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Underground Piracy Sites Want To Block Windows 10 Users

Posted by timothy on from the so-cool-to-be-underground-like-Windows-7 dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Some smaller pirate sites have become concerned about Windows 10 system phoning home too many hints regarding that the users are accessing their site. Therefore, the pirate administrators have started blocking Windows 10 users from accessing the BitTorrent trackers that the sites host. The first ones to hit the alarm button were iTS, which have posted a statement and started redirecting Windows 10 users to a YouTube video called Windows 10 is a Tool to Spy on Everything You Do. Additionally, according to TorrentFreak, two other similar dark web torrent trackers are also considering following suit. "As we all know, Microsoft recently released Windows 10. You as a member should know, that we as a site are thinking about banning the OS from FSC," said one of the FSC staff. Likewise, in a message to their users, a BB admin said something similar: "We have also found [Windows 10] will be gathering information on users' P2P use to be shared with anti piracy group."

40 of 394 comments (clear)

  1. Context by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not in the summary:

    "The anti-piracy group the pirate site admins are referring to is MarkMonitor, a US company that specializes in online corporate identity protection, one that is known to have work with the MPAA in protecting its copyrighted materials, but one that has also worked with Microsoft in the past, to protect Windows users from online identity theft and scam campaigns."

  2. I knew it. by stongef · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When Microsoft offered Windows 10, I first thought it was an interesting move. Then I remembered who we are talking about here. Of course they will have back-door deals with the media industry. And of course once everyone who had a pirated version of the OS upgrades to the legit free version, they'll slowly move to a subscription model. The future of every business venture nowadays is recurring revenues. Water is wet, rocks are hard and Microsoft is Microsoft. The universe balances. And I'm staying with Xubuntu and VMWare ...

    1. Re:I knew it. by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2

      And of course once everyone who had a pirated version of the OS upgrades to the legit free version,

      This is false. A pirated may (not will get upgraded to Win 10, but it will remain pirated. This does not change the legit status. http://www.computerworld.com/a...

    2. Re: I knew it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      When Windows 8 came out, I said to myself: "I'll skip it, Widows 7 is running fine for me".

      When Windows 8.1 came out, I said to myself: "I'm glad I stayed on Windows 7, those MS jackoffs pulled another Windows ME".

      When Wine Windows 10 came out, I said to myself: "I'll skip it, Windows 7 is running fine for me"...

      Windows 7 EOS 2020.

    3. Re: I knew it. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

      When Wine Windows 10 came out

      I've heard of Beer Goggles, but never Wine Windows. I'm willing to learn.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    4. Re: I knew it. by FranTaylor · · Score: 4, Funny

      Wine is not an emulator.

      beer is not a simulation

    5. Re:I knew it. by spiffyspiff · · Score: 2

      "My suggestion to people would be to install a Hypervisor if you haven't already. Have your host OS be something other than Windows".

      this gets my vote.

      I run a Linux host (Mageia) for almost all my day-to-day work, and I use VirtualBox to run a Windows7 guest when I use something that's Windows-specific, namely Adobe InDesign/CS, where I can't find a Linux alternative I feel I can use in a production environment. All my other work is done safely within Linux.

      So, yes, it's a compromise, but running InDesign on a Windows7 guest is a good, safe alternative that works well for me - I'd recommend it.

      And when Windows7 goes EOS in 2020, I suspect I will probably just kill the networking to the Windows7 guest and carry on using it.

       

  3. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    > We WILL rise up and make Windows as worthless as fly shit

    And Mom? Bring more Doritos the next time you come down to the basement to get my laundry!

    (nom-nom-nom-nom)

  4. Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Windows 10 is malware in its default seutup. This phone home shit should be blacked so they suffer for being so anti-user.

  5. These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    These companies keep giving us reasons to pirate. Like DRM, embedded spyware, crippled features, forced internet connection to even use it, and so on. And they expect us to pay money for their crap when a free version without these limitations exists? How stupid do they think we are?

    Fuck Microsoft, fuck Windows 10. Pirate it and spread the torrent to all your friends. Let's bring down the evil empire!

    1. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by ilsaloving · · Score: 5, Informative

      You may wanna check your list of updates. Microsoft has already added a bunch of telemetry tools in the guise of "important updates".

    2. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by FranTaylor · · Score: 3

      No, you pirate because you want something for nothing. That's the start, and the end of it. If it really were about the DRM you'd buy the software, then pirate a DRM free version. You don't do that, because you're a hypocritical bottom feeder.

      I bought the damned album years ago and now it's scratched. I want a clean copy.

    3. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by Ivoch · · Score: 2

      To be honest, I can also understand the opposing viewpoint - that by buying DRM-ed software (even if you pirate it afterwards to remove the DRM features) you basically tell the publisher that you are fine with their DRM. Eventually pirating your legally bought software might not be a viable option anymore (due to various online-only features, for example), most/all of the software companies will have switched to DRM, since it works - see above, and THEN you'd have no recourse but to use DRM-ed software.

      That being said, once you've decided not to support the publisher because of their DRM, you might say that pirating it doesn't harm them, since you wouldn't have paid for it anyway. Personally, I think it really doesn't harm them and what's more, on average it actually helps them a bit - by using even just a pirated version, you are still helping them expand their user base, which helps them also get more paying customers. As a really simple and probably exaggerated example, let's say Company X sells 10.000 copies of their software, while 100.000 more people just go and pirate it. 10% of all users then go and post on an online forum about that software. That means 100 paying customers and 10.000 pirates. Now Joe Average hears from someone (maybe even a pirate) about the software and goes to Google to see what it's about. He finds a forum with 100 legitimate users and thinks - "meh, nobody ever uses that thing - if I ever need help or suggestions, probably nobody will be around to help me, so I'll buy the software from Company Y instead". If he finds a forum with 10.100 users instead, he might think - "hmm, that seems like a big and active community, looks like that's the right software for me".

      So, if you are 100% sure you won't pay for some software and want to demonstrate to the company that they are wrong, you shouldn't even pirate it, because by doing that you are still helping their bottom line at worst, or aren't making any change at best (because they can't know you've pirated it instead of simply not using it).

    4. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Like it or not, you pretty much have to use some version of windows. Whether it's at work or because of some windows-only software, there's really no way to avoid windows.

      please tell us all what indispensible apps run on windows that have no equivalents on any other operating system

      Management.

    5. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Svchost.exe

    6. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Pretty much anything custom developed. Plus a ton of security related analysis software that makes little sense to run on Linux when you try to find problems in Windows software.

      Also it's hard to get a hold of really good DTP software. "Oh but there is $x". Yes. There is. And now please pay the month my DTP specialist needs to get used to the completely different way things are done in this software package.

      Same for PCB layouting. Is there even a Linux version of Altium?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by spire3661 · · Score: 2

      IF you are going to do that, get a diskless Synology NAS for $99 and put in a disk. It comes with a kickass torrent client that shuts off seeds as soon as the DL finishes. It will only cost a little bit more than getting a pi up and running and is much more suited to the task.

      --
      Good-bye
    8. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by mark-t · · Score: 2

      please tell us all what indispensible apps run on windows that have no equivalents on any other operating system

      I somehow suspect you asking just so you can be dismissive of responses, but on the off chance you are not, the biggest ones for me are Genetica, Campaign Cartographer, and the Unity 3d editor. (The last one runs on macs, but that's not helpful when other software still requires a Windows PC). To be fair, the first two perform acceptably in VirtualBox on Linux, but Unity 3d will not.

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    9. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Wycliffe · · Score: 2

      Now if he were installing Linux and copying Windows binaries onto a system that never had a legitimate Windows license, you may have a point (I would suspect the Windows license is tied to the original hardware).

      I don't believe the older systems were tied to the hardware. It was just a single license for a single machine. There was no problem with deleting it from one system and installing it on a new machine. I have several legal copies of XP and win98se with keys that I keep around. As far as I know, as they are not physically installed anywhere that I still own the license and would be legally allowed to use it in vmware, wine, etc.. as long as I only use the single copy on a single machine.

    10. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by Langalf · · Score: 4, Informative

      In certain industries, you use what the vendors are willing to provide, or you don't stay in business. If the vendor only supports Windows, you use Windows. Period.

      As an example, the plant where I work relies heavily on Allen-Bradley Rockwell Software for automation and control. There is no viable alternative on a non-Windows platform, from either a practical or a regulatory perspective. Rockwell Software barely supports 64-bit Windows. They are not likely to make any effort to run on Linux, and sure as heck won't license there software for use under Wine.

    11. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      The only modern EDA software packages for Linux are the very basic Kicad and Eagle, neither of which can be remotely compared to the likes of Altium.

      But why go so complicated? Why go so special purpose?

      What's the alternative to Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or the rest of the creative suite applications? Instant loss of all points for anyone who compares GIMP to photoshop as if they are remotely similar. From a creativity point of view Linux colour management is even worse than Windows and that speaks volumes. And lets not even get into the sorry state that is video editing or even playback under Linux. The suggestions for playing Blurays under Linux is to use a VM, buy a bluray player and a TV, or if you're desperate for a Linux based solution join makemkv with some decoding software and live stream it into VLC which is about as user friendly as bathing a psychotic cat.

      This is basic bloody functionality.

    12. Re:These companies keep giving us reasons by cyberjock1980 · · Score: 2

      Care to elaborate on which ones, a link to this info, etc? I've never heard of this and interested in reading more... yet Google searching is turning up very vague information on this topic...

    13. Re: These companies keep giving us reasons by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      No one cares what the problem is. The only thing they care about is if it's not working.

      Making excuses like the ones you make is the reason Linux has such low acceptance on the desktop. People care about a seamless experience, anything that ruins that experience, regardless of who's at fault is a black mark against the name of the software.

  6. Firewalls? by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I predict a strong market for a nice little generic Microsoft-filtering hardware firewall devices. Maybe even an intelligent one that will allow incoming updates and scrub or anonymize outgoing requests.

    Kickstarter, anyone?

    --
    -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    1. Re:Firewalls? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      The telemetry in Windows 10 bypasses the hosts file. You'd need an external firewall. The problem with that is that Windows (reportedly) throws a fit and stops working if you block off certain addresses.

  7. Re:Nothing is free by martin-boundary · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Uhm, no. Plenty of things in life are free. The reason MS is being despicable here is that they are choosing to offer free windows in exchange for installing spyware. It was wrong when people bundled spyware with freeware software installers, and it is wrong when people bundle spyware with an OS.

    Just switch to Debian or another Free OS that doesn't spy on you. It may be a little less convenient, but the inconvenience pays off in a bit more safety the next time you download something.

  8. What a brilliant way..... by Drakonblayde · · Score: 3, Interesting

    .... to get people to stop pirating Windows. Make it spy on the pirates!

  9. Microsoft will be stopped by aaaaaaargh! · · Score: 4, Interesting

    At least in the EU I see no long future for Windows 10's illegal built-in surveillance tools. The EULA violates local laws in many EU countries and probably also EU law, and it is only a matter of time until some EU commission will put an end to it.

    Or, at least I hope so, because at one point or another I'll be forced to upgrade to this pile of shit. :/

    1. Re:Microsoft will be stopped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The EULA violates local laws in many EU countries and probably also EU law, and it is only a matter of time until some EU commission will put an end to it.

      The situation is much more dramatic than that.

      There is no feasible way that a Windows 10 system can be used on a machine that collects or processes credit-card data (think: PCI DSS security standards), stores medical data (think: HIPAA security requirements), holds confidential legal documents (think: any lawyer's office anywhere), contains NDA-protected or trade-secret documents, or holds documents that contain "insider information" as defined by the SEC.

      Remember that it's Microsoft itself that gets to decide what user information it collects from your Win10 PC, and, most crucially: Microsoft can force a silent system update that changes what user information is collected. This puts business users who run Win10 at significant legal risk, given that they knew (or should have known) that every Win10 machine contains a general-purpose mechanism pre-installed that allows a third-party attacker (Microsoft) to silently collect any information at will.

      Also remember that Microsoft is competing against Google, and one of Google's huge advantages is that it actually stores the documents, which gives Google the opportunity to scan those documents looking for consumer behavior and identity. In Microsoft's zeal to compete, it's easy to imagine them scanning all your documents in order to "improve the user's experience and offer more relevant services".

      This is a massive security hole embedded, by design, within the OS itself. Using a third-party app to close that security hole would not likely be an acceptable solution, because, again, Microsoft controls the OS, can silently update it on the fly, and thus can attack or circumvent any third-party security app of their choosing -- or else -- Microsoft may attack the effectiveness of any third-party security app by secretly funding the makers of that app, or by purchasing it outright.

      It looks like Microsoft is betting so much on the value of collecting user data for marketing purposes, that they're willing to lose a significant chunk of their business users who can't legally risk being the target of all that data mining.

  10. Not just Windows 10 by ilsaloving · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://arstechnica.com/informa...

    The thing is, it's not just Windows 10. If you regularly update your machines, Microsoft has already added additional telemetry tools to Windows 7 and 8.

    http://www.infoworld.com/artic...

    What really sucks for me is that I *like* Windows 10. I run it in a VM on my Mac, and I've noticed an immediate performance improvement, especially with boot ups.

    But from all the media reports, it looks like Windows 10 is turning into a conspiracy theorists bukake dream. And unless there is very little backlash to this, I can see Microsoft easily porting the rest of their privacy invading tools to their previous OSes.

    1. Re:Not just Windows 10 by FranTaylor · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I've noticed an immediate performance improvement, especially with boot ups.

      This is great, I have to boot up my laptop about once a month, what an awesome time saver.

    2. Re:Not just Windows 10 by aNonnyMouseCowered · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "But from all the media reports, it looks like Windows 10 is turning into a conspiracy theorists bukake dream."

      Damn it. Now I had to look up the word in Wiki: "The word bukkake is often used in Japanese to describe pouring out water with sufficient momentum to cause splashing or spilling. Indeed, bukkake is used in Japan to describe a type of dish where hot broth is poured over noodles, as in bukkake udon and bukkake soba."

  11. Re:Just do it by Anonanonaon · · Score: 2

    Sorry to burst your bubble, but...

    Linux can't control https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik... or https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...

    Intel has been setting aside secondary CPU power for invisible applications since forever. Linux ain't keeping your stuff safe except from the lowest level of Big Brother types; the Small-to-Medium Brothers, I suppose.

    Intel also does fabrication in Israel. That's where the Mossad live.

    How tough is it to capture your keyboard strokes through System Management hardware? Not at all. -You gotta type in that encryption key at some point along the chain.

  12. Re: Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users by LVSlushdat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have a sneaking hunch that my small business I have upgrading systems still running XP, mostly older retired folks (like me) to Linux may get a BIG shot in the arm soon, once joe-six-pack finds out just how pervasive the spying is on Microsoft's new OS.. Expert opinion is that not only keylogging, but streaming both any microphone or webcam data goes out to Microsoft servers.. I guess they figure its all good because they couch it in oh-so-mealy terms in their massive EULA, but once Joe-six-pack catches on and has this blatant spying thrown in his face, I predict you're gonna see a MASSIVE increase in Linux's adoption rate... Just sayin..

    --
    THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
  13. Re:Dear MS. You Really Don't Want To Spy On Users. by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry, no. If FB et al proved one thing, then that people don't give half a shit about their privacy as long as you give them the noose for their neck for free.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  14. VMs? by FrozenGeek · · Score: 2

    Question: Does Windows 10 spy on what you do using a VM? If not, run your preferred *NIX variant in a VM under Windows 10 and do whatever you like.

    If it does spy on your activities within a VM, consider flipping things around: *NIX running a VM that contains Windows 10.

    I do understand that there is value to MS in sending data home and, yes, there is some value to us in having data sent home to MS. That said, if it is out of my control, the cost is far greater than any value I receive, so it ain't gonna happen. I was intending to upgrade one of my computers to Windows 10 Enterprise, but until I can confirm that no data get phoned home outside my control, not a chance. And in case Satya is listening, yes, I've managed to discourage my employer from upgrading to Windows 10 (given that security is a major consideration for us, data being phoned home outside of our control is a non-starter).

    --
    linquendum tondere
    1. Re:VMs? by yuhong · · Score: 3, Informative

      Win10 enterprise has the no telemetry option for a reason.

  15. Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by emil · · Score: 5, Informative

    It appears these updates are usage trackers:

    KB 2952664
    KB 3022345

    This is the core Windows 10 update nagware:

    KB 3035583

    These updates should be permanently removed and ignored on well-run systems.

    What other updates should be removed and banned from Windows 7/8 in the interest of privacy?

    1. Re:Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by Jiro · · Score: 5, Informative

      3021917 (update for Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program
      3068708 (update for CEIP and telemetry)
      3080149 (update for CEIP and telemetry)
      3075249 (telemetry)
      2990214 (Windows 10 upgrade) (I suppose this isn't technically privacy. And Microsoft claims you actually need it; your choice whether to believe them. Also, 3044374 for Windows 8.1.

    2. Re:Remove KB 2952664 and what else? by emil · · Score: 2
      Where should we put this?

      What would happen if we put this on the main wiki for Windows 7?

      KB 2952664 (telemetry)
      KB 2990114 (telemetry)
      KB 3021917 (Customer Experience Improvement Program)
      KB 3022345 (telemetry)
      KB 3035583 (nagware for Windows 10)
      KB 3068708 (telemetry)
      KB 3075249 (telemetry)
      KB 3080149 (CEIP and telemetry)