“Acts to protect privacy” and decides to prevent US courts from violating its user privacy rules.
It appears that TorrentSpy, one of the more popular public BitTorrent tracker sites around, has decided to circumvent a federal court ruling ordering it to begin tracking user activities on the site by opting instead to formally cut off access to searches by US visitors.
It was noted before how TorrentSpy and ISOHunt planned to use a hash-based system called FileRights to automatically filter BitTorrent trackers that link to pirated content from its search results to help satisfy a suit brought against them by the MPAA for the illegal facilitation of copyrighted material, but it has apparently decided to take the matter one stop further by halting access by US visitors altogether.
In a posting made on TorrentSpy’s blog early this morning, it’s made clear that this decision wasn’t their first choice, but that it was decided to be the best course of action in order to protect user privacy.
It reads
TorrentSpy Acts to Protect Privacy
Torrentspy.com, an International search engine that provides links to torrent files, has decided to stop accepting visitors from the United States.
Torrentspy’s servers are located in the Netherlands and is subject to International privacy laws including those in the European Union.
Torrentspy.com has a strong privacy policy protecting site users against the linking of personal identifying information to searches absent user consent.
Torrentspy’s decision to stop accepting US visitors was NOT compelled by any Court rather it arises out of an uncertain legal climate in the United States regarding user privacy and the apparent tension between US and European Union Internet privacy laws.
Many are already rightfully upset with the decision, and it could spell big trouble for the ultimate long term viability of the site considering that more than 15% of visitors are US residents.
One person responds to the posting by writing that “Yea it really does suck, it kind of feels like torrentspy just turned its back on us all. Came to login just to find I was locked out,” he writes. “Well f— that I’m not going to seed any of the 100somthin torrents I’ve downloaded. Thanks again torrentspy for turning your backs on everyone.”
He’s not alone in his anger with many more posting their obvious contempt for both TorrentSpy as well for US courts who seem to think the other countries must comply with US laws merely because the internet has allowed them to connect to US visitors.
Now US visitors who do try to search the site for available content are greeted with a nice little advisory telling you to basically go elsewhere.
It reads:
Torrentspy Acts to Protect Privacy
Sorry, but because you are located in the USA you cannot use the search features of the Torrentspy.com website. Torrentspy’s decision to stop accepting US visitors was NOT compelled by any Court but rather an uncertain legal climate in the US regarding user privacy and an apparent tension between US and European Union privacy laws.
How’s that for the future of BitTorrent tracker sites? It may just be that one after another are intimidated into fencing the US off from the “evils” of the rest of the world so that we become a Chinese-esque nation of proxies and subterfuge to see an unedited view of the once free internet.
In any event, until the matter is resolved in US courts, which is not likely to happen for some time, I recommend using the TorPark browser, which is a Firefox-based browser that uses a built-in version of the Tor anonymizer. The best part is that you can also use it at work or school since it can run directly from a USB thumb drive, or any form of portable storage media (the browser comes in at a lightweight 7 MB), without any installation.
digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/tech_news/TorrentSpy_Decides_to_Block_US_Visitors’;
Looking for more stuff to watch or download?
The Pirate Bay: ‘Will TorrentSpy now be PrivacySpy?’
ISOHunt to start filtering content
TorrentSpy may cut off access to US visitors
TorrentSpy’s Attorney Wants an ‘Evolution’ for US Copyright Law
Tips on how to not get busted for file-sharing
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BitTorrent torrent sites & search engines
uTorrent – A Beginner’s guide to BitTorrent downloading
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News Tip? Comment? Suggestion? jared@zeropaid.com
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What does it say when you go there? To the us visitors.
Well that wasy easy enough to get around it. I loaded my “Easy-hide-IP” proxy chose an IP from EU and I started searching TorrentSpy’s website easily again and I am located in the US.
Even easier is to just the TorPark browser………..but to tell you the truth with Suprnova.org relaunched it makes sense for everybody to just start using that instead. Its content is better filtered and it isn’t so hijacked with adware and other nonsense.
well I don’t know about u but who needs public trackers that report ur IP to president bush…
if u really like public use thepiratebay or suprbay.
Yeah this is NOT going to be a “loss” to Americans at all…they will either get around it or just go somewhere else. And since they had a LOT of people from America using the site it will be Torrentspy that will feel the crunch. The Americans will just go somewhgere else.
This is no loss at all I love how the government thinks they’re cutting us off when really they’re not. Keep running on the hamster wheel called progress. Head on down to ThePirateBay.org loads of torrents! Pirate away boys =^^=
Lol… i don’t see whats the big deal. All you have to do is use a proxy to search Torrentspy very easy to find and use. This “Locking United States IP’s” changes nothing for me or anyone else willing to learn how to browse behind a proxy.