A General Security Topic Surrounding UK Internet Users.

[Spud1200]

I've been doing some reading folks or TF.net and a bit of research surrounding the Big Brother State we live in after my interest was once again reignited being a UK Internet user.

I have been reading a lot as a matter of a fact and and I have some tips or information for you users out their even if you are not a Member of the likes of TF.com

If your in the UK, and don't use even so much as a Proxy you online are lit up like a Christmas Tree. Every web site you visit will log, and track your movements along with you ISP; for example Virgin, BT, Talk Talk, and Sky.

This will not be a surprise to many or even most of you but if you Torrent for example, I would seriously consider dropping it all to gether to the time being until you can at least get something like PIA 9Private Internet Access) Subscription. If you want a good service and good support with a company thats not going to rat you out the that one could be a serious consideration as they keep a "ZERO" Log policy.

Every Web Site you visit has your IP Address, Sub Net Mask, and ISP Provider.

Hear is an Article from Wiki.

Institutions such as the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) sought help from the government to force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to identify those users suspected of file sharing and to take action against them. With the backing of the government this was made part of the Digital Economy Act and passed into law after Parliamentary debate in April 2010.[6]

As a result of this pressure, the five main ISPs (BT, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk, EE) became responsible for the notification of users identified by the BPI. The notification will be a cease and desist order that will threaten legal action if the behaviour continues or if a compensation payment is not made. Further steps can also be taken by ISP's, if the identified users continue to breach copyright, such as the restriction of the bandwidth available to them or even total disconnection and possible bans or suspensions from the Internet. The movie industry has also signed up to seek action against those it has determined to be persistent infringers of its copyrights.[7]

However, amendments proposed in 2010 to the Digital Economy Bill by the industry regulator Ofcom, made ISPs with fewer than 400,000 subscribers exempt. Also exempt are ISPs that provide mobile broadband access due in part to the way in which this service operates. Exemption for these ISPs may result in users transferring from the larger ISPs to smaller ones. One of the main reasons for providing the exemption is the costs and time-scale required for smaller ISPs to put the monitoring in place.[8]

The legality of the software used by ISPs to monitor the Internet activity of suspected illegal file sharers has itself been called into question because of concerns over the privacy issues that its use raises. Virgin Media want to use new software called Cview, which monitors activity and compares any downloaded material to a database of copyrighted material in order to determine if there has been an infringement. As of 2010 this software was being evaluated for suitability by the European Commission and Ofcom with particular attention to whether the software violates privacy or data protection directives.[9]

The music industry in Britain is not the only industry to seek action against illegal file sharing. The computer games industry, worth an estimated £2 billion, also sought compensation for copyright infringement. Five major game companies: Atari, Codemasters, TopWare Interactive, Reality Pump and Techland, sent notices to over 25,000 UK Internet users they feel have breached their copyright by downloading or sharing games on file sharing websites. The companies demanded a payment of £300 in order to settle the matter out of court, warning that non-payment would result in legal action. In what was a landmark case in terms of file sharing, one company, Topware Interactive, took a user, Isabella Barwinska, to court over copyright infringement of its game Dream Pinball 3D, which had been illegally downloaded, uploaded, and shared with many other users. The court found in favour of Topware Interactive and imposed a penalty of £16,000. Following this case Topware Interactive began planning action against those Internet users known to have downloaded the game from Mrs. Barwinska even though there was no financial gain involved.[10]

In July 2010 the music company, Ministry of Sound, also sent notices to Internet users it claimed had breached its copyright by downloading music tracks. Notices were sent to around 2,000 users via London lawyers Gallant Macmillan demanding a compensation payment of around £350 in order to avoid legal action. Many users have challenged these claims, stating either their innocence or challenging the legality of the action taken.[11]

The BPI, however, does not support mass mailing to end users, preferring to target persistent uploaders who make copyrighted material available to others and persistent downloaders.[11]

The BPI has also complained to Google about illegal downloads and the ease with which these can be located or identified using its search engine, believing that Google has a responsibility to help prevent access to such material and that links to the infringing materials should be removed. Although it should be noted that this material is not actually hosted by Google, but by sites locatable through the use of Google's services.[12]

April 2012 saw the UK high court order five leading UK ISPs to block access to Swedish file sharing website The Pirate Bay.[13] The case was brought after the ISPs refused to block the site voluntarily[14] and after one ISP was ordered to block a similar site Newzbin2 in July 2011.

If they catch you torrenting for example... Wait for it.. Waittttt...... YOU'RE F*ED. .

If you have read this far, then just read one more article as it will prove what I'm saying.

https://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-raid-movie-tv-show-site-three-arrested-150217/

 

[Yami]

If they catch you torrenting for example... Wait for it.. Waittttt...... YOU'RE F*ED. .

Don't torrent, then. At least, not in the UK.

 

[setishock]

The UK is rather strict about a lot of small stuff. I've visited several times in the past but they were so strict I chose not to stay for long. Felt like I was being smothered.

 

[Spicy]

If they catch you torrenting for example... Wait for it.. Waittttt...... YOU'RE F*ED. .

I do think torrenting is wrong but there are so many torrenters out there that it's very hard for ISPs and the Government to do anything about it.

 

[carnageX]

There's nothing inherently wrong with torrents... It's copyrighted material that is distributed via torrents that's the problem. P2P protocols are more than just for piracy - it's an easy way for open source software to distrubute large software, good way for companies to ease server load (Blizzard with their P2P updates for their games, and now Windows with P2P Windows Updates).

 

[donetao]

Hi! Here's my 2 cents! Skype is a wonderful program for those that have loved ones over seas serving our country. It's another good example of what carnage is saying about P2P!

Skype is a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) application. This means that it connects to a wide variety of IP addresses in order to function. Because of this, Skype may sometimes connect to IP addresses that are also known for hosting malicious content.
For this reason, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may block such connections, though this should not affect your usage of Skype or the quality of communication through Skype itself.

 

[setishock]

ARRGGGG Ye scurvy dogs. Holst the jolly roger and let's cast off.

 

[Spud1200]

Don't torrent, then. At least, not in the UK.

I don't torrent being honest. Its just not worth the hassle Yami. People coming to your door asking for this and that at £2 or £3 per DVD. F* that. I couldn't be chewed with the aggravation and then if your caught they switch you internet off. LOL .. I don't think so. I just don't think so.