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London Police Placing Anti-Piracy Warning Ads On Illegal Sites

mrspoonsi (2955715) writes "The City of London police has started placing banner advertisements on websites believed to be offering pirated content illegally. The messages, which will appear instead of paid-for ads, will ask users to close their web browsers. The move comes as part of a continuing effort to stop piracy sites from earning money through advertising. Police said the ads would make it harder for piracy site owners to make their pages look authentic. "When adverts from well known brands appear on illegal websites, they lend them a look of legitimacy and inadvertently fool consumers into thinking the site is authentic," said Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fyfe from the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (Pipcu). "This new initiative is another step forward for the unit in tackling IP crime and disrupting criminal profits. "Copyright infringing websites are making huge sums of money though advert placement, therefore disrupting advertising on these sites is crucial and this is why it is an integral part of Operation Creative.""

41 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. uno by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think piratebay is very authentic, irrelevantly of what is thought of its legality.

    1. Re: uno by AvitarX · · Score: 2

      Of course it's ads almost certainly aren't.

      What real brands are they claiming are advertised on pirate sites?

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    2. Re: uno by bickerdyke · · Score: 4, Insightful

      youporn, pornhub and redtube?

      Real and respected brands in their field of business.

      In related news: Who is surfing to such sites without AdBlocker and NoScript shields up?

      --
      bickerdyke
    3. Re: uno by __aaeihw9960 · · Score: 2
      (Generally older) People who Google items like, "Where can I watch Dear John" and "New Will and Grace"

      I am woefully out of touch with culture, but you get the idea.

  2. Hilarious by Sockatume · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Piracy sites have found a way to get the Police to pay them money. Whatever war on copyright infringement there might have been, I think it's safe to say that it is over.

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
    1. Re:Hilarious by JasterBobaMereel · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ...and the users using AdBlock will see what exactly ...?

      --
      Puteulanus fenestra mortis
    2. Re:Hilarious by feldhaus · · Score: 5, Informative

      From TFA:

      "The initiative will make use of technology provided by Project Sunblock - a firm used by major brands to stop adverts appearing alongside questionable content such as pirated material or pornography."

      "Neither the police or Project Sunblock [are paying the website in question to display the police message." --

    3. Re:Hilarious by Arker · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Which makes it sound like some sort of attack on the ad network.

      Without more details it's hard to say, but it sounds like the ad network should file a complaint with the UK and get these overenthusiastic corporate cops charged.

      There's a battle to love - ad networks versus the 'city of london.' May they fight forever and leave the rest of us in peace.

      --
      =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
      Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
    4. Re:Hilarious by buchner.johannes · · Score: 2

      So it's a MITM attack essentially ... similar to this one ... and works on all pirates visiting websites when users are not using SSL?

      --
      NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
    5. Re:Hilarious by shitzu · · Score: 2

      Exactly what i though reading "has started placing banner advertisements on websites" ... "which will appear instead of paid-for ads". Does that mean the City of London police - whatever that is - has taken upon themselves above the law and are essentially cybercriminals? So they con the sites as well as someone who has actually paid for the ad space?

    6. Re:Hilarious by SuricouRaven · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, they are doing it with the cooperation of the ad-providers.

      It's more the 'put these ads up for us or we'll charge you for aiding criminal activity' type of cooperation.

    7. Re:Hilarious by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Property Rights? Trespass to Chattels? No abuse of state powers for private gain? How easily the mask slips when a few cold pounds are involved.

      But the people I feel really sorry for are the victims of crime in London, whose cases go unsolved due to precious police resources being wasted on internet nonsense like this.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    8. Re:Hilarious by mrchaotica · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So what they're doing is infringing the copyright of the allegedly-copyright-infringing website by modifying and redistributing it.

      The hypocrisy is think with this one!

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    9. Re:Hilarious by sumdumass · · Score: 2

      So whi gets sued when they place one of these on a site that is completely legitimate? I hear that in Europe, slander and libel cases can be won even if the information is true but the intent was to harm a reputation. Clearly this would be that.

  3. pre-crime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Apparently the rule "innocent until proven guilty" does not apply to "websites", as evidenced by the city of london police.

    This police bunch, it is worth noting, is the police force of the "square mile", which is pretty much run by private corporations, making this essentially a private police force in government-backed livery. It is not strange that it would be acting "proactive" and "innovative" and whatnot in furtherance of private corporate goals.

    1. Re:pre-crime by Dogtanian · · Score: 4, Informative

      This police bunch, it is worth noting, is the police force of the "square mile"

      Indeed. To clarify, this is specifically the police force of the small area confusingly titled the "City of London" (AKA the "square mile"), i.e. the historic, tiny core of London, long-dominated by financial businesses, and not the police force of London as a whole.

      In fact, the rest of London is served by the Metropolitan Police Service. Why would The City need its own special police force? Hmm...

      which is pretty much run by private corporations, making this essentially a private police force in government-backed livery. It is not strange that it would be acting "proactive" and "innovative" and whatnot in furtherance of private corporate goals.

      This article may also be of interest.

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    2. Re:pre-crime by DickBreath · · Score: 2

      Copyright enforcement and due process seem to be mutually exclusive.

      You could even say copyright enforcement is mutually exclusive with justice and proportionality.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    3. Re:pre-crime by xaxa · · Score: 2

      London ... it sucks the life (jobs, investment, infrastructure) out of the rest of the country, which is only partly compensated for by the large tax revenue it provides

      Not really. Tax revenue from London subsidises the rest of the country. But, it's a load of bankers stealing money -- it would be more accurate to say they suck money out of the whole world. Perhaps the City of London should investigate the numerous tax-avoiding companies headquartered there...

    4. Re:pre-crime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Wow so wrong it hurts.

      Please check the official documents - the City of London Police force is run by the voting wards .... 21 of 25 wards are run by corporate voters .... 4 of 21 wards are run by actual residents. Oh and the 32,000 corporate voters out number the 7,000 residential voters.

      PS In the UK it is the only local council that has a dedicated officer in parliment to remind parliment not to infringe upon the City of London and the only local council since 1969 that still allows for corporations to be considered voters.

  4. Well known brands? by thegarbz · · Score: 2

    I think the take home message here is that in London internet users somehow ended up receiving relevant ads from well known brands.

    I seem to have nothing but crap. Right now I'm staring at an advert for a phone from a brand which is virtually unheard of (though quite prevailent, Huawei), and some company called Brocade who have something to do with bridges from what I can tell?

    Where do I get these mythical well known brands?

  5. what a tremendous use of police resources by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Giving how much tax money all these corporations are paying, with absolutely no dodging of any taxes, it's really great to see the police devote so much time and resources to protecting these companies' revenue streams. Almost all the murderers, rapists, and thieves have been locked up. There's very little to no fraud going on in any industries, especially the financial sector who has a primary hub in London. We should definitely cheer on the police in this latest endeavour of serving and protecting corporate interests.

    1. Re:what a tremendous use of police resources by biodata · · Score: 2

      This is the City of London Police. The City of London is a square-mile independent state within a city. It is outside the control of parliament, owned by the banks, who have most of the voting rights within the organisation of the state, and the City of London Police is its private police force, not to be confused with the Metropolitan Police whose remit is to catch the criminals in the rest of London.

      --
      Korma: Good
  6. Might fine police work there, Lou! by pla · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Police said the ads would make it harder for piracy site owners to make their pages look authentic

    No one confuses Rapidshare for BMG's official site. People go there specifically to download pirated content, full stop. Seeing police ads might scare a few people with the paranoia of thinking "the man" has caught them, but the other 99% of visitors will just thank the police for subsidizing their favorite warez sites.

    Truly pathetic, Boys in Blue (Hmm, do Bobbies wear blue?)


    The move comes as part of a continuing effort to stop piracy sites from earning money through advertising.

    By... Um... Buying banner ads on piracy sites? BRILLIANT!

    1. Re:Might fine police work there, Lou! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Neither the police or Project Sunblock are paying

      Bloody pirates!

    2. Re:Might fine police work there, Lou! by Zocalo · · Score: 3, Informative

      No one confuses Rapidshare for BMG's official site.

      No one should confuse The City of London police for an actual police force as most people imagine them, either. They are a territorial force responsible for a tiny area of Greater London as a whole that measuring a little over square mile and consists of mostly financial institutions and only a few thousand actual residents. Still, owing to their location in The City, they have developed quite a reputation for fraud investigations and also incorporate a division dealing with Intellectual Property, so other than the jurisdictional issues of interfering with websites (or at least the ads displayed on them) that are most likely hosted outside The City they actually do have the means and backing to look into this kind of thing.

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  7. location, jurisdiction by rossdee · · Score: 2

    Are there a lot of pirate websites located in the city of London?

  8. City of London Police =/= British Police by timrod · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One thing I'd like to point out is that the City of London Police are not the same thing as the British Metropolitan Police. This was something that came up in an article a few months ago where the City of London Police were fighting against piracy. They're basically an area within London that has existed for hundreds of years under corporate rule.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

    The City of London police are basically a corporate police force with an authority that does not go beyond the corporate-controlled City of London area.

    1. Re:City of London Police =/= British Police by whoever57 · · Score: 3, Informative

      They are a police force specific to a small area, that doesn't mean they are governed by corporations.

      Apparently you failed to read the section on elections in the City of London:

      The City has a unique electoral system. Most of its voters are representatives of businesses and other bodies that occupy premises in the City.

      So, yes, they are governed by corporations.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    2. Re:City of London Police =/= British Police by Xest · · Score: 2

      That's not true in practice, their authority seems definitely national, possibly even global in practice.

      They've been engaged in raids well outside of the City of London including in my jurisdiction up here in Yorkshire. In fact, I took advantage of the fact we now have police crime commissioners to ask why my local tax payment via council tax to the police was being used to fund the interests of the City of London when the whole point of having police crime commissioners was to give local residents more of a say. I asked that if police forces now all have nationwide jurisdiction and that there's no localism at all on that front if they wouldn't mind returning the favour by sending our police down to the City of London to arrest some corrupt bankers and executives.

      Of course, I never heard back.

  9. Surely Adblock and Noscript will... by EzInKy · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...take care of this nuisance. Who in their right mind allows third party sites to run in their browser anyway?

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  10. Re:City of London Police not eq Met Police by wizzdude · · Score: 2

    Argh! Forgot to check for unicode stripping. Corrected.

    It is worth stressing that: The City of London is not equal to A city called London, capital of the UK. The City of London Police is not equal to Metropolitan Police, the police force for London.

    The City of London is a square mile of land governed by a plutocracy. The actions of their police force does not surprise me.

    --
    Mod me down now and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine
  11. Re:IP Crime? by Minwee · · Score: 2

    It's what you have to do after you drink a whole lot of crime.

  12. Re:IP Crime? by DickBreath · · Score: 4, Funny

    Look, crimes actually CAN be committed using computers.

    Don't believe me? Just ask anyone who has been hit over the head with a computer.

    --

    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  13. There's no such thing as "Illegal" sites by MetalliQaZ · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Websites by themselves aren't "illegal". Using those terms gives undue legitimacy to copyright maximalists. What is meant here by "illegal" is that they host content which may be infringing on copyright.

    --
    "Here Lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit"
  14. Misleading title by JigJag · · Score: 3, Informative

    Hey editors, the City of London Police is NOT the same as the London Police. To get a good understanding of the difference, please view The (secret) City of London, Part 1: History (less than 5 min) and then The (secret) City of London, Part 2: Government (less than 6 min).

    JigJag

    --
    "The hallmark of humanity is the ability to move beyond sensory inputs" - Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
  15. Re:IP Crime? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's the crime of intercepting data involving the Internet Protocol and modifying or blocking data. Because we as a civilized world finally came to realize one of the greatest crimes against humanity was manipulating or censoring what others say or think and the Internet is clearly a global medium that represents humanity's great communication, inter-connectivity breakthrough.

    Sorry, I'm just kidding. This is all about money. And fictitious, government-created property. "Intellectual" property: because it's only marginally important to protect the intellectuals work in academia--plagiarism is the higher crime there--and we care so very much about the barely intellectual multi-billion dollar entertainment industry. Oh and advancing the arts and the sciences. Because fuck knows the study of material sciences, development of new technology, etc aren't inherently spurred by the competition inherent in capitalism. Or that there's such a low barrier to entry that merely knowing this stuff is enough to fundamentally undermine the big players that are responsible for such advances.

    Get back to me when we all have nano printers and as a society actually respect academia or art at more than the most superficial level.

  16. Re:Adblock Plus/FlashBlock by Ignacio · · Score: 2

    They're not trying to convince the 10% that do it knowingly, they're trying to convince the 80% that don't know better.

  17. Re:Adblock Plus/FlashBlock by biodata · · Score: 2

    Citation needed. Is it true that 80% don't know better, 10% do it knowingly? What happened to the other 10%?

    --
    Korma: Good
  18. Re:IP Crime? by gutnor · · Score: 2

    That was an accident ! Can we move on I was young, times were different back then.

  19. Waste of time by Hamsterdan · · Score: 2

    I'm pretty sure this will work as well as the unskippable FBI warning on DVD movies.

    --
    I've got better things to do tonight than die.
  20. why do they even care? by jsepeta · · Score: 3, Insightful

    it's silly for the state to jump in and spend so much time, effort, and money on what is essentially a failure of business to demonstrate to people that their content is worth purchasing. free market rules, y'all

    --
    Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.