Can anyone give me any tips on keeping myself from getting busted on limewire? I move all my files after each session and I'm behiind a firewall, is there anything else i can do?

Move to the Land of the Free®

No, the real one

Never upload, at all, ever, that's all anyone gets really "busted" for. Never allow yourself to become an Ultranode or Ultrapeer/leaf.

Then you'll be safe enough - No one can see your searches or what you do, and the only person that can see what you're downloading is the one you're downloading from, and since he's commiting a felony, and a far worse thing than you are, you don't have to worry that it's a "sting" or anything.

Also, never use Kazza/Morpheus, and either use bittorrent anonymously or with a hacked "no upload" program. If you're really paranoid get a hacked "no download no upload" that will just download more redundant data and not let anyone know what's going on - But for just downloading WITHOUT uploading, you're very safe since that's almost always a civil thing and not a criminal thing and they know they can get in deep shit messing with downloaders when they can just go for the hundreds of millions of uploaders safely.

I find that rather selfish to be honest. Bit Torrent runs on the foundation that people both download and upload. Leechers ruin it for the rest of us.

If you can't take the time, don't do the crime. I do the crime because I will get no time here in the land of the very free. I don't like to know that there are people in un-free countries that just leech so they can cover their asses.

I'm not picking a fight with you Beryl, I understand the point you're making is to be safe... but I think its kind of a selfish point.

Posted by Particle Man I'm not picking a fight with you Beryl, I understand the point you're making is to be safe... but I think its kind of a selfish point.

1) Uploading is just as illegal in Canada as it is in the US and everywhere else; only downloading is illegal, and you can be prosecuted and charged just fine as many have been.

2) If someone wants to break the law and put themselves at risk of thousands of dollars and a criminal record to only benefit others, that's their choice. In my country, and yours, downloading is legal. Should you expect others to risk their money and even lots of future possibilities (everything from jobs to no longer being able to even visit the US) for only your and other's gains when they get nothing out of it? Personally, I think that's incredibly stupid. I'm fine with sharing, and I always seed legal uploads such as Anime torrents to help propagate and share them, but I'm certainly not going to choose to change from legally downloading for personal use to illegally putting my ass on the line for just some random dude downloading stuff off the internet.

If you want to risk loosing your computer, loosing possibly thousands of dollars, getting a permanent criminal record, possible jail time (for an organized site such as OiNK, this should be expected, as all uploads are logged permanately), and whatever else just because you want to share or pretend you're Robin Hood or something, go ahead.

I'll stay on the "legal" side, thanks. Selfish? Well, considering that on one side you get something legally, and the other side you give something with no credit or return illegally, I wouldn't consider that selfish at all. If it wasn't a offense, such as a Linux Distro or an Anime Fansub, then yes, it would be being a hog.



Or let me put it this way with a very similar situation:
Marijuana is decriminalized in both Canada and Germany for generic personal use but forbidden in the US under all circumstances, much like downloading; and is illegal to traffic in or redistribute, much like uploading.

Would you, under the name of "Sharing for Everyone" (or whatever concept your "selfish" tirade was based on) bring a dufflebag of marijuana to an airport (Bittorrent downloads and uploads are 100% open to all authorities and can be instantly monitored and inspected at any time, so yes, this is a 100% apt analogy) and attempt to risk boarding a plane to the US just so you could give absolutely random strangers some pot (again risking thousands of dollars of fines, prison terms, and a nasty record)without charging them a cent or getting any recognition or ANYTHING whatsoever out of it?

I'd say that's lunacy.

Being fair is one thing, putting your life at risk of going bankrupt and ruining your future just so a random stranger can get a copy of Windows or whatever is just fucking ridiculous - but if you honestly think that's "too selfish", then, by all means, share away: Downloading from you isn't a crime; everyone who downloaded and benefitted from your misguided generosity will just go on their normal lives while you try to work off the consequences from risking yourself for no possible benefit other than the quelling of a pathological conscience... I dunno, maybe for the years it would take to pay off the debt or serve your sentence, you might even feel like sharing a movie to a bunch of teen dopes who would've otherwise gotten it from the same source as you did (likely from a place where uploading *IS* legal or unprosecuted), or, oh GOSH, otherwise simply not have had the chance to get latest version of Photoshop for free that one day, was some kind of a Noble Deed or something.

I just posted this in another thread, but here it is again:

http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2/

Peer Guardian 2 blocks known government and industry IPs. Should help.

Posted by DriverDan I just posted this in another thread, but here it is again: http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2/ Peer Guardian 2 blocks known government and industry IPs. Should help.

As I said in the other thread: So the person does the work from home, uses a generic ISP account for snooping, or hires someone as a "consultant". Either way, they'd have a standard IP address that wouldn't be blocked that they could change randomly at any time by a 2-second drop/reconnect. It would also be silly to not do this, or else everyone would just block "*.riaa.*" and get off scot free - There is no penalty (save, perhaps, a 10$ per month charge for a generic connection outside of their official address space) and a huge benefit to the organisation.

Also, "blocked" is a relative thing, just because your computer doesn't communicate to me directly in a torrent doesn't mean I can't see that you're there, what your ISP is, what your download status is, etc... Depends on how the network operates...

PeerGuardian helps, but it isn't foolproof. I also wouldn't use BitTorrent with no upload, it isn't good for the network and many trackers will kick/ban you for doing so.

Suggestions:
- Soulseek has tons of music by underground artists, and little mainstream crap. AFAIK the RIAA hasn't busted anyone from there (not worth it to them; as I said, there is almost nothing mainstream). You can also choose to share with friends only, which is what I do.
Notes: people will block you if you don't share while downloading from them; going into the chat rooms and asking is the best way to find really obscure things; and there is no multisource downloading, so be ready to wait for your files. Despite this, Soulseek is the best place to get indie things other than DC++, and safer. http://www.slsknet.org

- Use BitTorrent over I2P, a totally anonymous network. Azureus (the open source Java BT client) has a plugin for doing this. There is no way to get busted using I2P, the RIAA simply can't track you down.

- Use MUTE or ANTS P2P. Also anonymous, no way to get busted, but downloads take forever and there isn't much available (yet).

- DON'T USE LIMEWIRE OR KAZAA! These networks are the worst in terms of people getting busted. Better yet, don't download anything by the major labels.

I also started using an anonomous proxy server, I'm assuming that will help.

I'm aware that PG doesn't protect you completely. That's why I said it will help, not solve the problem. There will always be IPs it doesn't have blocked.

I2P sounds pretty interesting. I'm going to have to look into that. I've never tried using a proxy with BT. I've been meaning to try Tor.

Well, there's always Hamachi: http://hamachi.cc

What it is
With Hamachi you can organize two or more computers with an Internet connection into their own virtual network for direct secure communication.

Hamachi is fast, secure and simple. It is also free.

What's in it for me
Think - LAN over the Internet.

Think - Zero-configuration VPN.

Think - Secure peer-to-peer.

Access computers remotely. Use Windows File Sharing. Play LAN games. Run private Web or FTP servers. Communicate directly. Stay connected.

Technology
Hamachi is a zero-configuration virtual private networking application with an open security architecture and NAT-to-NAT traversal capabilities.

Hamachi is the first application to mix seemingly unrelated networking technologies in one powerful package to deliver an unprecedented level of peer-to-peer connectivity. More ...

Security
Hamachi is secure. All Hamachi communications are encrypted and authenticated with industry-standard algorithms and protocols. Nobody will be able to see what two Hamachi peers are talking about. Not even us.

However what is equally important - Hamachi security architecture is completely open meaning that its detailed description is available for the review to anyone interested.

hmmm. nice find. UER network anyone?

I have the "ad-supported" kazaa which refreshes every 30 seconds...and just for it being on my kazaa...I get .99 everytime I see one...so therefore I am paying for my downloads...dammit

Posted by Sinister Crayon hmmm. nice find. UER network anyone?

I agree....sounds interesting. Soon as I learn about it, anyway.

From ars.technica:


Complete list from the MPAA press release:

Torrent sites:

• BTHub.com
  
• Isohunt.com
  
• NiteShadow.com
  
• TorrentBox.com
  
• TorrentSpy.com
  
  E-Donkey:
  
  
• Ed2k-It.com
  
  Usenet/Website:
  
  
• NZB-Zone.com
  
• BinNews.com
  
• DVDRs.net
  

============================

MPAA turns attention to USENET, takes on Torrentspy, Isohunt, others

2/24/2006 8:56:22 AM, by Ryan Paul

The MPAA has filed (PDF) seven more lawsuits in their ongoing efforts to "thwart illegal file swapping on major pirate networks." The targets are various high-traffic web sites that facilitate piracy using services like BitTorrent, eDonkey, and USENET. The MPAA hopes that shutting down these web sites will make it more difficult for the "pirate networks" to accumulate and distribute copyrighted material.

Popular sites Torrentspy and Isohunt are among those listed in the press release as piracy perpetrators presently under scrutiny. According to the MPAA, these sites provide illegal access to tens of thousands of copyrighted works, and facilitate millions of illegal downloads.

The latest legal assault is unique in that it also includes the first MPAA lawsuits against web sites like NZB-Zone.com and BinNews.com that help users orchestrate USENET piracy. According to MPAA executive vice president and director of worldwide anti-piracy operations John G. Malcom, the MPAA is now vigorously pursuing legal action against web site operators that aid and promote piracy on the Internet:

Website operators who abuse technology to facilitate infringements of copyrighted works by millions of people are not anonymous - they can and will be stopped. Disabling these powerful networks of illegal file distribution is a significant step in stemming the tide of piracy on the Internet."

In the past year, the MPAA has shut down about 75 separate Torrent and eDonkey sites. Last week, they successfully toppled the Razorback2 eDonkey server, which was one of the largest in the world with over 1 million simultaneous users at any given time. The MPAA's approach is clear: target the front-ends if the backend network is untouchable.

Is the MPAA fighting a battle it can't hope to win? It depends on the victory conditions. Certainly many of these web sites will be replaced with others, and life will go on; this has happened more than once before in the wake of a major torrent search-site takedown. Of course, most are in agreement that even if the MPAA's aggressive legal tactics finally manage to put the public realm of piracy under close watch, users will simply move towards private file sharing networks that will allow them to evade detection and unwanted snooping. One must ask, however, if this is not the point. If piracy cannot be eliminated, driving it underground may seem like the next best option.

Although the MPAA's frustration with piracy facilitators is understandable, the MPAA could better serve its own interests by working to establish a legal alternative to file sharing that can provide consumers with flexible and affordable Internet content delivery capable of meeting the needs of modern consumers.

http://www.mpaa.or...ses/2006_02_23.pdf

Edit: added link to MPAA press release

It happened to SuprNova, it'll happen again. We just have to keep hitting them where it hurts and *eventually* they will find alternatives such as providing legal ways to download. And for that to work they must realize that it can't be 99 cents a movie, it has to be a monthly fee or it won't work.

Posted by Sinister Crayon It happened to SuprNova, it'll happen again. We just have to keep hitting them where it hurts and *eventually* they will find alternatives such as providing legal ways to download. And for that to work they must realize that it can't be 99 cents a movie, it has to be a monthly fee or it won't work.

It may eventually come to that, once the current generation of greedy old men retires or dies. I keep thinking of Jack Valenti, the former head of the MPAA who testified to a Congressional committee that the VCR was to the movie industry what the Boston Strangler was to women alone. Needless to say, the movie industry made billions off of VHS videotape sales, and now they're doing the same off of DVDs.

Rather than being the death of the industry, it has actually breathed new life into it. Downloading is going to be the same way--eventually you'll be able to download movies for a flat fee per month--I'd dare say that there would be a lot of people willing to throw money at them for this. Demand will only increase with improvements in available bandwidth. What is it they have now in France... 10Mbps for the equivalent of $20 or $30 per month? The MPAA's nightmare is just starting.

EGV

I've gotten it up and running, it's a bit slow, compared to direct connections, but it's anonymous for all practical purposes.

I've got a mixture of Tor, Privoxy and uTrorrent up and running, it's real easy to setup so you're anonymous to the tracker, a bitch kitty to get running with anonymous peer connections as well.

http://www.gotroot.com/tiki-index.php?page=Anonymous+Bittorrent+with+TOR

The faq says you HAVE to run azureus if you're on windows, otherwise you can't port HTTP through proxy, I got news for em - works fine with SocksCap.

http://www.socks.permeo.com/TechnicalResources/SOCKSFAQ/SocksCapFAQ.asp

Quick note here about running BT through TOR, or anything through TOR- it's really slow...really really slow, but if all you get off your butts and setup TOR servers (like I have) and we expand the network a bit it'll only get better, and more anonymous.

You pay for anonymity by begging for your bandwidth, The TOR server setup is fairly straightforward, and the bandwidth regulator works well, even if you only decide to work as a middle man server with no exit point you can help out.

Has anyone here played with the I2P network stuff?