TVShack Creator's US Extradition Approved

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TVShack Creator's US Extradition Approved

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday March 13, 2012 @08:27AM from the send-them-a-link-to-his-picture dept.

chrb writes "British student Richard O'Dwyer, creator of the TVShack website, has had his extradition to the United States approved by Conservative Home Secretary Theresa May. Mr. O'Dwyer now has 14 days to appeal the decision. The extradition was requested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has accused O'Dwyer of aiding copyright infringement by publishing links to pirated content hosted on external sites."

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Sigh... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-13 08:31 · Score: 5, Insightful

I'm more afraid of the US government than I am of any terrorists.
1. Re:Sigh... by DaMattster · 2012-03-13 08:41 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  These days there appears to be very little difference between the US Government and The Terrorists. The US Government just puts everyone in fear of even the remotest possibility of copyright infringement. I remember when that wasn't criminal but a civil offense. America cannot really call itself "The Land of the Free" anymore.
2. Re:Sigh... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-13 08:57 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  "Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has accused O'Dwyer of aiding copyright infringement by publishing links to pirated content hosted on external sites."
  Kind of like me pointing to a naked woman in the street and saying "look". She gets arrested for indecent exposure and I get arrested for pointing to it.
3. Re:Sigh... by Opportunist · 2012-03-13 09:27 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  The more you outlaw, the less meaning your laws have. More laws never created more justice. Just more criminals.
  And if there's no way to avoid being a criminal... well, why bother trying?
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
4. Re:Sigh... by Robadob · 2012-03-13 09:52 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I better metaphor would probably be, holding a sign pointing to a shop that was left unlocked at night. Those who took notice of the sign and stole from the shop would be committing the offence, however you would probably be seen as inciting theft.
USA! USA! by ColdWetDog · 2012-03-13 08:34 · Score: 4, Insightful

Way to go big boys! Extradite a harmless college kid who might be doing something moderately illegal but who's transgressions don't amount for a hill of beans, all things considered.
Leave those nice bankers and upstanding Wall Street financiers to ruin the economy with nothing more than an indignant letter and a small fine.
Yep, leaders of the free world we are.

--
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Uh huh.. right. by Sri+Ramkrishna · 2012-03-13 08:34 · Score: 4, Insightful

What's wrong with the U.K laws on copyright infringement that a U.K. citizen needs to be shipped to a foreign country to face this kind of stuff? I don't remember any U.S. citizens getting shipped to some other country for this?
1. Re:Uh huh.. right. by Oswald+McWeany · 2012-03-13 08:43 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  It does seem odd I agree.
  The UK a year or so back signed a bizarre extradition treaty with the US a year or two back that allowed exactly this kind of thing.
  US really does want to police the world... and tax the world too- and the two things (tax, extradition) and probably linked. US expects citizens to pay taxes to the US government... even if they don't live there. If you live in Denmark, for example, but are a US citizen- the US expects you to pay income taxes to them as well as Denmark. (they have treaties with many countries which mean lower-paid paid people don't get double-taxed- it's mainly the rich they're trying to get).
  And... get this... if you renounce your citizenship- you can still be extradited for tax evasion because they can change you with renouncing your citizenship to avoid paying taxes.
  The next step of course is the US will start granting citizenship to random rich foreigners (who didn't ask for it) to get income tax from them.
  
  --
  "That's the way to do it" - Punch
2. Re:Uh huh.. right. by Grishnakh · 2012-03-13 10:48 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I for one hope that the US will fragment into separate countries. That's what happened to the Soviet Union, and it resulted in a better standard of living for most people under that regime; just ask the Czechs and Poles.
  "Lots of little countries", however, probably isn't desirable; there's advantages and disadvantages to being small or large. Smaller countries seem to have less political corruption on average and can have higher standards of living (Sweden, Switzerland; both have 10 million people). But larger countries usually enjoy economies of scale and trade relations that give them stronger economies (Germany, France). So there's a healthy median there somewhere; most US states are very small compared to healthy European countries, so I think it'd be better if the states grouped together into ~10 regional countries, each with a population in the 5-20 million range. Of course, there's exceptions; Hawaii, for instance, would probably be just fine all by itself, plus it doesn't have any neighbors anyway. Alaska I'm really not sure about; it's giant geographically, but has very few people (~500k IIRC). But in the continental US, there's lots of regions where states within those regions are very similar and would get along just fine together, even though they can't get along well with states in other geographic areas. For instance, people in the "heartland states", california, and florida would all be better off in separate countries rather than trying to get them to all agree on everything. But the New England states could probably be just fine in a single country together, as would the Southern states (MS, AL, GA, SC, maybe northern FL).
And again I ask: by cpu6502 · 2012-03-13 08:37 · Score: 5, Insightful

Why isn't the U.S. on the Enemies of the Internet 'under surveillance' list? Russia and Australia and the UK are there, but the U.S. isn't? It makes no logical sense.

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
WTF by Colin+Smith · 2012-03-13 08:39 · Score: 4, Interesting

The problem is the UK government.
Extradited for copyright infringement? Looks like both governments are "pwned". I know, lets make them bigger, that'll solve the problem.

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Deleted
1. Re:WTF by jrumney · 2012-03-13 12:45 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Except he's not being extradited for copyright infringement, but for "aiding copyright infringement". Is that even a crime outside the US?
2. Re:WTF by Jane+Q.+Public · 2012-03-13 14:06 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  "... so I can't throw my vote away on some guy who believes in what I believe because then the "other party" will get in, and they don't agree with some diversive issue!"
  "There are two parties: the Stupid Party and the Evil Party. Once in a while, they get together and do something that is both Stupid and Evil. This is called 'bipartisanism'." -- Thomas E. Woods.
Extradition? by betterunixthanunix · 2012-03-13 08:40 · Score: 4, Insightful

For posting a bunch of links, he is being extradited? Well, I guess that is what happens when politicians accept bribes from the copyright lobby...

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Palm trees and 8
1. Re:Extradition? by synapse7 · 2012-03-13 08:53 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Bribes are illegal, that is why they are campaign contributions.
Extrajudicial law by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-13 08:42 · Score: 5, Insightful

So, what this guy did is not a crime in the UK, but because it is in the US he is being sent to stand trial there. Basically, UK citizens are subject to US law (albeit it can only be selectively applied).
Something to worry about for everyone in a country that has an extradition treaty with US.
1. Re:Extrajudicial law by cpu6502 · 2012-03-13 08:55 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  So basically it's like the 1760s (Americans were taxed and arrested by laws of a UK parliament they never elected), except now it's operating in reverse.
  
  --
  My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Wow, what a crock by dirk · 2012-03-13 08:43 · Score: 4, Interesting

His extradition is definitely a crock. If what he did is not a crime under UK law, then it shouldn't matter if it is under US law. I'm sure many things I do are crimes in other countries, but if they asked the US to extradite me they would be laughed at. The internet is an international entity (will more specifically, it is non-national). If someone does something on the internet that is legal in their country, then that is all that matters. If someone from your country accesses it and they shouldn't, deal with the people who fall under your laws.
As for what he actually did, I am torn on it. He obviously did not actively violate copyright since he just linked. But I think he definitely wasn't in the right either, as he was actively making money off of piracy. To take a real world example, if I set up a business that tracked drug dealers and you could pay me 5 dollars to tell you exactly where the drug dealer was that had what you were looking for, I would definitely be prosecuted for aiding and abetting or conspiracy or something. I am not doing anything illegal, as I am not selling drugs, but I am certainly helping the people who are doing something illegal.

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"Information wants to be expensive" - Stewart Brand, the same guy who said "Information wants to be free"
So totally broken ... by gstoddart · 2012-03-13 08:44 · Score: 4, Insightful

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, Mr O'Dwyer said: "I've done nothing wrong under UK law, and, it's pretty ridiculous isn't it?
He didn't break any UK laws. But he can get extradited. That makes no sense. Never mind the fact that he never actually provided any copyrighted information, just links to it.
This is so horribly flawed, it isn't funny. Welcome to a world in which extraterritorial laws can be applied whenever someone wishes -- or, more accurately, when the government in question can exert enough pressure on your own. Which basically is the US.
Can't wait for Americans to be extradited to Iran or somewhere else for violating their laws ... because it would be hypocritical to deny the request now.
After all, if you can ask for the extradition of someone who didn't break any laws in their country, you can't deny to extradite your own people who broke the laws of another country. But, we won't see that.
Someone jumped the shark here, not sure if it was the UK or the US to be honest. I think both have set a horrible precedent.

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Lost at C:>. Found at C.
1. Re:So totally broken ... by Whibla · 2012-03-13 14:50 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Can't wait for Americans to be extradited to Iran or somewhere else for violating their laws ... because it would be hypocritical to deny the request now.
  Compare this case with that of the American soldier, a sergeant I believe, who while serving in Afghanistan decided to go on a shooting spree in a village close to his camp. He broke into several civilian dwellings, and killed 16 people, including many children. The Afghanis are understandably furious, and are demanding that this soldier be handed over to them, to be tried and sentenced in an Afghan court. So far the Americans have refused, and it is likely that they will continue to do so. Now, irrespective of what excuses they might come up with (and I'm struggling to think of any that might be termed reasonable), what does this say about America's attitude to other nations, and their rule of law? Again, compare the extradition to America of a citizen of another country, for doing something which was not illegal in the country in which he did it, to the murder of 16 people in a country by a citizen of the US, and not allowing that country to even try the man.
  Hypocritical doesn't even begin to say it!
His mother put it well. by JustAnotherIdiot · 2012-03-13 09:01 · Score: 4, Insightful

On Tuesday his mother said: "Today, yet another British citizen is being sold down the river by the British Government.
Dear British government: Please grow a pair and tell the US to fuck off.

--
What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
I predict he will be extradited by FeatherBoa · 2012-03-13 09:07 · Score: 5, Insightful

He will be charged with everything they can think of. Made up stuff, real stuff from jaywalking to treason.
He will be facing 300 years possible sentence if convicted of even half of it.
He will be facing a 5 years incarceration just waiting for a trial.
They will offer a plea deal: plead to being a bad boy and you can go home tomorrow, wear a radio on your ankle for a year and that's it.
He will do the deal.
The US will get a conviction, which they will trumpet from the rooftops. They will have a precedent that they covet, and anyone running any similar operation will pretty well have to stop it, lest they meet with a much worse fate.
The American's, no doubt, believe they are doing this fella a favour, since their first instinct was to scoop him up into a black helicopter, or even just nuke him remotely while he rides his bike to school.
Re:USA! USA! by sjames · 2012-03-13 09:30 · Score: 5, Insightful

And all was sorta OK until the regulations were relaxed. NOT a coincidence.