Police Arrest Man In UK For Piracy

[EmptySoul]

The police have been trying to crack down on online Piracy for awhile now in the UK but haven't really been successful.

 

A man in Notinghamshire was arrested for hosting a proxy server that allows access to sites that have been blocked by ISP's.

 

 Most if not all UK ISP's in the UK have blocked most torrent sites forcing proxy's to be used.

 

The man who was arrested was not hosting anything which breached copyright laws but was hosting a server that allows users to bypass the blocks by surfing anonymously.. just like TOR or VPN services.

 

So what do you guys think? 

 

Should he have been arrested as he was just allowing people to surf anonymously? or should he still be charged for allowing people access to his server knowing that the majority of people would be using it to download illegal content?

 

 

Link to the original article:  http://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/uk-police-arrest-man-for-running-a-proxy-server/

[Misanthrope]

So instead of bringing this baseless charge to trackers who also don't host files themselves, they pick up an even more indirect guy because he won't be able to litigate as effectively as the pirate Bay?

What a dipshit move

[Flight1sim]

But why an arrest? Should have been just a fine, or a block from the ISP

[EmptySoul]

I guess they are just trying to scare people, show them that they are taking it seriously. In the hopes to deter people from pirating.

I don't see how they can charge him though he clearly wasn't hosting the files just allowing people on his server.

[NICKT]

The police have been trying to crack down on online Piracy for awhile now in the UK but haven't really been successful.

 

A man in Notinghamshire was arrested for hosting a proxy server that allows access to sites that have been blocked by ISP's.

 

 Most if not all UK ISP's in the UK have blocked most torrent sites forcing proxy's to be used.

 

The man who was arrested was not hosting anything which breached copyright laws but was hosting a server that allows users to bypass the blocks by surfing anonymously.. just like TOR or VPN services.

 

So what do you guys think? 

 

Should he have been arrested as he was just allowing people to surf anonymously? or should he still be charged for allowing people access to his server knowing that the majority of people would be using it to download illegal content?

 

 

Link to the original article:  http://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/uk-police-arrest-man-for-running-a-proxy-server/

 

We don't charge gun-sellers when they sell a gun that's used in a crime/murder.

Simply giving someone the means to do something illegal in itself is not necessarily illegal.

 

This seems a bit iffy, my mind's jumping to the potential conclusion that they're going to single out a couple individuals in hopes that fear will take the rest of them.

[BallGum]

We don't charge gun-sellers when they sell a gun that's used in a crime/murder.

Simply giving someone the means to do something illegal in itself is not necessarily illegal.

 

This seems a bit iffy, my mind's jumping to the potential conclusion that they're going to single out a couple individuals in hopes that fear will take the rest of them.

 

Kinda like a deterrent I guess. It's worrying to say the least.

[Real_PhillBert]

Exactly what law did he break? Is hosting a proxy server illegal in the UK?

[qwertywarrior]

there is something wrong here

if he was hosting lets say a VPN server and lawyers were after him he would only need to show the log files of who the people are

[LAwLz]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the UK and the US are heading in the same direction as China. Hopefully this arrest of an innocent man will wake people up.

[EmptySoul]

Exactly what law did he break? Is hosting a proxy server illegal in the UK?

As far as I'm aware he didn't break any laws... Yet they arrested him anyway. I'm sure they are just using this as a scare tactic, going to waste this man's time and money because it's convenient for them.

I am no way saying pirating is OK but it's not easy to catch people, there a too many loop holes. But to arrest this man is ridiculous. There is a £120 fine for wasting police time but it's okay for them to arrest him for what I can only. See as a waste of time.

[Real_PhillBert]

As far as I'm aware he didn't break any laws... Yet they arrested him anyway. I'm sure they are just using this as a scare tactic, going to waste this man's time and money because it's convenient for them.

I am no way saying pirating is OK but it's not easy to catch people, there a too many loop holes. But to arrest this man is ridiculous. There is a £120 fine for wasting police time but it's okay for them to arrest him for what I can only. See as a waste of time.

 

There are some days when I think the UK has it worse off than the US. This is one of those days.

[Huginn]

Whenever I read things like this I always think of the book "1984", by George Orwell.

It's stupid and silly, this man is as much responsible for people pirating using his proxy server as a cafe owner is responsible for getting people drunk. It's possible to abuse the service provided, but the users should be wise enough not to. Might aswell go and arrest the owner of every DIY, computer, ... store if you follow this logic. -.-

[carlrose]

i live in the UK and this is totally outta order a proxy ffs whats next hotspot shield? im disgusted in this country nothing has been done for years and years and now all of sudden we are getting as bad as america (no offence i was always taught the net cant be policed oh how wrong they were and its a sad day when it will be  

[mr moose]

The UK Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit has made its first arrest under the new ‘Operation Creative’ initiative to fight piracy on behalf of the entertainment industry.

 

 

Excuse me, I have question:  Do the police have a unit specifically designated to fight crime on behalf of my industry?  You know seeing as I work with vulnerable children and the courts seem to keep letting abusers walk free, why does the film industry have a special unit dedicated towards it when there are serious problems that need more funding and a better police presence?

[DigitalHermit]

Excuse me, I have question:  Do the police have a unit specifically designated to fight crime on behalf of my industry?  You know seeing as I work with vulnerable children and the courts seem to keep letting abusers walk free, why does the film industry have a special unit dedicated towards it when there are serious problems that need more funding and a better police presence?

 

Because money

[Mooshi]

And once again, the claim of the UK being a nanny state rings true.

[mr moose]

Because money

of course, Money always talks.

 

Because money is more important than abused children who in all likelihood will grow up with a dependance on welfare costing the country more than piracy ever will.   Great fucking logic there.

[LAwLz]

of course, Money always talks.

 

Because money is more important than abused children who in all likelihood will grow up with a dependance on welfare costing the country more than piracy ever will.   Great fucking logic there.

Dude, don't you know the dangers of piracy? Piracy leads to lost jobs, child labor and gang violence.

 

Know The Real Cost!

 

[c3p0]

This guy isn't even guilty for hosting a proxyserver. If it's that logic everyone in the uk who's hosting a proxy would be guilty. Nope, the users are guilty for abuseing the service.

 

Hosting an anonyminizerservice is not illegal. No matter what service it is. TOR, VPN, Proxy of any kind. It get's illegal for the user not the host, when the user is doing wrong stuff over it. Those services are created for newsreporters, bloggers etc in countrys with strong censourship flaws and for other good purposes.

 

Seems like the uk police has no idea how to handle cyberworld. Go to sweden and ask them, they are years ahead. They should ask for serverlogfiles what incoming ip has requested what content over the proxy not getting their butts on the host for running the server. They should be gratefull to have tons of evidence from that guy not send him to court.

[Builder]

My opinion remains that just because something is possible it should not automatically be legal. Back when doing stuff like copying music actually involved physical work, I don't think anyone would have denied a feeling of guilt in doing so. But somehow, you put a magnet link in front of someone and all of a sudden the guilt is gone away. Well, I'll tell you what, it hasn't. Anyone that says they've never felt guilt while pirating is either lying or a sociopath.

 

I was torrenting Linux distros and LaTeX package repos before it became synonymous with entertainment theft. I'm sorry the creators of your lolicon aren't willing to give it away for free, @LAwLz. I don't think that problem is as big as having half the internet censored from you in China, half of my closest friends live there.

 

That being said the arrest from these details does seem fishy and @mr moose there are police units for child abuse, there's a whole governmental department stateside.

[mr moose]

My opinion remains that just because something is possible it should not automatically be legal. Back when doing stuff like copying music actually involved physical work, I don't think anyone would have denied a feeling of guilt in doing so. But somehow, you put a magnet link in front of someone and all of a sudden the guilt is gone away. Well, I'll tell you what, it hasn't. Anyone that says they've never felt guilt while pirating is either lying or a sociopath.

 

I was torrenting Linux distros and LaTeX package repos before it became synonymous with entertainment theft. I'm sorry the creators of your lolicon aren't willing to give it away for free, @LAwLz. I don't think that problem is as big as having half the internet censored from you in China, half of my closest friends live there.

 

That being said the arrest from these details does seem fishy and @mr moose there are police units for child abuse, there's a whole governmental department stateside.

 

There are units for it, that's an absolute, but they don't have the power to arrest someone who is abusing children unless they have absolute irrefutable, died in the wool proof (they essentially need to bust in on the act with a video camera and even then sometimes that would not be enough), unlike this anti-piracy unit BS that can arrest someone for running a fucking proxy server.   Where's the fucking justice, I get MAD when this shit happens, I watch so many kids lives get destroyed by this shit (nearly crying while typing) , and it turns out the anti-piracy unit has more power to detain a person than child protection!!!!!  GRRRRRRRR!!!!!

[Builder]

There are units for it, that's an absolute, but they don't have the power to arrest someone who is abusing children unless they have absolute irrefutable, died in the wool proof (they essentially need to bust in on the act with a video camera and even then sometimes that would not be enough), unlike this anti-piracy unit BS that can arrest someone for running a fucking proxy server.   Where's the fucking justice, I get MAD when this shit happens, I watch so many kids lives get destroyed by this shit (nearly crying while typing) , and it turns out the anti-piracy unit has more power to detain a person than child protection!!!!!  GRRRRRRRR!!!!!

It must suck in Australia. Here it's one call to Social Services by a kid and custody is nearly lost already.

 

Like I said, I feel like we're missing enough details to call it a BS arrest, but it smells like it to me. It doesn't make me happy either, I just don't like people jumping on the piracy defense bandwagon when really this is a question of right to privacy, which of course I fully endorse.

[mr moose]

It must suck in Australia. Here it's one call to Social Services by a kid and custody is nearly lost already.

 

Like I said, I feel like we're missing enough details to call it a BS arrest, but it smells like it to me. It doesn't make me happy either, I just don't like people jumping on the piracy defense bandwagon when really this is a question of right to privacy, which of course I fully endorse.

 

You have no idea,  the rights of a parent nearly always outweigh the rights of the child.   

 

My point is quite simple, if they can arrest someone like that (BS or not) for doing something that doesn't even constitute a crime as far as we know, Then there are people who need to be detained (because we know what they are doing)  but can't for lack of evidence. That's gross injustice.

[Builder]

You have no idea,  the rights of a parent nearly always outweigh the rights of the child.   

 

My point is quite simple, if they can arrest someone like that (BS or not) for doing something that doesn't even constitute a crime as far as we know, Then there are people who need to be detained (because we know what they are doing)  but can't for lack of evidence. That's gross injustice.

I do have an idea. Parents lose custody all the time around these parts. I know because I see the horrors that alcoholism has made them as they wander through the streets moaning about losing their child. In elementary school half of the kids in my graduating class were living out of foster homes and orphanages run by Social Services.

[Trik'Stari]

Excuse me, I have question:  Do the police have a unit specifically designated to fight crime on behalf of my industry?  You know seeing as I work with vulnerable children and the courts seem to keep letting abusers walk free, why does the film industry have a special unit dedicated towards it when there are serious problems that need more funding and a better police presence?

Could not agree more. Fuck the music industry and hollywood. If you want me to pay for your shit then make shit that's worth my money.