Gaming My god PeerBlock blocks a lot

[Joe88]

Even if your ISP or the MPAA has proof that you downloaded it, they can't do anything. These laws are all based on possession. If you have a picture of you smoking weed, the police can't arrest you for having weed, even though they have proof of you having it at one point. Same applies for things like movies, music, etc.

its more like they have a video of you purchasing weed from a dealer

and also they wont bust down your door, the MPAA will just sue you since they have proof your IP downloaded a copy of a movie
though the ISP usually just send out warnings to stop before hand

 

[The Phantom]

You have to be stupid to use torrents unless you're doing it from a hot spot. You can find anything you want on storage sites anyway. Read this article
http://gawker.com/#!5781505/an-intervi...nal-nightmare-2

 

[notmeanymore]

Even if your ISP or the MPAA has proof that you downloaded it, they can't do anything. These laws are all based on possession. If you have a picture of you smoking weed, the police can't arrest you for having weed, even though they have proof of you having it at one point. Same applies for things like movies, music, etc.

its more like they have a video of you purchasing weed from a dealer

and also they wont bust down your door, the MPAA will just sue you since they have proof your IP downloaded a copy of a movie
though the ISP usually just send out warnings to stop before hand

If my hard drive doesn't contain any copyrighted material, regardless of if it's been proven I've downloaded it, they have nothing on me.

 

[The Phantom]

Even if your ISP or the MPAA has proof that you downloaded it, they can't do anything. These laws are all based on possession. If you have a picture of you smoking weed, the police can't arrest you for having weed, even though they have proof of you having it at one point. Same applies for things like movies, music, etc.

its more like they have a video of you purchasing weed from a dealer

and also they wont bust down your door, the MPAA will just sue you since they have proof your IP downloaded a copy of a movie
though the ISP usually just send out warnings to stop before hand

If my hard drive doesn't contain any copyrighted material, regardless of if it's been proven I've downloaded it, they have nothing on me.

I hope you don't have any money and never will because they have all the money in the world to go after you in civil court and even if you win you'll be destroyed financially. I guess if you have no future prospects it doesn't matter.

 

[Originality]

They go through your computer, and the movie is nowhere to be found outside of analyzing the "empty" hard drive space which would be a waste of time for something like this.

Just because you "delete" something from your computer, doesn't mean it's gone. The drive just flags that section as deleted, but the data is still there - at least until it puts something else there (say, another downloaded movie).

You'd be surprised how easy it is to locate traces of phantom files long after they've been deleted. This makes it much easier for the "feds" to dig up evidence against you. They don't need the entire file, but having 16KB from the header would be enough to prove the file existed. Couple that with ISP logs of your internet activities at the time, and you're screwed.

As they say, the law isn't stupid.

 

[Deleted-188346]

Even if your ISP or the MPAA has proof that you downloaded it, they can't do anything. These laws are all based on possession. If you have a picture of you smoking weed, the police can't arrest you for having weed, even though they have proof of you having it at one point. Same applies for things like movies, music, etc.

its more like they have a video of you purchasing weed from a dealer

and also they wont bust down your door, the MPAA will just sue you since they have proof your IP downloaded a copy of a movie
though the ISP usually just send out warnings to stop before hand

If my hard drive doesn't contain any copyrighted material, regardless of if it's been proven I've downloaded it, they have nothing on me.

There's a reason that when companies throw out hard drives that may have sensitive data on it, they will format it 3 times, and usually hit it with a hammer, or whatnot. Anything to destroy the platters. I used to work at a private school in the IT department.

Even if you format a drive (once), there are ways to recover information.

But regardless of whether there is any actual data on your hard drive, there is enough information from your ISP to prove that you broke the law.

 

[BlueStar]

I've used Peerblock since it was Peer Guardian and never received a letter from my ISP.

I wore a red t-shirt on Tuesday and I've never had a letter from my ISP. Therefore, wearing a red t-shirt on a Tuesday keeps you safe.

If you're worried enough about your privacy to use peerblock, you basically shouldn't be using torrents in the first place. Firstly, you're distributing, rather than just consuming illegal material. Secondly, you're doing it in a balls-out fashion and advertising it to anyone who chooses to download from you. Yes, even if you use a peer blocker and yes, even if you use a so-called 'private' tracker.

 

[Originality]

Something that nobody has mentioned yet... it's not difficult to detect the presence of PeerBlock. The fact that it filters your connections can be enough to raise a flag saying "look at me, I'm hiding something". When it comes to internet activity, it's a fair guess to say that people who have to hide what they're doing are probably doing unlawful/illegal things.

EDIT: @BlueStar, fun fact - if an Orc (from the Warhammer 40k universe) paints its green car red, it will go faster. This has nothing to do with the car itself, just the mentality that "red things go faster". If you believe strongly enough that wearing a red t-shirt keeps you safe from warning letters from the ISP, it just might become true.

 

[Deleted-188346]

I've used Peerblock since it was Peer Guardian and never received a letter from my ISP.

I wore a red t-shirt on Tuesday and I've never had a letter from my ISP. Therefore, wearing a red t-shirt on a Tuesday keeps you safe.

You forgot the part where he mentioned that his brother-in-law received 2 letters from his ISP, and after Peerblock was installed, he received none.
Nice quoting out of context.

But anyway, seriously, can anybody explain to me why there is so much resentment for PeerBlock?
As dib said, it uses very little system resources, so that isn't the issue.
Additionally, I've heard multiple people say that they used to get letters from their ISP, and now they don't.

So, what's the deal?

Is it because it's a prevention program against ISP letters, and because ISPs methods of detecting illegal downloads isn't clear, people think there's no point in even hoping of prevention?

 

[Joe88]

you are using their services, they can see what your IP is doing regardless of what you install

installing a program isnt going to make you magically hidden from everyone trying to see what you are doing

 

[notmeanymore]

They go through your computer, and the movie is nowhere to be found outside of analyzing the "empty" hard drive space which would be a waste of time for something like this.

Just because you "delete" something from your computer, doesn't mean it's gone. The drive just flags that section as deleted, but the data is still there - at least until it puts something else there (say, another downloaded movie).

You'd be surprised how easy it is to locate traces of phantom files long after they've been deleted. This makes it much easier for the "feds" to dig up evidence against you. They don't need the entire file, but having 16KB from the header would be enough to prove the file existed. Couple that with ISP logs of your internet activities at the time, and you're screwed.

As they say, the law isn't stupid.

Fine, TrueCrypt still stands.

 

[Joe88]

They go through your computer, and the movie is nowhere to be found outside of analyzing the "empty" hard drive space which would be a waste of time for something like this.

Just because you "delete" something from your computer, doesn't mean it's gone. The drive just flags that section as deleted, but the data is still there - at least until it puts something else there (say, another downloaded movie).

You'd be surprised how easy it is to locate traces of phantom files long after they've been deleted. This makes it much easier for the "feds" to dig up evidence against you. They don't need the entire file, but having 16KB from the header would be enough to prove the file existed. Couple that with ISP logs of your internet activities at the time, and you're screwed.

As they say, the law isn't stupid.

Fine, TrueCrypt still stands.

and you would be forced to hand over the keys or you will be charged with interfering with an investigation

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Man I love PeerBlock. It blocks a lot of stuff.

 

[CCNaru]

Only way to be perfectly safe is to use private trackers, not TPB or anything like that.

 

[BlueStar]

You forgot the part where he mentioned that his brother-in-law received 2 letters from his ISP, and after Peerblock was installed, he received none.
Nice quoting out of context.

Makes no difference really, does it? I wore a red t-shirt, my brother got a letter from his ISP and I didn't. I lent him my shirt and he didn't get any more letters. Proof!

But anyway, seriously, can anybody explain to me why there is so much resentment for PeerBlock?
As dib said, it uses very little system resources, so that isn't the issue.

The issue is people believing it offers protection and getting their knickers in a twist and frothing at the mouth when people point out it doesn't.

QUOTE

Additionally, I've heard multiple people say that they used to get letters from their ISP, and now they don't.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

 

[BlueStar]

Only way to be perfectly safe is to use private trackers, not TPB or anything like that.

And how do you get on these 'private' trackers? If the answer is "ask a stranger or vague acquaintance on the internet for an invite" then it's not really very private, is it? If you get get on a 'private' tracker then usually anyone with half a clue can as well, and that includes people working for copyright holders.

 

[elenar]

You forgot the part where he mentioned that his brother-in-law received 2 letters from his ISP, and after Peerblock was installed, he received none.
Nice quoting out of context.

Makes no difference really, does it? I wore a red t-shirt, my brother got a letter from his ISP and I didn't. I lent him my shirt and he didn't get any more letters. Proof!

But anyway, seriously, can anybody explain to me why there is so much resentment for PeerBlock?
As dib said, it uses very little system resources, so that isn't the issue.

The issue is people believing it offers protection and getting their knickers in a twist and frothing at the mouth when people point out it doesn't.

QUOTE

Additionally, I've heard multiple people say that they used to get letters from their ISP, and now they don't.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

When something happens once, it's a coincidence. When something happens the same way more than once, it starts being a pattern. Two incidences aren't enough to establish causality, but they're enough to strengthen the correlation a fair amount. In other words, one eyewitness may be embellishing or misremembering, but 2 eyewitnesses telling the same story are more likely to be telling the truth.

On the issue of believing something offers protection: Studies have shown that couples that use condoms are about equally likely to become pregnant as couples that practice the "rhythm method", which is essentially no protection other than interrupting the process. This does not mean condoms do not offer protection. There is a small deviation in the statistics, and in addition, condoms still protect against STI's. Failing to protect against one thing doesn't mean failing to protect against something else. It just needs to be used correctly. That doesn't mean it has no value.

Lastly, "strawman" is not synonymous with "sound logic."

 

[BlueStar]

When something happens once, it's a coincidence. When something happens the same way more than once, it starts being a pattern. Two incidences aren't enough to establish causality, but they're enough to strengthen the correlation a fair amount. In other words, one eyewitness may be embellishing or misremembering, but 2 eyewitnesses telling the same story are more likely to be telling the truth.

Aside from the fact that there have been many experiments showing several eyewitnesses can misremember exactly the same thing, we're talking about a very different situation here, something whereby negative outcomes may or may not occur between two different groups and we only have anecdotal date from a non-random selection of people, almost all from one group, to go off.

If I can get two people who don't use a peer blocker and have never had an ISP letter, can we start to assume a correlation whereby NOT using a peerblocker means you don't get ISP letters?

People using something which is supposed to protect them from a particular event are more likely to offer their experience than someone not using it, we see this in all kind of pseudo-medicine and superstition. People who use a homeopathic tablet which is supposed to ward off colds are likely to notice and tell people that they haven't had a cold all winter. People who've not been doing so are unlikely to even think about the fact they haven't had a cold for a certain amount of time. This is how people can make millions selling empty sugar pills, because people say "Well, all these people say it works, they can't all be wrong, can they? I mean, if it stopped one person having a cold it could be coincidence, but when you get two, or three, or four, there must be something in it."

You've also got to take into account the fact that, even if companies haven't bothered to go to the minor inconvenience of downloading peerblocker themselves, looking at the IP ranges it blocks and simply doing their scanning from an unblacklisted addess, that there's little to stop them doing it tomorrow, or the day after, or the week after.

If I worked for some of the dubious legal firms sending out the letters, I'd be setting my search running on my home PC using a domestic broadband provider.

 

[twiztidsinz]

JESUS CHRIST BLUESTAR, GO LIVE UNDER YOUR DAMNED ROCK.
Just get your stupid bullshit out of here. Seriously, you're trying so hard to make your point you're going way the hell overboard into absurdity.

It's simple people: Don't want to use PeerBlock? DON'T!
Don't think PeerBlock is an effective tool? DON'T USE IT!
IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE.


You're right about the 'red shirt' thing, but that has ZERO grounding in reality. Peerblock on the other hand DOES since it's blocking connections and if you follow that thought logically: No connection = No exchange, No exchange = They don't get information from you, No information = nothing.
You are always more protected with something like PeerBlock than without it, it is essentially an undeniable fact -- though it's effectiveness cannot reliably be measured for the simple fact that it relies on a blacklist that is publicly available. If it blocks ONE connection from a firm sending out letters you have been made more protected than you would be without it.

However, people like YOU make the mistake of thinking "Peerblock works" means "ZOMG I NEVAR GEET LETTARZ CUZ I R HIDEN!!" which is almost as stupid as your arguments up to this point.

If I worked for some of the dubious legal firms sending out the letters, I'd be setting my search running on my home PC using a domestic broadband provider.

Any decent lawyer who knows anything about how the internet works will give them a hard enough time if they JUST have an IP address.
Now throw in that the fact that the numbers were obtained from a private residence and that lawyer will be jumping for joy.

DO NOT BOTHER REPLYING TO THIS!
I am not going to read more of your ramblings.

 

[BlueStar]

JESUS SHIT FUCKING CHRIST BLUESTAR, GO LIVE UNDER YOUR DAMNED ROCK.
Just get your stupid bullshit out of here. Seriously, you're trying so hard to make your point you're going way the hell overboard into absurdity.

This is the kind of frothing, rabid, screaming tantrum I'm talking about. If people just used peerblock and shut up about it, no-one would care. But they don't. They continue to use torrents to dirstribute pirate media, in spite of the privacy problems, yabber on about how they're safe because they use peer block, and go out of their tiny little minds in full on rage flamefest when people with half a braincell point out it makes little difference.