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Inside the Shadow Internet

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the cell-structure dept.

Paladin144 writes "Wired has a report about the mysterious 'pirate networks' that obtain new movies, music & games before they are released and spread them throughout the net. It's not as simple as putting a movie on LimeWire. These people are highly organized and very paranoid about secrecy. They maintain a hidden network of top-level FTP sites that get the best files first and allow them to trickle down the pyramid and into many a slashdotter's sweaty little fingers."

14 of 954 comments (clear)

  1. The Rules by da3dAlus · · Score: 5, Funny

    The first rule of the shadow internet is, you do not talk about the shadow internet.
    The second rule of the shadow internet is, you DO NOT talk about the shadow internet. ...

    --

    Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.
    1. Re:The Rules by ceejayoz · · Score: 5, Funny

      The third rule of the shadow internet is, if you talk about the shadow internet, a 14 year old pimply faced nerd threatens you with a supposed 350 pound hitman with a glock.

  2. yes, ther is nothing like by geekoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    spending hours and hours developing contacts so you can get a copy of a movie filmed from inside a theater.

    yeah, that'll hurt the industry.

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    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  3. Busted! by dj245 · · Score: 5, Funny
    In April, federal agents interrogated Frank and impounded all his computer equipment. So far, no charges have been filed. "But the Feds had no idea about Half-Life," he boasts. "I was never connected to that shit. If they found out, I'd be in jail."

    So the pirate the feds arrested, interrogated, and impounded in April, but didn't file charges yet against, is the Half-life guy. That narrows it down quite a bit.

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    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  4. this is old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    we read this the week before it was published.

  5. Secret? by age+of+reason · · Score: 5, Funny

    "These people are highly organized and very paranoid about secrecy."


    That`s why they made Wired.

  6. Re:Well.. by JohnsonWax · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, have you done it again?

    Yours truly,
    Undercover FBI Dude

  7. Re:Wannabes by Rolo+Tomasi · · Score: 5, Funny
    I don't get that. Wouldn't it be better if they sent an average looking hitman, so he would be less conspicuous? I mean, why does he have to be heavy or strong when has a gun? So he could kill the journalist "even better" or what? Doesn't make any sense.

    Hell, if I ever wanted to take out a hit on someone, I'd hire a midget with a knife. Nobody would expect that. Even if the victim gets warned, nobody would take it seriously. "Dude, look out for a midget with a knife!" "Riiiight."

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    Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
  8. The Shadow Internet by dr_dank · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Shadow Internet is just like the real internet, except we all have goatees.

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    Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
  9. Re:Excellent overview of the pirate network by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Crudely drawn graph.

  10. Re:Let me guess... by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 4, Funny

    I had some friends who were a ways up in the rankings on the Amiga. When FAST, the Federation Against Software Theft (look them up on Google, they did some hilarious print ads) were busting people locally, these two friends panicked. One buried his disks in his back garden. The other, worried they'd come calling and find his 600 or so disks... Kindly bought them round my house to hide them.

    I didn't mind. Gave me time to go through them all:)

    Oh, and said friend who buried the disks in his garden was also into phreaking, and buried all that stuff too.

    Ah, those were the days...

  11. Re:Well.. by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 4, Funny
    Please, allow me to rephrase and condense the parent's post that somehow got modded +4 interesting.

    "I used to be 1337! No really, I got caught, so I'm really cool, right guys?"

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
  12. Re:Let me guess... by teeker · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah but did you have an Amiga 1000 in a suitcase that you could use from in a car while dialing out via alligator clips to a neighborhood SAC point?

    10 geek cool points to anybody who remembers QSD's Telenet NUI...now those were the days...

    (Cause I never heard of any of those kinds of things).

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    teeker
  13. Re:Let me guess... by WoodenRobot · · Score: 4, Funny
    I remember one thing that FAST tried to discourage piracy that really deserves 10 out of 10 for ingenuity. They claimed that pirate software wouldn't run properly on your Amiga, and would cause it to malfunction slightly. This would cause odd power surges through the Amiga's huge power supply (the Brick), and this would produce big electromagnetic fields that would GIVE YOU CANCER.

    I can't wait for the **AA to try that one.

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    ---
    "I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing and it was everything that I thought it could be."