Anti-piracy Vigilantes Tracking P2P Users

brevard writes "From SecurityFocus comes news that a pair of coders with a deep hatred of software pirates have gone public with a months-old experiment to trick file sharers into running custom spyware they wrote that scolds users and phones home to a server. They circulated the program disguised as sought-after downloads like Unreal Tournament 2004 and Microsoft source code, and they have a website that updates in real time whever someone executes it. They've logged IP addresses for over 12,000 'pirates' since January. The EFF says the vigilantes may be committing a crime."

Comments

Heh, we are such Hypocrites here

[DesScorp]

Let's be honest. If these guys were, say, DOSing the RIAA or SCO websites, they'd be hailed as heroes. But harrassing Warez users on the sacred P2P networks? Oh, THOSE ASSHOLES.

Lots of self-righteous anger about the evil of this being a Trojan, and abusing MY PROPERTY and such, and.....hey, these complaints sound familiar. Where have I heard them before, hmmm?

For the people outraged about this, isn't getting hosed downloading warez comparible to, oh say, getting robbed in a crack house?