drag-and-drop, etc) — in a similar way qa/testing software works. Unless a 100% compatible Linux versions exists, only Windows exposes the GUI in such a standard way.
America sucks. This is so stupid.
Sk0t, there’s an old saying, “Never ascribe to malice, that which can be explained by incompetence.” Napoleon Bonaparte.
My suggestion is not to feel put upon by this ruling and instead try to make lemonade from lemons. I think by accepting the software, you are honestly trying to do that.
Here are my thoughts on the matter:
1) Have your lawyer suggest that you can comply with the ruling if they purchase you a copy of Windows.
2) Also, have him ask them if it is alright if you download a copy of VMWare Server that VMWare has made available for free so that you may run Linux on top of Windows.
Docks, teamsters, grocery stores, and many other establishments provide ex-cons a new lease on life and a viable income.
Unless it is prohibited by the ruling, you could attempt to set up your own online business. You seem to have skills at running hosting services. This time, make it legitimate. You can use all the bad publicity this story is generating to help you market it.
What you make of all this will define you.
Everyone deserves a second chance. Good luck.
You have to ask about the security of running monitoring software on the machine of someone that you (the government) necessarily don’t trust. I mean, a decent hacker should surely be able to bypass that, especially if it’s software running in userland on Windows!
What else is it logging anyway? Online banking transactions? More private stuff that I’d think they don’t have a right to know about?
If you need to be monitored then surely an external dedicated box that’s somewhat harder to hack would make a lot more sense. Even then I expect someone interested would think of ways around it. The rules would have to include “No SSH tunnels or suspiciously long lasting connections over HTTPS”
The anklet thing sounds a pain. Presumably you have to be in the proximity of the control box during the curfew times. Better than jail maybe.
Are u living in florida?
I heard they made a law which allows you to shoot at everyone in your house.
So if you are living there, just kill them when they are coming to check which OS you have installed :D
P2P technologies are good, but they are useless until we have something to share. It appears that most of what people wants to share are still things they can’t share… So the solution is not to ditch the technology, it’s to create a culture we can share. Boycotting the Hollywood mafia would be very good start, and it’s easy: just don’t watch their movies. Why ruin some perfectly good bandwith on Star Wars?
Five months in jail, okay… but being forced to switch from Linux to Windoze… do the words “cruel and unusual punishment” mean anything to them? I’m sure this violates some human rights legislation… :-(
First off Thanks for starwars!
and as much as the probation rules suck and i agree they do, it could have been worse, they could have banned you from net completely or something
Guys, there is no need to install anything on his machine. They can, and are, monitoring him from the telco office. There is no legitimate reason to force him to use windows so they can install monitoring software, when they can just monitor him right from one of the switching stations, anything coming over as encrypted traffic would redflag him.
Installing the software on his pc serves 2 purposes.
1, to make it much easier for the lazy inept monitoring of his actions (I’m assuming something like vnc).
2, the real reason, to show him that he is little, and powerless, and they can and will do anything they want. Why force you to switch to linux, are there no linux system monitoring software available? Bull, there most surely is to the government, it’s because most linux users hate windows, and would rather die than switch.
Actually, having the monitoring taking place at the software level on the machine in question is retarded, anyone with skillz can get around that. The real monitoring will be taking place right on your isp connection, either at the local dslam (dsl) or switching station. If not, anything on your connection is being watched from the telco.
And remember, anything going over that line that would be in port ranges for p2p or encrypted traffic, would be redflagged and looked at, this is theoretically when your banking and anything else secure would show up, and be ruled out.
They don’t need to prove you are uploading or downloading anything illegal, just having 1 packet from a bittorrent session would be enough to send you back to jail, regardless of the files in question, they simply do not care.
Or 1 encrypted session that you can’t explain as a banking session or anything else. Don’t even need to prove it’s a torrent, encrypted traffic that’s not banking or something legitimate = parole violation.
Land of the free & the brave!, but it sounds like the Soviet Union.
Maybe he could download M$ Windoz from a torrent….. hardy har har….
Let’s see if I get this right. He gets a copy of a movie before it’s released and uploads it to the internet. -Crime check- Is this a crime? Yes it is, it violates a couple laws. He doesn’t get tossed into jail but his computer use is limited and monitored. Sorry gang, I don’t see the fascism here. And to you idgits that say that this sort of thing can’t happen in your country: the country you live in allows thieves to steal without consequence? Boy, I’m glad I don’t live there.
euhm no offense to the authorities, but are the just not plain and simply STUPID, monitoring software CAN (and should be) CRACKED. And isn’t contacting your ISP for restrictions another more possible and tangible way, as I believe it was they whom provided your smoking gun.
Take a break from the internet, just pull the plug, and learn a new programming language. Hell, go do something completely different. Read a pile of books or better, write one. About the scene for example people love to read it, and you’re an expert. Your prison sentence actually is a benefit here making you more interesting. Make an extra buck and make a statement at the same time.
Face it, it’d be pretty stupid to continue in the wares world. They will certainly keep their arrows pointed at you. And the next time they will be even harsher.
Figure out something new. Hit that reset switch in your brain and reinvent yourself… Show em that you’re not a victim.
Or would you rather spend your time and energy with the rest of the troglodytes roaming the internet moaning about rights and how the world aught to be? They’re really not worth it.
[quote]Dude guys… I use both, Windows stinks, and so does Linux.[/quote]
Linux works fine for me…
[quote]OK, let me get this straight - he obtains and uploads a copy of a major motion picture 5 days before it’s in theaters for everyone to download. What part of that doesn’t sound like he’s breaking the law? Get real, guys - he stepped over the line.[/quote]
Who said he didn’t break the law?
The law is wrong.
[quote]He’s a thief. [/quote]
For the record, to be a thief you have to have stolen something.
Sharing is not stealing.
[quote]For those who keep on suggesting he moves out of that godawful country, which part of “home confinement” is hard to understand?[/quote]
After it’s done they recommend to move…
[quote]Every society has a system of laws in place and adherence to them is the fiber that holds any society together.[/quote]
Spoken like a true statist :/
[quote]He doesn’t get tossed into jail but his computer use is limited and monitored. Sorry gang, I don’t see the fascism here.[/quote]
He does get tossed in jail. Look at the top of this page, it says he has now been released from jail.
It’s fascist because he didn’t harm anyone. He didn’t steal anything. He just shared a movie online.
[quote]And to you idgits that say that this sort of thing can’t happen in your country: the country you live in allows thieves to steal without consequence? Boy, I’m glad I don’t live there.[/quote]
Sharing is not stealing. Why can’t people like you understand that?
I would like to say thank you for starwars and I feel sorry about your punishment.
I gonna take revenge. I work for an american company and I will not do anything for a day.
“sharing is not stealing”
it’s distribution of stolen property, under any law, that’s the same as theft.
“He didn’t hurt anyone” Well of course George Lucas won’t notice that he’s $10 poorer, but the movie theater owner will, as will the poor slub who loses his job at the theater when not enough people frequent the theater to justify the boss keeping as many people employed. When you support a system that destroys an industry, you may not have stolen anything, but you’re just as guilty.
Hey Sk0t;
I’ll ditch in and give you a full original copy of Windows XP registered to your name and brand new in a box.
If you want it email me an addy i can send it to… and it will be in the mail tomorrow.
Kildjean
PS. email me to kildjean@mac.com
[quote]it’s distribution of stolen property, under any law, that’s the same as theft.[/quote]
Maybe the law considers it theft, I don’t know, but the actual definition of the words “theft” and “stealing” don’t apply when someone shares a file over the internet.
The government can make a new definition, it can reconize that definition, but it doesn’t make that new definition valid.
[quote]Well of course George Lucas won’t notice that he’s $10 poorer, [/quote]
He didn’t actually loose any money from the sharing of the movie online. No money was taken from him.
[quote]but the movie theater owner will, as will the poor slub who loses his job at the theater when not enough people frequent the theater to justify the boss keeping as many people employed.[/quote]
Star wars episode III made $849,997,605 in theatres. I don’t think any theatre owners or employees are starving.
Anyway, if an industry isn’t profitable enough for someone, they can choose another one.
[quote]When you support a system that destroys an industry, you may not have stolen anything, but you’re just as guilty.[/quote]
Have any proof sharing destroys anything?
how about someone will give me direct link for their sofware if u cant even do that ( find it on torrent sites ) then u deserved what u got dumb fucks
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