Slashdot Mirror


IsoNews Ostensibly Shut Down By The DOJ

According to Yahoo News and also Cyber Crime The longest running news site for Piracy has been turned over to the Department of Justice. Stating David Rocci AKA krazy8, has recently plead guilty to selling modchips via his website http://www.isonews.com with profit of $48,000. Now the domain has been linked to the Cybercrime Site warning all pirates all there that modchipping is not a game. [chrisd] In case you needed a reminder...you don't own your hardware. Eff? That said, this is not 100% positive, and there are rumors of the old site floating around on other ip addresses out there. In related DOJ web hijinks..joemite writes "Cannabis News released this article about how the DEA is seeking to redirect indicted businesses that sell glass bongs and pipes to the DEA's website. "If the court orders the sites to be redirected, Ashcroft said, they will point to a DEA.gov Web page that says: "By application of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the Web site you are attempting to visit has been restrained by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 853 (e)(1)(a)."" Also check out an analysis of the entire situation by Richard Cowan"

16 of 920 comments (clear)

  1. DOJ doesn't own it by iCEBaLM · · Score: 5, Informative

    Registrant:
    The iSO News (ISONEWS-DOM)
    Jacobus van 't Hoffstraat 69
    Nijmegen, MR 6533
    NL

    Domain Name: ISONEWS.COM

    1. Re:DOJ doesn't own it by delta407 · · Score: 4, Informative
      WHOIS data aside, I now get a "...is now the property of the United States government" page. But guess what?
      <meta name="AUTHOR" content="USDOJ">
      <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Mozilla/4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD DOJ3jx7bf (Windows NT 5.0; U) [Netscape]">

      The DOJ uses Mozilla! :-)
    2. Re:DOJ doesn't own it by molo · · Score: 4, Informative

      But it points to an IP in the DOJ's block:

      > host www.isonews.com
      www.isonews.com has address 149.101.1.91

      > whois 149.101.1.91

      OrgName: US Dept of Justice
      OrgID: UDJ
      [...]


      Also, in case you don't believe it, the press release is reproduced on the usdoj.gov webpage:

      http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/February/03_crm_1 18.htm

      So its for real. Add another notch to the DMCA's belt.

      -molo

      --
      Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
  2. More Links... by syr · · Score: 4, Informative
    Story 1
    Post article
    TheRegister story

    Quote:

    ---
    Two Justice Department attorneys said Internet users would eventually be steered to the government's address as name servers across the Internet are updated over the next several hours.

    "There is going to be some lag time between the domain-name switch-over," one attorney said. "But the domain name isonews.com now belongs to the federal government."

    ---

    Enjoy...

    GameTab

    1. Re:More Links... by Pharmboy · · Score: 4, Informative

      I thought that was Libertarianism?

      Libertarians are a political party. Like Republicans. Conservatism is a political philosophy.

      Libratarians are conservative in many ways, but not in others. They are very isolationist, for instance, where the Conservative philosophy doesn't demand this. Many of us see the Conservative view as meaning a small but powerful central govt. whose only role is to do the things that 1) we cant do for ourselves, like national defense and highways, and 2) things that the states can't do, make treaties, international relations. I see conservatism as not isolationist, but more selective in who we "do business with".

      ie: we do business with China, even tho they are terrible with human rights, its the only method to introduce rights to their people. We don't do business with Saudi Arabia because there is no hope of introducing human rights without going to war, so we go to war or dont do business. If you can't make a positive difference, you isolate yourself from that country. Not in anger, just as a choice. Thats my interpretation. One of the basic concepts of conservatism is "equality of opportunity", national or international. I could go on (and I am writing an article that does) but I won't here ;)

      While I have plenty of respect for Libratarians (they are more bound to a philosophy than the other parties) they have been labeled as the party that simply wants pot legalized. While this is a worthwhile goal (read my definition: anything that doesnt affect other adversely is ok) it is one tiny effect of conservatism. Conservatism would also demand strong penalties for driving while stoned or drunk, because it affects others.

      --
      Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
  3. Link to more info by Captain+Beefheart · · Score: 4, Informative

    More info HERE This links to the ISOnews forum Will prolly be Slashdotted soon.

  4. Alternative NFO site ... by slagdogg · · Score: 4, Informative

    Their 'competitor', NFOrce is seemingly still alive and kicking. I suppose the difference is in their strategy for collecting funds. As a note, both removed serial numbers from all posted NFO files.

    --
    (Score:-1, Wrong)
  5. ISONEWS is 'shut down' by MisterFancypants · · Score: 4, Informative
    The issue with ISONEWS.com is that it was really 8 different servers spread throughout the country. The DOJ did arrest the site owner for selling 'mod chips', not for the site itself.

    Since shutting down 8 servers at once (some of them being out of the US) is hard, the DOJ took control of the DNS for the isonews.com domain and pointed it to their own site, which is what many people get when they go to http://www.isonews.com now.

    Some people still get redirected to the existing servers, but this will happen less and less as the DNS changes propagate out to leaf nodes.

  6. the real isonews.com: by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://66.201.243.170/

    the real isonews.com with working forums

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  7. Not Hoax by OctaneZ · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can read more info about the plea bargain and case at: http://www.cybercrime.gov/rocciPlea.htm
    -OctaneZ

  8. Re:The Bong Show... by kfg · · Score: 5, Informative

    *Possesion* of a pipe *assumed* to be for smoking an illegal substance is a federal offense.

    Ain't it grand?

    One of my tobacconists also sells glass pipes. It's no accident that they sell tobacco. It removes the question of assumption.

    According to the DoJ *rolling papers* are also now considered "drug paraphenalia" and a federal offense to possess, which will surprise the hell out of a lot of "roll your own" tobacco smokers I know.

    KFG

  9. Re:"EFF??" Oh, Please...! by squared99 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Are you for real? pull you head out of the sand. I love these naysayers that try to pull something down without even offering any alternatives, examples or evidence to support their opinion, other than 'oh please...'.

    The EFF has been one of the most high profile and active organizations out there. See the list of cases below, easily available from their website and newsletter, though I'm sure you are aware of these since you've been following them since the early 90's.

    Recent cases
    Active cases

    At worst, at the very worst, they have made an extremely large number of people aware of these issues, which in turn has led to many more people getting involved. And even if they dont have the same clout(meaning cash to burn) as the tobacco lobbyists or hollywood, your suggestion is to stop supporting them now so they never do? sh'yeah.

    P.S. their address is in San Francisco, they left DC sometime ago.

  10. It's not a fake. by Artifex · · Score: 5, Informative

    The press release is right here.

    They probably just made an A record change to the DNS.
    This buys them time to go seize the server physically, or copy all the user records off if it's a virtual colo.

    If leaving the IP alone for a while prompts some clueless users to continue to log in or attempt to order more stuff, it's a smart move.

    --
    Get off my launchpad!
    1. Re:It's not a fake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      You don't order stuff there anymore. The modchips were sold last summer and it was a bit of a fiasco IIRC. They got plenty of orders but only managed to get a few hundred of them out before that particular venture collapsed. Quite a few of those whose orders hadn't been filled yet didn't get their money back either so if the DOJ bust krazy8, it should be fraud or something.

      (Allegdely)

      Also, this only has to do with one of the isonews staff who sold these chips through the website that was already there. The 'krazy8 set up a website to sell illegal mod chips' statements are (as usual) a bit off the mark.

      Yes, the news on isonews is about copyright infringement related activities, but you only get info about which groups released which title and so on, and discussion about the so called scene. You get no cracks, no serials, no software nothing that lets you actually 'pirate' the games. Giving out or asking for such info on the forums is not allowed. Go there and ask 'where can I download sim city 4?!?!?' and see how long you last, for example. Isonews is harmless and (apart from krazy8's little scheme ;)) hardly illegal (though I suppose in the new Bush/Ashcroft America, talking about illegal activites will get you thrown in jail as well)

  11. Re:Oh come on by I_redwolf · · Score: 5, Informative

    I live in Brooklyn, NYC; I'm a black male. I was arrested outside the front of my house.. ON my steps for no reason. The reason on paper says "disorderly conduct". You watch too much TV.. Those males, who emulate a bunch of thugs, who largely prey on their own people are already in jail for entirely different reasons. I bet you also didn't know that out of every 8 black males you see during the day; 1 is in jail. While I was in central bookings in Downtown Brooklyn about 100% of the people in the cells were black so I asked what the hell is everyone in here for. "Jay walking", "Had no id on me", "Told a cop to fucking stop following me", "Didn't have my license".. Most of the things ran off were ticket offenses. One guy was caught racing his car down by Hunts Point and ended all the way in Brooklyn? Wtf is that? (I'd also like to point out that discon; disorderly conduct is a ticket offense). Surely some of these guys had to be lying but as I waited in the court room; they weren't.

    I'd also like to point out that up until that point I never had a problem with the "law". Infact until my honorable discharge on Dec 5th 2002 I was an intel analyst for a Military Police Battalion and knew a truck load of police officers. The difference I realize is that I used to live in Suburbia.. Moving to Brooklyn changed the ideologies. Says alot about white people huh?

    That incident, however, hasn't gone without challenge and the officers of the 79th precint who did this are being raked over the coals. The difference here is that my parents have money and my dad is in a position where he can make calls. Alot of the other black males out there don't have that. The contempt passes just the cops to their skin colors and this is why you sit there at your keyboard and make such assumptions about the social character of a black male in an urban area? You know nothing about it until you see it or experience it. So please, keep your ideas to yourself.

  12. Mod Chips are *NOT* illegal. by Anubis333 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Many people like to mod their consoles, allowing them to make "fair use" copies of games they have purchased, in case their children destroy or scratch the disk, or allow them to play import games from other countries (that they purchase online) that are unplayable in their own country. Many people also make their own games for consoles or handhelds, especially the Game Boy Advance, which has hundreds of cool demos and games, free, for people who have moded, or "flashable" cartridges. Last Christmas, siting the DMCA, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony filed against Lik-Sang.com (my favorite game hardware site) for selling such mod chips, because they could also be used to play downloaded copies of games, which would be an illegal use under the DMCA. One of the largest issues at hand with the mod chip craze, is that most consoles are now sold at a loss, and the companies have locked themselves into a dangerous game where they primarily make money off of game sales, and these mega corporations only want you to be playing (and buying) their games, not freely downloadable games online, or booting LINUX.

    A console that plays MP3s or DIVX over a network (or off its 100gb drive) as an entertainment center, or runs LINUX, is USELESS monetarily to Microsoft. This, like everything in the world, is about money.

    The edited BIOS of the mod chip is the illegal thing under the DMCA. Almost all mod chip sites do *NOT SELL CHIPS WITH A BIOS*, you must download the bios from someone online. This is perfectly LEGAL (buying the mod with no BIOS), though it is illegal (under the DMCA) to download that BIOS. If he's being prosecuted and plead guilty, it was because he was selling mods preflashed with a bios. There are hundreds of MOD chip sites online, and they aren't being taken over by the DMCA.

    CE