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story category I Was a Hacker for the MPAA
Promised fame and fortune...
(old news - 09:15AM Monday Oct 22 2007)
A young hacker, employed by the MPAA to dig up dirt on former associates at BitTorrent outfit TorrentSpy, spills the beans on his exploits to Wired News. Robert Anderson hacked into TorrentSpy's servers and provided the entertainment industry group with everything from bank records to passwords. The MPAA subsequently sued TorrentSpy, who in turn sued the MPAA under the federal Wiretap Act.

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cableties
Premium
join:2005-01-27
Levittown, PA

Will the RIAA hackers please come forward...

I suspect RIAA has the same motives. Come forward, hackers. You'll actually be heroes...isn't that what you deserve?

Jodokast96
R.I.P Bassman442
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join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ

Typical BS

It's ok for us to break the law to keep you from doing it.
Kearnstd
Elf Wizard

join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Re: Typical BS

haha i love how they claim they didnt know he was stealing it. yet they hired a Hacker, so its clear they wanted the information under the table or they would have gotten a Sopena(sp).
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aaron8301
I can't get myself to go away.

join:2005-01-03
Clarkston, WA

Re: Typical BS

Subpeona (yeah, I never understood it's spelling, either).

John Galt
Am I Coming or Going?
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Re: Typical BS

said by aaron8301 See Profile :

Subpeona (yeah, I never understood it's spelling, either).
Helpful for the on-line denizen:

»dictionary.reference.com/

Oh, and the Spell Check here on the site.


--
A is A

aaron8301
I can't get myself to go away.

join:2005-01-03
Clarkston, WA

Re: Typical BS

You are replying to me, not Kearnstd - wait, are you implying - AHH CRAP! I spelled it wrong too. DAMN SUBPOENAS!
Beli

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Nashville, MI
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said by John Galt See Profile :

said by aaron8301 See Profile :

Subpeona (yeah, I never understood it's spelling, either).
Helpful for the on-line denizen:

»dictionary.reference.com/

Oh, and the Spell Check here on the site.


You didn't notice he put (sp) by sopena, didn't you? For the online denizens, this mean intentionally spelled that way.
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@ameritech.net

Re: Typical BS

It actually means spelling unsure.

swhx7
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·RoadRunner Cable

said by aaron8301 See Profile :

Subpeona (yeah, I never understood it's spelling, either).

"under threat of penalty". Latin sub = under; poena = penalty.

TechieZero
Tools Are Using Me
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join:2002-01-25
Wesley Chapel, FL

Re: Typical BS

I wonder if this is related to "testify" which in the Roman days, you actually put your "boys" on the line, or they will be chopped off. At least this is how I heard it.
jester121

join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

Re: Typical BS

Dunno if that's true but if so I think we should bring it back. Wonder if Clinton would have been so smooth on the stand knowing what the stakes really were?

Camelot One
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Re: Typical BS

said by jester121 See Profile :

Dunno if that's true but if so I think we should bring it back. Wonder if Clinton would have been so smooth on the stand knowing what the stakes really were?
Nah, if we were following Roman rules, or those of any decent society, the question would have never been asked to begin with.
--
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TechieZero
Tools Are Using Me
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Re: Typical BS

Bah...I never understand why we expect our politicians to be such moral leaders as well. I mean come on! They are rock stars w/ a suit and tie and females throw themselves on them. In Clinton's case, he was married to CHillary...I would have easily given him a pass on that alone.

If I was Bill I would have said "No I didn't have sex unless you consider a BJ sex, and it was great! Then I smoked a big fat one --- inhaled --- and it was good too! Now I am gonna smoke this bastage in the desert! Watch! Its good to be the President! Woohoo!"

This would have raised him up a couple of notches IMHO.

N3OGH
It's Biden Vs. the Biscuit. Sarah's hot
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·Verizon Online DSL

said by Jodokast96 See Profile :

It's ok for us to break the law to keep you from doing it.
The typical arrogance of those in power. When the rules favor THEM, they expect people to follow them.

When the rules make it hard for them, they see fit to "bend" them a bit.

I don't participate in downloading copyrighted material without making proper payment for it. Any more, it's just too easy to pay up, and get a clean copy of whatever I want.

But, someone needs to smack the MPAA in the taint for this one. What a bunch of self serving dummies.

Like my sig tag says.....
--
Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power…

Neyland85

join:2003-02-04
North Augusta, SC
·AT&T Southeast

Re: Typical BS

said by N3OGH See Profile :

But, someone needs to smack the MPAA in the taint for this one. What a bunch of self serving dummies.

Like my sig tag says.....
+1 for an excellent use of 'taint'!

Camelot One
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said by N3OGH See Profile :

I don't participate in downloading copyrighted material without making proper payment for it. Any more, it's just too easy to pay up, and get a clean copy of whatever I want.
I would agree with you, if that were only true. If I could get the "clean" copy for a fee, I would. If I could get the game without the CD protection, I would. For that matter if the damn game would even run without getting hung up on it's own piracy protection, I would buy it.

But I can't. There have been a couple of games I have paid full price for, only to HAVE to download a pirated copy to get it to run.
--
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james1

join:2001-02-26
antarctica

Re: Typical BS

for the sake of curiosity could you please name the games?

Camelot One
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Re: Typical BS

said by james1 See Profile :

for the sake of curiosity could you please name the games?
Operation Flashpoint and Battlefield 1942. (OF was the worst I've ever seen)
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ARGONAUT
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That's one way to find WMD

swhx7
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said by article :

Attorney Rothken says he did not sue under the federal computer-hacking law, because it doesn't allow for vicarious liability.

I can't believe it isn't illegal to hire someone to perform an illegal computer intrusion.

Also, the idea that a website operator can be required to start keeping logs that he wasn't already keeping, in order to generate evidence for the benefit of the other party, is pretty outrageous.

tc1uscg

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said by Jodokast96 See Profile :

It's ok for us to break the law to keep you from doing it.
Breaking the law? Are you sure? Thought they got congress to bite off on allowing them to do this and gave them immunity for it.

Jodokast96
R.I.P Bassman442
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Erial, NJ

Re: Typical BS

Not quite yet.

supergirl

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Actual News

Court rules against TorrentSpy in hacking case
Judge rules MPAA didn't violate Wiretap Act, but studios acknowledge purchasing private e-mail exchanges.
By Greg Sandoval
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: August 28, 2007, 3:17 PM PDT
Last modified: August 28, 2007, 3:50 PM PDT

But while a U.S. District judge found that the Motion Picture Association of America had not violated the federal Wiretap Act, as TorrentSpy's attorneys had argued, the MPAA acknowledged in court records that it paid $15,000 to obtain private e-mails belonging to TorrentSpy executives.

The MPAA's acknowledgement is significant because it comes at a time when the group is trying to limit illegal file sharing by imploring movie fans to act ethically and resist the temptation to download pirated movies. To critics, the revelation by the MPAA is a possible sign that the organization is itself not above adopting unethical practices in its fight against file sharing.

"Ethically, it's pretty clear that reading other people's e-mail is wrong," said Lorrie Cranor, an associate research professor and Internet privacy expert at Carnegie Mellon University. "Being offered someone else's e-mails by a third party should have been a red flag."

The MPAA, which says that illegal file sharing costs the film industry more than $2 billion annually, did not respond to interview requests.

In court records, the MPAA said that the person who obtained the e-mails did so before approaching the group with an offer to sell the information and that he signed a contract stating he had come by the correspondence through lawful means.

Ira Rothken, TorrentSpy's attorney said: "We believe that the MPAA, when it paid $15,000 for about 30 pages of e-mails, knew or should have known they were involved in purchasing something in a wrongful manner."

»marketwatch-cnet.com.com/Court-r···948.html
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knightmb

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Re: Actual News

said by supergirl See Profile :

In court records, the MPAA said that the person who obtained the e-mails did so before approaching the group with an offer to sell the information and that he signed a contract stating he had come by the correspondence through lawful means.
I love that part, WTF? So if someone came up to me and said "Hey, I got all this money from the bank through lawful means" would I take the money and assume that banks just freely give out money? Either the MPAA are just plain idiots (likely) or someone really needs to get fired there.
russotto

join:2000-10-05
Collegeville, PA

Re: Actual News

said by knightmb See Profile :

So if someone came up to me and said "Hey, I got all this money from the bank through lawful means" would I take the money and assume that banks just freely give out money? Either the MPAA are just plain idiots (likely) or someone really needs to get fired there.
Most likely the MPAA hired the guy to come up with the stuff, and concocted this story to provide plausible deniability.

That is, they're lying through their teeth.

cork1958
Cork

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·Charter Pipeline


edit:
October 22nd, @10:35AM

Re: Actual News

said by russotto See Profile :

Most likely the MPAA hired the guy to come up with the stuff, and concocted this story to provide plausible deniability.

That is, they're lying through their teeth.
Yep!!

Anomus

@rr.com

Re: Actual News

This is a wasted argument. The courts dont care much if the big boys have ethical issues, when they are trying to convict a criminal. Cops ALWAYS bald face lie and deceive suspects to trick them into making damning statements. Unless they make a technical blunder, the ends always justify the means even if the judges end up scolding the big boys.

Thrudd

join:2004-06-21
Mississauga, ON

said by cork1958 See Profile :

said by russotto See Profile :

Most likely the MPAA hired the guy to come up with the stuff, and concocted this story to provide plausible deniability.

That is, they're lying through their teeth.
Yep!!
Thats I new one on me.

I never knew that they sat on their teeth.

supergirl

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said by knightmb See Profile :

said by supergirl See Profile :

In court records, the MPAA said that the person who obtained the e-mails did so before approaching the group with an offer to sell the information and that he signed a contract stating he had come by the correspondence through lawful means.
I love that part, WTF? So if someone came up to me and said "Hey, I got all this money from the bank through lawful means" would I take the money and assume that banks just freely give out money? Either the MPAA are just plain idiots (likely) or someone really needs to get fired there.
Let's see: Ira Rothken, TorrentSpy's attorney said: "We believe that the MPAA, when it paid $15,000 for about 30 pages of e-mails, knew or should have known they were involved in purchasing something in a wrongful manner."

If TorrentSpy believes he approached the MPAA, umm, why can't you? Oh, hate clouds your cognitive functions.
--
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Help Im a bug

@cox.net
You forgot to add that you're pulling off your ski mask as you tell the story
bartem01

join:2000-11-01
Brooklyn, NY
Mr. Anderson.
Matrix Reversed coming soon.

Hehe

@ssa.gov
Ok, the next time I downoad movies or mp3 I will just get a letter stating he had come by the movies (or mp3) through lawful means.

OMG!
theeinstein
Premium
join:2003-07-31
Fernandina Beach, FL

Re: Actual News

I was thinking... We could say "some person" came by and attached to my open access point downloaded the movies I accidentally taped to my front door and placed them in my "put those movies here folder" on my hard drive.

BUT I was told they were recorded lawfully.

=)

What this is ... the MPAA acting as if all Americans are stupid!! The more we sit back and allow this to transpire the more they prove their point..

How pathetic!

woody7
Premium
join:2000-10-13
Torrance, CA
·DSL EXTREME

Re: Actual News

Not being a lawyer, nor "Pirate", nor naive, isn't accessing someone else's computer for whatever reason illegal (unless there is a court order)? I think a "civil" suit is in order, unless they are some how "immune"
--
BlooMe
theeinstein
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Re: Actual News

said by woody7 See Profile :

Not being a lawyer, nor "Pirate", nor naive, isn't accessing someone else's computer for whatever reason illegal (unless there is a court order)? I think a "civil" suit is in order, unless they are some how "immune"
Ha yea... and like murder if you pay or help plan it aren't you also liable?

MrMoody
Beleaguered Middle Class

join:2002-09-03
Smithfield, NC
And once again we see that it's OK for the "good guys" to break the law in order to get the "bad guys."

TechieZero
Tools Are Using Me
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Wesley Chapel, FL


edit:
October 22nd, @11:04AM

Tired of hearing this

"The MPAA, which says that illegal file sharing costs the film industry more than $2 billion annually..."

Am I the only one who is tired of hearing this?

Where do they get such an outrageous figure?

How about if their business models didn't suck, they would do a lot better?!? How about selling DVDs and CDs is a time long gone and *dead* (especially over $10) --- this isn't the 1980s; you set yourself up for failure *every* time. Time to own up RIAA, take some responsibility for why this is happening. Cross-Market, focus on live shows, events, eContent (with quality production, cheap and easy), spin-offs, and advertising. Get real talent instead of manufactured lip-sinking fools. We are more mature now, we can tell the difference.

Think, adapt. You represent the artists which inspire creativity yet you are the most monolithic organization ever known and are reaping what you sow.

Alcohol
Premium
join:2003-05-26
Neshanic Station, NJ

Re: Tired of hearing this

You know what they say, 95% of the stats are made up. The sales have actually gone up in the recent years.
Couch Potato
What?
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edit:
October 22nd, @11:57AM

I'm sick of hearing it too, if they never had the money, they didn't lose it !

If it were actually costing them $2 billion/yr, wouldn't they be bankrupt by now ?

I go to the theater, I buy DVDs, mp3s, and the occasional CD, but I can understand piracy, companies like the MPAA and RIAA are just to frikken greedy, if they charged less for their product, they'd actually make more money by selling volume, but they don't see it that way. The same goes for software developers, they charge way too much.

edit: Also, isn't reading anyone else's mail, be it physical or electronic, a federal crime ?

NJxxxJon
something good. or your mom.
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People undercover

See thats how I imagined. Someone employed by the RI or MP and random asking me questions via myspace, or the p2p program ....then sending me links for information. I bet its just like being phished! ....Or sending me a program that launches something....either way it is illegal even when I AM NOT sharing my files......
--
\\"I don't have a girlfriend, I just know a girl that would get mad if I said that." \\Mitch Hedberg

See 8 replies to this post

wolfox
Gentle Wolfox

join:2002-11-27
Fayetteville, AR

With the game of whack-a-mole on and restricted sites...

I wanna see the study that shows that the corn farmers are now unable to find uses for the glut of cash coming their way now that home television broadcast viewing is up along with movie sales. ;D TV-links.co.uk is gone, ISOhunt is restricted - ISP packet filtering and shaping to stall unencrypted P2P sharing - the movie, music and corn industry ought to be ablaze now!!!!!1!!one!!!eleventeen!!!
--
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bbtech6650
Premium
join:2004-10-28
Pittsburgh, PA

Corn Farmers my @ss!

I just love how they always try to say " We have to protect the corn farmers!"

Well, hate to break it to the MPAA, but I don't even buy popcorn when I go to see a movie.

brooklynman4

join:2004-09-07
Brooklyn, NY

Re: Corn Farmers my @ss!

As i posted sometime ago hackers get owned by the goverment and work for them.
dentman42

join:2001-10-02
Columbus, OH
·AT&T Midwest

said by bbtech6650 See Profile :

I just love how they always try to say " We have to protect the corn farmers!"

Well, hate to break it to the MPAA, but I don't even buy popcorn when I go to see a movie.
...but when I sit down for an evening watching pirated movies with friends, we usually go through a box or two of microwave popcorn...
Sipix86

join:2006-01-08
Mesa, AZ

Tired of hearing TOO!

Heres my one single stat. So the pirating stops. They think there going to get my money to see the movie.....HAhaHAhaHA....LMAO

N O Y B
St. John 3.16

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edit:
October 22nd, @11:19PM

Like I Said, That Lady Was Probably Hacked by RIAA


Yup, just like I said, that lady who was recently convicted by kangaroos was probably hacked by RIAA (the plaintiff). RIAA probably set up the share and everything, collected their info, then destroyed the disk drive to cover their tracks. Then accused the defendant of covering her tracks by having the now 'defective' disk drive replaced.

Fountainhead
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New York, NY
clubs:

Re: Like I Said, That Lady Was Probably Hacked by RIAA

What a bunch of over entitled babies you all are.

If you want something go buy it.

If you cant afford it, I guess then you can't have it.

Wah.

Whiners.
--
It's all part of my rock and roll fantasy

TechieZero
Tools Are Using Me
Premium
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Wesley Chapel, FL

Re: Like I Said, That Lady Was Probably Hacked by RIAA

I think the only people whining is "The MPAA, which says that illegal file sharing costs the film industry more than $2 billion annually..."

N O Y B
St. John 3.16

join:2005-12-15
Forest Grove, OR

She did buy them, she had the CDs. The was not the charge nor what she was convicted of. She was convicted of making copyrighted material available. Which might not even be illegal.


lucid_dream

@charter.com

hmmm what ?

Let me see if Pirating stops ? I'll just borrow the movie from the idiot that's dumb enough to buy it!! Or will that be illegal too?
tay829

join:2004-03-16
Fort Smith, AR

Re: hmmm what ?

Remember they tried to do that with DIVX? Tying movies to players.
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