Protecting American business is the true business of America.
The Homeland Security Department’s customs enforcement division has gone on a Web site shutdown spree, closing down at least 76 domains this week, according to online reports.
While many of the web domains were sites that trafficked in counterfeit brand name goods, and some others linked to copyright-infringing file-sharing materials, at least one site was a Google-like search engine, causing alarm among web freedom advocates who worry the move steps over the line into censorship.
All the shut sites are now displaying a Homeland Security warning that copyright infringers can face up to five years in prison.
[…]
Homeland Security’s ability to shut down sites without a court order evidently comes from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a Clinton-era law that allows Web sites to be closed on the basis of a copyright complaint. Critics have long assailed the DMCA for being too broad, as complainants don’t need to prove copyright infringement before a site can be taken down.News of the shutdowns has some observers wondering whether the US really needs COICA, the anti-counterfeiting bill that passed through a Senate committee with unanimous approval last week. That bill would allow the federal government to block access to Web sites that attorneys general deem to have infringed on copyright.
In a vaguely unrelated story, a poll shows a huge percentage of Americans no longer feel the US Government operates the way the Founding Fathers intended.
UPDATE: Even though this story was played high in the NYT and elsewhere, I’d advise you read this info on a hackers site suggesting we are witnessing an elaborate hoax. — JCD
This will put a HUGE dent in Al Qaeda’s operations. No longer can terrorists who have infiltrated the USA successfully download Justin Bieber’s Grammy Winning album “My World 2.0”, which absolutely destroys their willingness to attack us.
Interestingly, torrent-finder.com ‘s participation in this appears to be a hoax.
http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/101127-141627
Torrent sites were taken down over the past few days – but Torrent Finder took their own site down and placed a copy of the notice the government was posting on the real sites they seized.
While the story made people aware of the seizures of torrent and merchandise knockoff sites, by associating their search site with results at Google and Bing and other search engines Torrent Finder were able to become the site everyone was looking at.
The story in Torrent Freak seems to be the story that had the most information from Torrent Finder – quoting its owner that they were not served a warrant but discovered through their host, GoDaddy, that the action was done by ICANN.
Read the whole blog post.
Anyone have a list of the sites?
What does home land security have to do with piracy? They like to make the association that piracy in some way supports terrorists financially.
The problem with this logic is that people don’t pay to pirate things. That’s the whole point of piracy is to get stuff for free. So how EXACTLY is anyone making money from piracy?
Terrorists are more likely to make money creating their own music and selling it on iTunes, or on amazon.
This is one site that I’m amazed hasn’t been shut down:
http://5z8.info/oneweirdoldtiptolosebellyfat_r8y2e__init_download
At least 2 of the sites have posted a statement on MTV’s site about being taken down by the feds:
http://tinyurl.com/24unssg
#36 – can’t argue with that one. I hate Rap music too!
Give a stupid policeperson with little frame of reference a computer with the internet and watch out
I don’t know who is worse ICE or the Canadian Border guards
Give a moron a bit of power and they still are….
I’d seen that on tvshack.net – a web-site which allowed you to watch TV shows and movies (including movies just released in theaters) – so a clear violation of copyright and DMCA.
I don’t see how seizing the domain name does anything – I’m sure they simply starting using a different domain name and server 5 minutes later.
Not sure what is going on but I hit this story elsewhere. If true very bad.
Say now, if it’s a hoax, and I said if, if it’s a hoax, why is dvorak.org repeating it?
Ans: Same reason ever other site is repeating it.
Get it?
If a government can illegally draft young people into the armed forces to fight an illegal unjust war that IT started, it can damn sure shut down anything it wants.
Publius: get back to the forum…
(signed) Brutus
If the government starts blocking Wikileaks I will start donating money to them. Thanks for turning us into China Mr. Obama.
Not a Ron Paul fan, but he is on target ….. The 4th Amendment is dead because we are a nation of cowards!!!
Americans behave like cattle and consequently are treated like cattle. Just look how the fools stampeded over each other shopping.
We gave up our inheritance rights to the Fourth Amendment for a false sense of security.
As Benjamin Franklin – an Americans American said “He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither”
American’s don’t understand their right of the people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures; it’s part of the Bill of Rights that guards against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Where is the traditional American due process. It seams to be MIA lately.
The TSA is aimed directly at the middle class.
The sheeple, the middle class proles, put up with degrading ritual humiliation, clearly in violation of their fourth amendment rights, at the hands of semi-simians who would fill the nation’s jails if they weren’t already employed by the TSA.
The rich don’t slowly wind through lines to get to their own planes.
Their Lear (Gulfstream, Hawker-Beechcraft or Textron, [there’s not much competition,]) jets are exempt from the intrusive searches.
Paris Hilton doesn’t go through naked body scanners.
No body cavity searches for her.
She’s a fucking Hilton. She flies in her own jet, or in one of her daddy’s fleet.
Do you believe in that “Change” yet?
Be sure to let the Democrats know what you think of their idea of “Change” next election day.
@scadragon
Like the Republicans are any different. Just another flavor of statism. It looks like the only thing politicians and the media can agree on is their love of fascism.
# scadragon — I am still waiting for the republicans to follow through on their promises they have been talking about for the last few decades. Since 1980, there has been three republican presidents serving a combined 20 years in office. The senate has had 18 years of repubican majority with the house of reps having 12 years of republican majority. Plenty of time to cut spending and decrease the size of the government. But what happend? Nothing.
It is time to replace the republicans and democrats.
“Intentionally and knowingly trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime….”
Not for the Federal Reserve.
America has become such a corrupt place
What does “Homeland Security ” got to do with kids downloading torrents ?
Could someone please explain this to me
– and the term “undocumented aliens” when anyone driving a car without their license on their person is lead away
Why would anyone here (assuming most are competent) think this is a hoax? With all the fck up sht that DU has reported all this year it should be no surprise.
The question should be what else.
#42 Grandpa. The USA has not had a military draft since the 1970s.
#54
AND WHAT DO YOU CALL, what happened soon after 2001? Voluntarily Registration OF all over the age of 17? Nonono…how about 1978?? and they Started the requirement?