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How Apple and Facebook Helped To Take Down KickassTorrents (pcworld.com)
Reader itwbennett writes (edited): Artem Vaulin, the alleged owner of the torrent directory service KickassTorrents, was arrested in Poland earlier this week, charged with copyright infringement and money laundering. As we dig deeper as to what exactly happened, it turns out Apple and Facebook were among the companies that handed over data to the U.S. in its investigation. Department of Homeland Security investigators traced IP addresses associated with KickassTorrents domains to a Canadian ISP, which turned over server data, including emails. At some point, investigators noticed that Vaulin had an Apple email account that was used to make iTunes purchases from two IP addresses -- both of which also accessed a Facebook account promoting KickassTorrents.if you're wondering where exactly iTunes came into play, here's a further explanation. It all started in November 2015, when an undercover IRS Special Agent reached out to a KickassTorrents representative about hosting an advertisement on the site. An agreement was made and the ad, which purportedly advertised a program to study in the United States, was to be placed on individual torrent listings for $300 per day. When it finally went live on March 14th 2016, a link appeared underneath the torrent download buttons for five days. Sure it was a short campaign, but it was enough to link KAT to a Latvian bank account, one that received $31 million in deposits -- mainly from advertising payments -- between August 2015 and March 2016. Upon further investigation of the email accounts, and corresponding reverse lookups, it was found that the account holder had made a purchase on iTunes.
Vaulin is a retard. That is all. There were so many ways to make this impossible to happen, it defies belief that he would be this dumb.
The article doesn't seem to say it, but it looks like Apple and Facebook probably just replied to standard (presumably well-formed) requests from law enforcement to hand over information about a suspect in a criminal copyright case.
Regardless of how you feel about criminal copyright as a thing (and if this bloke was making $31m in your months it's hard to think of him as a brave fighter for copyright reform :), if this is what happened then at least I feel ok about it. He wasn't caught in a massive dragnet that invaded the piracy of millions; it was a targeted search done lawfully with due process.
There might be more info in the full complaint but it's a bit much reading for me so I'll make do with this somewhat inflammatory headline and my uninformed opinion!
If the servers operated outside the US, and the owner lived outside the US, how does the USA think they have jurisdiction to charge him? Are all American companies subject to laws in every other country as their websites are accessible to users in those countries?
If you look through the criminal complaint it's clear that they knew it was this Vaulin guy very early on. He registered the damn site in his own name in 2009! Facebook and Apple just provided proof to link him currently to the site. He got away with it for so long likely because nobody until now really cared.
It'd be interesting to note how much this investigation cost, and why it was initiated. It's not as if KAT is exactly new. Doesn't Homeland Security have anything better to do?
The guy running the torrent site is buying stuff on iTunes?
I went so far as to look into the IRS Criminal Investigation manual, and I will admit it was a challenge to take it all in. But I found it quite curious that the IRS were the ones who initiated this investigation. (see page 21 of https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/file/877591/download ) Not much more is said about it, but I have to question why was the IRS investigating a torrent site? Is it because someone running it may have been in the US, and may have been profiting from it? That is the only thing I can think of, but that leads to all kinds of other questions.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
But apple will not help the FBI unlock phones
American companies are sued all the time in other countries. For example, Brizillian authorities arrested Google's top executive in Brazil after officials said he violated the South American country's election law when he didn't take down online videos that allegedly slandered a political candidate.
So, it's not just the United States, and indeed it happens quite often all over the world.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Why is Department of Homeland Security involved in this? This has absolutely fuck all to do with homeland security.
Don't think we have a Global Government? Think Again!! You can run a site that's perfectly legal in the jurisdiction in which you operate it, make money off it which is perfectly legal in the jurisdiction in which it operates, not even be a US Citizen, or even a citizen of the country you reside in, but the friendly US Government will still come kick your door down and cart you off to the inner empire to a kangaroo court where you'll be railroaded into pleading guilty to charges you have no chance of fighting against.
I mean if the United States INTERNAL Revenue Service can investigate a Ukranian citizen living in Poland for "conspiracy" to launder money, does any nation on this planet, save Iran or North Korea, really have any sovereignty from the United States?
Apple and Facebook were served with warrants that required them to turn over the information. They did not. This isn't 'help', its just following the law.
Peace, or Not?
That was my 2nd thought. Really, the guy that runs KAT has an iTunes account and thought that was a good idea? He had to know that Apple would be one of the main groups gunning for him. Kinda ballsy, or stupid.
My first thought was what "Canadian ISP" gave up his personal information? We are supposed to have strong privacy laws in Canada, what exactly happened here? A Canadian ISP would be legally obligated if given a Canadian Warrant, not an American one. The US (RIAA/MPAA) has in the past repeatedly tried to use exactly that method along with a bunch of "John Doe" IP addresses, and it was my understanding that the ISP's told them to take a hike.
This sounds like a potential violation of privacy law in Canada. Devil is in the details likely in that a request would have to go to Canadian law enforcement, to obtain and serve a warrant, and if they were given enough justification and evidence to do so legally (or did the ISP just give up the information voluntarily).
The dumbass had a server located in the USA. Read the fucking article.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
> how does the USA think they have jurisdiction to charge him?
Most of the pirated material was made in Hollywood, California, USA, by american-israeli companies. QED
In fact movie pirates are active anti-semite, because they steal from the jewish people who run Hollywood and provide the goyim masses with entertainment. It is a matter of fact that most goyim are dull and do not have the creative talent required to run a successful entertainment empire. That is a domain of the jewry, the God's chosen nation and if you pirate Hollywood produce than you are an active anti-semite. The anti-semite must be supressed by all means, so that the Shoah can never happen again!
Facebook and Apple are notorious enemies of Free Culture, and they acted accordingly. This is not surprising.
I have read the complaint and the seem to be charging him with not getting permission to link to a file and for putting ads on his site, neither of which is, as far as I know, a crime in any jurisdiction. Which might explain why he didn't try to "hide his tracks" -- why should he? Oh yes, they do say he "stole" over a billion dollars, but that's like saying High TImes sold billions of dollars worth of pot. They don't claim he actually receieved any of this mythical billion, which makes "stole" hard to understand.
This isn't a troll: I actually don't see a crime being committed.
Apple only cares about your privacy if you are a terrorist. Otherwise, they will hand over all of your details to get you extradited and put in prison because your service may make apple lose money.
They used to remove content when receiving DMCA letters from supposed copyright holders, just like google.
It seems (to me) that the reason why he was not hiding much is that he was complying with DMCA.
This means that:
1. the Department of Homeland Security is part of the copyright police, as is the IRS (these are new for me - used to think it was just the FBI);
2. complying with the DMCA won't save you from trouble;
3. they will make up charges to get you extradited and harsher punishment (money laundering???)
See kids, if you pay for music, you'll end up going to jail.