ROM Hack Question AT&T no piracy?

[JoeBloggs777]

Pretty much this. But the very first time I get one, I'm getting a VPN asap.

I did for a time, freeload off of Nord VPNs free trial exploits, and kept signing up with a different email. But, this was mainly to keep changing my IP to bypass download restrictions. Also, Nord VPN is pretty good, I honestly wouldn't mind paying for them, if I actually needed them.

Nord is not bad, All 3 pc's in my home have it installed. it's fairly cheap for a 3 year package. Thou i haven't tried any other paid for VPN. But I've not had any warning from my ISP and I've been downloading torrents and from file share hosts for years.

 

[gman666]

Stick to direct link sites bud... I personally just grab a $5 Mega account and run with it.

 

[spotanjo3]

Portugal tops the MPA’s anti-piracy league and I thought the UK was bad

https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/portugal-is-europes-least-pirate-friendly-nation-mpa-3657372

Strange. No problem for me. Actually in San Miguel, Azores, Portugal.

Try Opera Browser since VPN built-in, I guess. I dont need it but never have a problem with mine.

 

[Xzi]

If anti-piracy groups are looking at peer lists on trackers for your IP, then the lists have no effect.

Do they even know what you're downloading or how much of it you've downloaded if they're using this method, though? Seems like they won't alert your ISP or send you a copyright strike unless they can confirm all that first.

 

[EmulateLife]

Stick to direct link sites bud... I personally just grab a $5 Mega account and run with it.

This, I don't even pay the $5 to mega I just have to wait a little longer. But I've maybe used torrents a handful of times in this decade while using direct links hundreds of times without missing out on anything. Torrents you are always subject to getting a notice, direct links they have no way of knowing what you downloaded. I consider torrents in 2019 unnecessary they were useful last decade not now.

 

[Lacius]

Do they even know what you're downloading or how much of it you've downloaded if they're using this method, though? Seems like they won't alert your ISP or send you a copyright strike unless they can confirm all that first.

If you're on a tracker list for a torrent that hosts illegal files, it's enough for a copyright notice. If an anti-piracy group was hired to monitor that torrent using that method (they all pretty much use that method now), they got you if monitoring while you were downloading or seeding the file, with or without blocklists. It doesn't matter if they weren't able to make a direct connection to you.

My guess is you're not seeding a lot, you're not downloading a lot of high-risk files (HBO, etc.), or some combination of the two.

Edit: A lot of people like you claim that blocklists are effective, mostly because they've always appeared to work before, but they are not effective. They do nothing, and the empirical data is clear.

This, I don't even pay the $5 to mega I just have to wait a little longer. But I've maybe used torrents a handful of times in this decade while using direct links hundreds of times without missing out on anything. Torrents you are always subject to getting a notice, direct links they have no way of knowing what you downloaded. I consider torrents in 2019 unnecessary they were useful last decade not now.

Exactly. The only people who know you downloaded something using a direct download are you and the file-hosting website you downloaded it from.

 

[Xzi]

If you're on a tracker list for a torrent that hosts illegal files, it's enough for a copyright notice. It doesn't matter if they weren't able to make a direct connection to you.

IDK man, every notice I've received had specifics on what I downloaded to give me the strike. Probably not the best business practice to reprimand customers based on assumptions and guesses, especially when so many trackers host legit files as well as copyrighted ones. We'd probably need somebody who's worked at an ISP to chime in with the specifics here, but I'm not sure anybody has.

 

[Lacius]

IDK man, every notice I've received had specifics on what I downloaded to give me the strike. Probably not the best business practice to reprimand customers based on assumptions and guesses, especially when so many trackers host legit files as well as copyrighted ones. We'd probably need somebody who's worked at an ISP to chime in with the specifics here, but I'm not sure anybody has.

Oh, I see the misunderstanding. The tracker list of peers is organized by torrent. By seeing your IP on the list, they know which torrent you're downloading with, thus which files you're downloading.

 

[spotanjo3]

hey so quick question, I was downloading a..... “completely legal” file and got sent an email from AT&T saying they know about it and I have a strike, what should I do?

Why not canceled AT&T and let them know they are going to lose customer and the money since its your money and you pay for it and you can do whatever you want with it. None of their business. Now why not moved to Verizon ? I have been used Verizon right now at my brother's house. I always do those things like you do.. A lot. And never got an email warning at all. None.

 

[legoboy10]

What's the best completely free (as in no free trial) legitimate VPN?

 

[Xzi]

Oh, I see the misunderstanding. The tracker list of peers is organized by torrent. By seeing your IP on the list, they know which torrent you're downloading with, thus which files you're downloading.

They know the pool of files you're downloading from, but they don't know which of them you've chosen to exclude, and they don't know how much of the download you've completed. So while they might report that to your ISP, my thoughts are that the ISP can't really do anything with that info because of how many unknowns there are.

 

[the_randomizer]

LOL. In Portugal, they don't care about it. No wonder America is so strict and mean. Yikes!

No, we just have a bunch of pantywaist, litigious bastards who like enforcing broken and convoluted copyright laws.

 

[Lacius]

They know the pool of files you're downloading from, but they don't know which of them you've chosen to exclude, and they don't know how much of the download you've completed. So while they might report that to your ISP, my thoughts are that the ISP can't really do anything with that info because of how many unknowns there are.

You're right, but at that point, there's not much plausible deniability, and it's enough to at least send a letter to one's ISP, even if it's not proof. After all, people don't normally download a movie torrent just for its readme.

Edit: And to challenge one of these letters and the methodology, you'd probably have to make your identity known to the anti-piracy company.

 

[smf]

It was direct and I was using a Linux device left on over night to download it (that night I download 2 games, 1 wii, and 1 switch) and I only got a notice for the Wii game :/

What happened to "hey so quick question, I was downloading a..... “completely legal” file"?

Do they even know what you're downloading or how much of it you've downloaded if they're using this method, though? Seems like they won't alert your ISP or send you a copyright strike unless they can confirm all that first.

If you notice a client that stays at 0% for a long time then it's asking everyone for what they have and logging it.

Uploading is legally worse than downloading, even though using bittorrent forces you to upload. You can limit upload speed and automatically stop the torrents after they have downloaded to minimize how much you do upload, but if they're looking all the time then it doesn't help you. Plus your download can be limited if you're seen to be slow uploading.

 

[bobmcjr]

OP claimed the download was direct.
Was the download HTTP or HTTPS? Or some other protocol?

If it was HTTP or some other unencrypted protocol, then there's your problem.
If it was HTTPS, something far more sinister must have occurred.

 

[EmulateLife]

What happened to "hey so quick question, I was downloading a..... “completely legal” file"?



If you notice a client that stays at 0% for a long time then it's asking everyone for what they have and logging it.

Uploading is legally worse than downloading, even though using bittorrent forces you to upload. You can limit upload speed and automatically stop the torrents after they have downloaded to minimize how much you do upload, but if they're looking all the time then it doesn't help you. Plus your download can be limited if you're seen to be slow uploading.

LOL true, no such thing as a legal Wii or Switch game to download on the internet.

 

[Lacius]

It was direct and I was using a Linux device left on over night to download it (that night I download 2 games, 1 wii, and 1 switch) and I only got a notice for the Wii game :/

Which file-hosting website was it? Mega, Google Drive, Zippyshare, etc.? Do not tell us where you got the download link from.

 

[Ericthegreat]

Use PeerBlock and/or a VPN when downloading, otherwise you'll receive more of those e-mails until they cut off your service.

Just so everyone knows only Cox and AT&T(very recently) cut people off, with everyone else after 6 they make you electronically sign you won't do it anymore, after that 6 more guess what, they make you sign it again, VPN are bs and unnecessary for most people, much of the VPN propaganda started a few years ago using fake accounts on Reddit (Trump election style) and people have been brainwashed to think one is necessary, also know no one has been sued for downloading in over 10+ years. The only normal reason o see for using a VPN is for little kids whose parents will beat their ass if they get a warning.

 

[Xzi]

Just so everyone knows only Cox and AT&T(very recently) cut people off, with everyone else after 6 they make you electronically sign you won't do it anymore, after that 6 more guess what, they make you sign it again, VPN are bs and unnecessary for most people, much of the VPN propaganda started a few years ago using fake accounts on Reddit (Trump election style) and people have been brainwashed to think one is necessary, also know no one has been sued for downloading in over 10+ years.

Yeah, the only actual lawsuits I've read about were for uploaders who were distributing thousands of different copyrighted materials. Still, I think I'll continue using PeerBlock, since I never want to have to spend more time interacting with Comcast than is absolutely necessary.

 

[Owenge]

Which file-hosting website was it? Mega, Google Drive, Zippyshare, etc.? Do not tell us where you got the download link from.

Drive and I know