Singapore ISPs Block 53 Pirate Sites Following MPAA Legal Action (torrentfreak.com)

53 piracy websites, including The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents, have been blocked in Singapore following the most sweeping action taken by copyright holders in the country in more than a decade. From a report: A new wave of blocks announced this week are the country's most significant so far, with dozens of 'pirate' sites targeted following a successful application by the MPAA earlier this year. [...] "In Singapore, these sites are responsible for a major portion of copyright infringement of films and television shows," an MPAA spokesman told The Straits Times. "This action by rights ïowners is necessary to protectï the creative industry, enabling creators to create and keep their jobs, protect their works, and ensure the continued provision of high-quality content to audienceïsï."

Comments

List please?

[muphin]

list of blocked domains please, or it didnt happen :p for my ummm... testing

Re:List please?

[cciRRus]

It definitely happened because I had to do something about it.

I'm not sure if it will work, but you could try setting your DNS server to a Singapore one, and then surf to thepiratebay.org. You'll get a basic HTML error page.

Here are DNS servers from the top 3 Singapore ISPs: 203.211.152.66, 202.156.1.68, 165.21.83.88

VPN, anyone ?

[rojash]

nothing that a VPN cant access

So

[Vinegar Joe]

Has Singapore stopped the sale of pirate software at Sim Lim Square? Of well......there's always BCS and Mega Mall in Batam!

Re:So

[cciRRus]

Yes, pirated CDs and DVDs were rampant in Sim Lim Square, back in the 90s. But they had been all wiped out. Now, we can find android boxes pirating TV content.

Minor detail

[Anonymous Coward]

"This action by rich companies is necessary to protect their profits", fixed that for you

Why Protect

[rtb61]

The internet provides such a sheer volume of content, why provide that artificial protection, at taxpayer expense. What purpose does it serve any more, what is the energy and resource wasted by the content creation industry. Should all of it be protected or only some, like text books and documentaries. Why should be protect porn, why should we protect comics, why should we protect drunken drugged up minstrels selling depravity, how does that serve and protect society, what worthwhile service does it provide. Should it be allowed any tax payer dollars at all, show we have to protect it, all it seems to do is attack core normative values, corrupt democracy and parasite upon the society that foolishly feeds it.

If it has no worth to society and that worth should be tested and proven why should society pay to protect it and the decidedly amoral people that produce it. What benefit are their excesses of consumption to human society.

Re:Why Protect

[tlhIngan]

The internet provides such a sheer volume of content, why provide that artificial protection, at taxpayer expense. What purpose does it serve any more, what is the energy and resource wasted by the content creation industry. Should all of it be protected or only some, like text books and documentaries. Why should be protect porn, why should we protect comics, why should we protect drunken drugged up minstrels selling depravity, how does that serve and protect society, what worthwhile service does it provide. Should it be allowed any tax payer dollars at all, show we have to protect it, all it seems to do is attack core normative values, corrupt democracy and parasite upon the society that foolishly feeds it.

Easy. All content in Singapore goes through the censor board. And that's all content - music, movies, books, etc.

So blocking these sites means basically citizens can't get access to the uncensored content. It ends up being a win-win - the government retains their control over content (must be squeaky-clean) and the content industry gets to have a country block pirate sites.

Sim Lim Square and other places? They already generally sell pre-censored content, so it's OK for piracy. But letting people see the full versions of movies? Well that cannot do.

And enforcement will be via the great firewall. No, not the one in China, but Singapore. Everyone seems to believe the Chinese one is a great evil thing, but most of the countries actually have their own versions of the same. It's just the Chinese one gets the most talk, while the others are quietly blocking all the stuff anyways.

And for the most part, the citizens don't care about things like this - the country is very clean, everything runs on time, etc., so the government must be doing things right. It's scary in its efficiency.

Re:It has begun

[iamhassi]

I thought kickasstorrents was already gone, their website does not work anymore, and piratebay alternatives seem like junk ad sites. It's nearly impossible to find a good torrent site anymore even for open source software and videos

How are they blocked?

[houghi]

Is it done on DNS level? If so, just change your DNS server to 1.1.1.1 and you are good.
Why is there no DNS server readily available that only listens to localhost and without the ability to configure anything, includiing domain names. All DNS server software does way too much for most people who want tp avaid using third part DNS.

Re:How are they blocked?

[thegarbz]

I don't think there are any blocking systems in use currently that work on the DNS level.

Re:How are they blocked?

[cciRRus]

Yes. But I prefer to add the blocked hostnames to my local host file, to bypass the web-surfing restrictions implemented by IMDA.

By the way, porn sites like PornHub, can also be unblocked the same way. :)

Re:How are they blocked?

[houghi]

I know that is how it is done in Belgium by court order. As explained here

This is still the case. If I use my providers DNS, I do get a message about the block. If I use 1.1.1.1 or my own DNS server, I do not get it. You can also try out one of the following https://www.lifewire.com/free-...

Re:How are they blocked?

[houghi]

Use one of the following servers and no need to use the hosts file.
https://www.lifewire.com/free-...

Re:How are they blocked?

[thegarbz]

Hmm must be rare. There's petty few cases where ISPs allow these to be bypassed by a DNS. Just a few hundred km north and I'm the proud owner of a VPN here for that very reason. Likewise in the UK, Germany, France, and Australia (to say nothing of China) where I've experienced various blocks that don't succumb to simply changing the DNS... Speaking of who uses their ISP's DNS server anyway. That's madness!

Trivial

[WinstonWolfIT]

I won't name the product because neckbeards annoy me, but I've been alternating between Argentina and Armenia for several months.

Re:It has begun

[WinstonWolfIT]

Um, thepiratebay + dht is quite resiliant through a vpn. On occasion when tpb gets dds, tbp asia still works. The overall infrastructure is remarkably robust. The only clog in the works is if I vpn through a US address, some torrents get poisoned. Good luck poisoning Armenia lads. Or if so, I only have about 180 other endpoints to use. Pro tip: Hong Kong is criminally immune.

Re:It has begun

[stealth_finger]

Singapore is a Muslim country governed by Sharia Law, like no parts of Britain.

FTFY

Re:HILLARY

[stealth_finger]

Jail prison? That's pretty bad.

Why, though?

[wardrich86]

What do they have to lose if they don't block the site? They stop sending any legit videos their way and forces them to pirate everything?

I like going to the arcade. ...

[Miser]

Because the game of whack-a-mole continues!