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Pirate Banned From Using Linux

Posted by samzenpus on from the take-that dept.

dsinc writes "A guy who uploaded the latest Star Wars movie got arrested, pleaded guilty to 'conspiracy to commit copyright infringement' and 'criminal copyright infringement' and got jail and home confinement. As part of his home confinement, he agreed to install some tracking software on his computer. The problem is He's an Ubuntu Linux user and the gov't doesn't have any tracking software for Linux. So he's been told that he must use Windows for the term of his confinement. Looks like a case of cruel and unusual punishment to me"

3 of 698 comments (clear)

  1. Re:So? Can't he use a Windows box to route? by ajs · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One presumes that he has been required to surrender his hardware (all of it) to the authorities for the installation of the tracking software which phones home to indicate what he's doing (at whatever level of granularity it tracks such things).

    He could probably get away with VMWare or the like running Linux under Windows, but that would just run the risk of landing him in jail.

    His best bet is Cygwin, the suite of open source tools for Windows that includes everything you need to essentially subvert a Windows desktop and make it think it's a Unix-like OS. It's not 100% perfect, but it's a far cry better than pure Windows. I regularly use a Windows laptop with X running under it, ssh to my office with X-forwarding and several gnome-terminals running on my work desktop.

    Other than that, the only native Windows apps I use are Firefox and Thunderbird, so it's often hard to tell what OS it actually is.

  2. Linux is my life man by kentrel · · Score: 4, Interesting
    "It isn't the fact that I have to be monitored that bothers me, it is the fact that I have [to] restructure my life (different OS, different software on that OS)"

    In jail for 5 months and he thinks changing Operating System needs more of a life restructuring.

    Perhaps, this sentence will give him the perfect opportunity to finally find a life outside of his linux box.

  3. Re:Why... by SCHecklerX · · Score: 4, Interesting

    installing software is the wrong way to go about this anyway. The gvt. should have an appliance that they stick between his router and the ISP connection. Have that box run whatever it is they want for monitoring and reporting. It'd be easy to make sure it isn't tampered with, and is always running that way too.

    Hmm...I wonder how lucrative starting such a business to provide these things to authorities would be, seems like a fun project.