Microsoft, Google, Apple Could Be Requested To Actively Block Pirated Downloads, Says Report (torrentfreak.com)

Popular operating systems by Microsoft, Apple, and Google could possibly soon nuke torrents downloaded (PDF, non-English language) from The Pirate Bay and other websites that offer copyright infringing content, warns a report published by Black Market Watch and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. The report adds that the aforementioned companies are in an ideal position to deter piracy, and could be requested by the authority to put a system in place to block pirated content on the operating system level. Via a TorrentFreak report: "Other players that possess the potential ability to limit piracy are the companies that own the major operating systems which control computers and mobile devices such as Apple, Google and Microsoft," one of the main conclusions reads. "The producers of operating systems should be encouraged, or regulated, for example, to block downloads of copyright infringing material," the report adds. The report references last year's Windows 10 controversy, noting that these concerns were great enough for some torrent sites to block users with the new operating system. While Sweden doesn't have enough influence to make an impact on these global software manufacturers, applying pressure through the international community and trade groups may have some effect.

Comments

Required Reading

[Anonymous Coward]

The Right to Read

Re:2016: The Year of Linux on the Desktop

[Dutch Gun]

Besides that, where would this even stop? People use computers for all sorts of things. Should your OS snoop on you to make sure you're not cheating on your taxes? Should it check to make sure you're not browsing just a bit too much at pro-Jihadist websites, or looking up how to make a pipebomb? How about if you're trying to figure out how to hire a hitman?

To be honest, though... this smells a lot like some trumped-up nonsense. We hear about shit like this all the time, and it never happens. Exactly how many stories about nefarious DRM-in-our-OS schemes does one have to hear about before getting completely jaded? A report from *TorrentFreak*? Um... yeah. Thanks, Slashdot, for once again giving completely unsubstantiated rumor-mongering some credibility. This was just a combination of a speculative piece based on a few words in a EULA, and a wishful-thinking report from a content-production organization telling about how they wish tech companies would solve all their problems, and also that they'd like a magical unicorn please.