Australian Court Orders ISPs To Block 181 'Pirate' Domains, Including Subtitle Sites (torrentfreak.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: This week the Federal Court has issued the largest pirate site blocking injunction thus far in Australia, judging by the number of targeted sites. The case in question was filed by Village Roadshow, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Columbia, Universal, Warner, and others, targeting 78 pirate "locations." The list of targets includes IPTorrents, BT-Scene, Fmovies, Putlocker, RuTracker, KissAnime, NYAA, Torrentday, YIFY-movies and various others. In total, the injunction lists 181 domain names. Interestingly, the court order also targets several subtitle sites. The injunction lists OpenSubtitles, YifySubtitles, and SubScene, for example. While these sites don't host or link to infringing videos, the movie companies argued that the sites are "communicating to the public a literary work," referencing the screenplay.

The list of ISPs that are required to implement the blockades includes Telstra, Optus, Vocus, TPG, Vodafone, and several subsidiaries. The blocking measures have to be implemented within 15 days, through DNS blocking, IP-address blocking, or any other means agreed with the rightsholder. This order will remain valid for a period of three years. If required, the rightsholders can then apply for an extension. The movie companies must also pay ISPs to implement the blocking measures but, at the rate of $50 per domain name, that's not going to be a problem.

Comments

"Block"

[niftydude]

"Block" in this case is implemented by Oz ISPs via DNS blocking. Those using dnscrypt or any other form of secure DNS lookup which avoids the ISP DNS poisoning do not even notice these court orders.

There are many good reasons to use alternative DNS servers than that which the ISP provides, among them privacy, and avoiding ISP ad domain hijacking/redirection.

Re:"Block"

[Anonymous Coward]

Several ISP's are MITM'ing your data regardless if whether you use their DNS. The only thing that works against that is strong VPN. Anyone who blindly uses their ISP's DNS isn't even fruit that requires picking, it's in the salad already.

If you're trying to evade the ISP detecting your d/l of torrents or similar using DNS alone, you're on a list somewhere. You may get a letter someday. The stakes are imperceptibly low until they're suddenly very, very serious.

Re:"Block"

[nyet]

apt install bind9

done.

Re:"Block"

[niftydude]

I gave the reasons I don't use ISP DNS, none of which have anything to do with piracy.

I merely commented that if you do avoid ISP DNS, you won't notice the block. This is a bit of a problem because if you go do any of those sites for legitimate reasons (searching for fast downloads of creative commons works for example), then you'll be breaking Oz law. It seems a bit unfair, especially given it's pretty unreasonable to expect people to keep track of the thousands of web sites the MPAA and RIAA types have lobbied to have banned in Oz.

Re: "Block"

[slazzy]

I run my own dns server with all 255 million sites correctly updated. Can't say I'm much fun at parties though...

Re: "Block"

[Anonymous Coward]

Some vpns come with built in DNSes. Look for things like ad blockers or in the case of Nordvpn, "CyberSec" which runs all DNS requests through the servers in the country you connect to, not originate from. If the vpns don't have that feature, DNS can happen outside the vpn and be problematic....

Re:"Block"

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Several ISP's are MITM'ing your data

How is that even legal with HTTPS traffic, for example?

Re:"Block"

[rtb61]

Who is kidding whom, the biggest problem is there is hardly any content worth pirating that most people have not already pirated. You know what will happen, they will start using this to block independent media of any sort to shut down all competition, everyone knows exactly where this is going and you can get political sites will be targeted.

Re: "Block"

[Rockoon]

I run my own dns server with all 255 million sites correctly updated.

Its rare for someone to not only avoid IPv6, but also avoid IPv4, sticking instead to some early 28-bit IP protocol...but here you are.

Re:"Block"

[Anonymous Coward]

Several ISP's are MITM'ing your data regardless if whether you use their DNS.

I wasn't aware of any ISPs in Australia currently doing MiTM attacks. Could you name them? I think at this point it's just the ISPs DNS server.

I have a local resolver on my network, which forwards all DNS lookups to dnscrypt, that in turn performs said lookups over the VPN tunnel. See Unbound DNS forwarder with dnscrypt

I go one step further and forward all traffic over the VPN based on the source addresss subnet and VLAN tag, ie all traffic from 192.168.2.0/24 with VLAN ID 2 goes directly out to the ISP. All traffic from 192.168.3.0/24 on VLAN ID 3 goes out the VPN provider. I have a couple of custom rules for certain IPs that never change like my mail server and I just change the route based on the fwmark.

For the masses though things like DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS should be available soon and that would make things more difficult.

I think was only ever intended to stop the plebs.

Re:"Block"

[Anonymous Coward]

The system is fully documented here:

• Linux Router with VPN on a Raspberry Pi
• Linux Router with VPN on a Raspberry Pi (IPv6)

I'm using the IPv6 implementation. That uses the Global Linked Address for VLAN2 and a ULA (Unique Linked Address) for VLAN3. That way I get IPv6 connectivity everywhere, the latter also requires the VPN provider to issue with an IPv6 address, which mine does.

Re:"Block"

[Gabest]

Of course they can do it. Have you not heard about the anti-encryption law? You have to let yourself MITM attacked or GTFO! https://tech.slashdot.org/stor...

Re: "Block"

[Anonymous Coward]

It really is just a DNS block. I'm in Australia and my ISP is TPG - using their DNS I cannot get to say 1337x.to but changing DNS to 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 works fine.

Re: "Block"

[gravewax]

Either WOOSH! or might want to buy yourself a calculator.

Re:"Block"

[dargaud]

In addition there are some alternate DNSes which block most forms of advertisement. You may have adblock on your computer's browser, and even on your phone's browser, but unless you root your phone, you can't normally block the ads that come through the various apps. By installing an app like DnsChanger and using a well chosen set of DNSes, poof, no more ads on your phone. It's very simple too.

Re:"Block"

[_merlin]

Have you even been to Australia? TPG and Telstra both implement this using a simple DNS block. I have live Telstra and TPG connections at the moment, and they don't black-hole the IP addresses or anything. Changing DNS allows access to all blocked sites.

Re:"Block"

[jaymemaurice]

Just because it's (mostly) encrypted, doesn't mean it's not commonplace for a service provider to sit in the middle and do the ethical.
For HTTPS requested server name indication is still in plaintext at the start of the flow thus it's trivial to block HTTPS requests to wehaveawarranttoblockthissite.com
Plus many don't type the https:/// themselves so in that case a bad actor can possibly capture a visitors authentication/session cookies (if browser is dumb or cookies were set wrong).

Re:"Block"

[thegarbz]

The stakes are imperceptibly low until they're suddenly very, very serious.

In America maybe, but since we're talking about Australia it's worth noting that the last attempt at raising the stakes from the movie industry resulted in legal battle between rights holders and the courts culminating in not a single defendant even being notified that they are on the list before the case was dropped.

That said a new battle is current underway from Village Roadshow, and they are trying to get through the courts by applying effectively a speeding fine kind of sum in the hopes that the courts would not block them this time. The stakes of having to pay a couple of hundred dollars are not very serious at all.

Re:"Block"

[Calydor]

They do somehow. The main emule forum is unavailable on my DSL connection (says they can't detect my IP, whatever the hell that means) along with ShareTheFiles which I use to find TV shows. Yes, I'm that dirty a pirate.

Both of them are, however, fully accessible through my phone's data plan, which leads me to conclude my DSL ISP is doing something naughtier than I am.

Re: "Block"

[thegarbz]

It is rare for someone to be *that* ignorant about DNS.

You dropped out of the womb in the middle of a LAN party didn't you.

Re: "Block"

[nazrhyn]

LMGTFY https://itsfoss.com/apt-vs-apt...

Re: "Block"

[houghi]

Where is the DNS server for the single windows user. I would think it sgould not be too hard to make DNS server that only lustens to localhost. Install it on your PC and you are done. No configuration, no nothing.

Should be good enough for most. If you need something that you need to configure, other things are available.

Re: "Block"

[slazzy]

I store both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses associated to every domain name that I can find a record of and watch for updates. If I'm missing something I'd really appreciate a link to learn more. Thank you

ISPs

[fustakrakich]

How/when are we going to get around them to make this a non-issue?

Re:The future of the internet is encrypted

[Anonymous Coward]

You'd still need to escape your ISP as a traffic/encryption endpoint, unless you enjoy the socializing aspect of early morning uniformed knocks at the door.

Alternate Headline

[atrex]

Australia Pushes Citizens to Use VPN Services.

Next Week: Australia joins China in banning the use of VPNs that give Citizens access to prohibited resources outside the country.

Re:Proxy site

[Anonymous Coward]

For extra fun, call the proxy sites
IPTorrents-au001.com
IPTorrents-au002.com
IPTorrents-au003.com ...

When they go ahead and block IPTorrents-au*.com, you go ahead and register IPTorrents-au123.com and put pictures of kittens on it. Then you ask Australia's Federal Court why the hell they ordered ISPs to block your website with pictures of kittens.

Encrypted P2P Overlay Networks

[Anonymous Coward]

Well if you dumb fucks were using any of, for example...
I2P
Tor+Onioncat
IPFS
CJDNS
GNUNet
etc ... you know, the Encrypted P2P Distributed Anonymous Overlay Networks,
then you would be able to Index, Track, and Share ALL YOUR SHIT
fully internally over those networks with COMPLETE IMPUNITY
24x365 forever!!!

They're fast enough to queue up and deliver more than you can
EVER Watch, Listen to, or Play in real time in your life.

And they're completely anonymous and secure.

But you're too STUPID to actually download and configure
the tools, and too IMPATIENT to deal with queue and life
management.

So you LOSE and get BLOCKED, SUED, and ARRESTED.
Over what, some stupid Copyright Bullshit MAFIAA.
Oh well. Can't say people didn't tell you all this before.

Now go, get the fuck off stupid Slashdot, search, install, and
USE the FUCKING TOOLS the CYPHERPUNKS GAVE YOU.

Unless they can prove they own the copyrights

[bobstreo]

for every individual file on their sites, the ISPs should also be extra diligent and block:

Village Roadshow, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Columbia, Universal, Warner, and others

I guess some AUS citizens could chip in the $50 to pay for the blocks.

at the rate of $50 per domain name...

[mSparks43]

->at the rate of $50 per domain name, that's not going to be a problem.

Thats a lot more than it costs to create an alternate domain name, if each of those sites creates 10000 alternate domain names, they might run into some problems paying the bill.

Re: at the rate of $50 per domain name...

[mSparks43]

also.
ipv6 for the win!

Re:at the rate of $50 per domain name...

[gravewax]

or those sites could enter a profit sharing scheme with the ISP's :-) create 10000 alternate names go 50 50 on the blocking fee. win win and it still wouldn't affect actual users anyway.

Re: Proxy site

[mSparks43]

some of them should change their dns to point to ips to owned by microsoft and google for extra fun

Re: The future of the internet is encrypted

[Anonymous Coward]

Not really a risk in Australia. Past cases have determined that the recoverable amount if you pirate a movie is the retail cost of the movie. Not worth taking to court, hence the blocking compromise.

Public Service Annoucement:

[grep -v '.*' *]

For all of you people that was to stay far, far away from these evil sites, the site list is below.

And for all of you people that want to see what the fuss is all about, the site list is below.

Infolink

2ddl; 8maple.ru; 9anime.is; Addic7ed; Anilinkz; Animefreak; Animeshow; Avxhm; azmaple.com; Bilutv; Bt-scene; Cartooncrazy; Cmovieshd; Ddlvalley; DailyTVFix; Dnvod; dramacity.io; dramahk.me; Fmovies.io; Glodls; Gogoanime; Hdpopcorns; hindilinks4u.to; hkfree.co; icdrama.se; icdramase; ilovehks.com; IPTorrents; Kantv; Kimcartoon; Kissanime; kisscartoon.ac; m4ufree.com; Masterani.me; Myanimeseries; Nyaa; Nzbplanet; Ondarewatch; Openloadmovies; Opensubtitles.org; Otakustream; Phimbathu; Putlocker.ac; Putlockerhd.co; qooxi.net; Rmz; Rutracker.org; Scnsrc; Seasonvar; Seriesfree; Solarmoviez; Soul-anime; streamtvb.com; Subscene; Subsmovies; Torrentday; Torrentfunk; Torrentmovies; Tvbox; Tw116; Two-movies; Ultra-vid; Usabit; VexMovies; viewasian.tv; Vkool; Vmovee; Watchanimeonline.me; Watchcartoononline.com; Watchcartoononline.io; Watchonlinemovies; Watchseries-online; woaikanxi.cc; Yify-movies; Yifysubtitles; Ymovies.tv; Zimuzu; Zooqle.

Re:Public Service Annoucement:

[sheramil]

Oh, good - they didn't include th-

... but, why spoil that, eh?

Re:Public Service Annoucement:

[bigtreeman]

where's piratebay, or is it like Pirates of the Caribbean and the piratebay sites are just ghosts.
So does my vpn keep me safe from snooping authorities ?

Re:Public Service Annoucement:

[dargaud]

Why would they include Opensubtitles.org ? It's awesome for people who like to watch foreign movies, even if you've paid for the fucking DVD. It's not like a downloaded subtitle is causing a lost sale of... what ?!?

Re: Public Service Annoucement:

[UnknownSoldier]

> Why the hell (are) anime sites blocked?

Because they are fucking morons who don't understand the concept of free advertising. Subs are providing value and potential sales.

/sarcasm But, nah, let's ban them and make sure our products fade into obscurity.

Bunch of dumb asses.

Re:Public Service Annoucement:

[AmiMoJo]

I use some of those for subtitles. My wife and I watched Game of Thrones recently, with Chinese subtitles for her. The subtitles were a fan effort and seemed to be really. For example they put character's names on screen when they first appeared in that episode, which is something I could have done with in English at times.

Re: Public Service Annoucement:

[houghi]

Because the subtitles are copyrighted. If you ever wrote down a song and send the text to a young love, you will be arrested at one point ad well.

Re: Public Service Annoucement:

[houghi]

The fact that it is usefull does not make it legal.

Total pricks, very frustrating.

[AbRASiON]

I happen to use open subtitles constantly, that site doesn't necessarily mean piracy. Probably, but not definitely. People do legally rip both movies and tv. Plus there's legally purchased foreign content with bad translations.

Well now I need to research how to VPN /properly/ on my network. Unfortunately, I have about 20 machines and I don't want default traffic through the VPN to boot. So that really sucks.

Congratulations, you're pushing people to encrypt entirely

Re: Total pricks, very frustrating.

[houghi]

If they do not own the copyrights, and they don't, it is illegal for them to distribute it.

More proof that they don't understand the Internet

[Chas]

If it's on the net, the ISPs can "block" all they want.
Unless they're gonna block the entirety of the Internet, and every VPN provider in existence, it's STILL going to be available.

Re:More proof that they don't understand the Inter

[Chas]

Maybe 10 years ago, you'd be right.
You mythical "average user" is a bit less helpless now.
Sure, the people old enough to remember a time before widespread personal computer use would be blocked.
But pretty much anyone under 40 wouldn't even blink twice.

Beyond Stupid

[WindowsStar]

This is like the government making the water company block water to people building hydrogen bombs. The water company sells water what you do with it is none of their concern. ISPs sell access to the internet, what someone does with it is NONE OF THEIR CONCERNS! The courts and government monkeying in their business is completely wrong. Go after the bomb builder or the site that is doing the wrong, don't force the water company or the ISP to police the people!!!

DNS servers

[Kuruk]

1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1, 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4

It so pointless to waste money doing this. Can't the government spend it better ?