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FBI Helps Shut Down Piracy Sites In Romania

Posted by samzenpus on from the shut-it-down dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The FBI has taken a major role in the shutting down of at least two popular piracy-torrent sites in Romania, according to a report from Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice. The popular torrenting domains serialepenet.ro and fisierulmeu.ro are now offline after a series of raids on individuals and companies, including a hosting company in Bucharest thought to have some involvement with the pirate operation.

3 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Deinitely should read the first article by Crashmarik · · Score: 5, Insightful

    FBI programs in Romania have spent more than $4.6mn [PDF] (£2.9mn) in interdepartmental programs and initiatives with Romania-based authorities since 2007, which costs include the placement of an agent within the country’s Organised Crime Directorate – an organization within the Romanian police force – and additional personnel at the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) centre, an investment amounting to $3.4mn (£2.1mn).

    Looks like 8 million in tax dollars or additional debt spent on this program. I wonder if they have any numbers on the return on investment defending hollywood's interests overseas.

    1. Re:Deinitely should read the first article by KGIII · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I can say, with some certainty, that shutting these sites down has accomplished nothing. The files are still there and three clicks later you have now set a new torrent up at TPB or another torrent site. I do not mind paying taxes (I do avoid them, as is my obligation - I donate to causes I prefer instead) but I do mind when my taxes are misspent.

      Taxes are not like a gift. If you gift something they can give it away or do anything they want with it - you gave it to them and it is now their property. Taxes are paying for services, services that will benefit the taxed and citizens at large. This has done absolutely nothing to assist, promote, or further the American taxpayer. There is no excuse, there is no acceptable level, this is just wrong.

      I hate to play this card but, really, how many people would that money have fed, housed, treated medically, educated, or heated in the cold of night? How far could NASA have gone with this? CERN? DARPA? Securing our boarders? Gift and install free solar panels? I do not care... At least the money would have, ostensibly, been kept here, where it belongs, where it benefits the taxpayer.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  2. So wait... by silentcoder · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Since when does the FBI have jurisdiction over citizens of Romania ?

    --
    Unicode killed the ASCII-art *