If you got busted for torrenting couldn't you just say you cheated?

[Sanka113]

I just kinda thought of this after an hour or so of insomnia. If you were caught by some copyright authority/group/douchebags for the illegal distribution of movie "XYZ" in private tracker X, simply by them logging your IP while you were in movie "XYZ" swarm. Couldn't you just say that you were a ratio cheat just trying to increase the buffer of your account so you could trade it for better accounts that you could inevitable sell on ebay and that you never technically uploaded/downloaded anything ? In court you could say

*In a southern accent* "Yo` ona, I may be a cheating, trading, selling scumbag with a huge e-penis on the internetz, but I am certainly no pirate."

Of course, I'm probably overgeneralizing here, but do you think it'd work in some cases? If it worked the worst that could happen would be if the tech guy they had bust you, reported you to the tracker for "cheating". I'd take getting banned at a tracker over getting sued anyday.

[Blackbeard]

They would know by your isp logs.

[H&K]

As far as i could see, the ratio fixing programs actually send out bits of data. Therefore to the feds it would seem that you are helping upload and are therefore spreading pirated material.

Unless you download TBs a month and/or use some sort of scene or p2l axx then you'll be safe.

[ajsi]

it is a nice idea lol, but before they will knock at your doors, they will make themselves sure that you really upload movies/something with copyrights, not just cheat. they are not so stupid, don't worry

[Stranger99]

i really lold...creative :lol:

[benficao]

thank god, i have wireless and i dont know, its possible to put a password, in it, and it was someone stealing my broadband who stole thoese files never me!

[sheriff 01]

Sanka113 i think you could come up with a better excuse than that to get out of a jam.
C'mon bro, think hard this time and try to come up with a better excuse and then report your findings back to me. If you fail to come up with a good one i will post here an excuse that will work everytime!:)

[Tokeman]

Easiest excuse: I had a virus
All you need is probable doubt.

[Sanka113]

In all seriousness, there's too many variables involved to bust or even threaten you if an agency or group wanted to try to pin something on you, just having your IP in the swarm. Now, even if they actually involved your IP provider they still wouldn't be able to pinpoint that your downloading (uploading is a different case) your data from p2p and not some other kind of data through ftp or whatnot. The only way they could tell you were truly seeding the illegally shared file in the swarm is to be in the swarm themselves which would incriminate them to. Once again, I'm generalizing here, if any tech or law experts want to chime in your more than welcome to.

[horiZen]

using prog's like "your-freedom"(paying service) should circumvent any sort of ip log/packet sniffing
it's more $ layout but if security is an issue its very efficient, i'm sure there are other alternatives but i can vouch for their service as i use it and have had no problems

[piratebot]

someone hacked my router is what it is.

[interwebz]

yea id go with the stolen wireless route. its much more likely and it would be hell for them to disprove.

[ajsi]

Now, even if they actually involved your IP provider they still wouldn't be able to pinpoint that your downloading (uploading is a different case) your data from p2p and not some other kind of data through ftp or whatnot. The only way they could tell you were truly seeding the illegally shared file in the swarm is to be in the swarm themselves which would incriminate them to. and sir, that is not correct. isp is able to find out which port have you used during the downloading and which file packets have you transfered(p2p in this case) ;)

[manbearpig]

Umm.. What are torrents?? I don't know anything about torrents.. What is securing your router?? :P What is hacking.. I just do my office stuff in my pc.. Can you download movies in computer.. How??

Best lie evar!!

[Sanka113]

If they ask you about torrents , you say "the old cat lady down the street has bad torrents. Often people see her inexplicably cursing and throwing cats at people. I Didn't know it could be contagious."

[Tokeman]

Now, even if they actually involved your IP provider they still wouldn't be able to pinpoint that your downloading (uploading is a different case) your data from p2p and not some other kind of data through ftp or whatnot. The only way they could tell you were truly seeding the illegally shared file in the swarm is to be in the swarm themselves which would incriminate them to. and sir, that is not correct. isp is able to find out which port have you used during the downloading and which file packets have you transfered(p2p in this case) ;)

1. You can set BT to any port, so that doesn't matter
2. They couldn't tell the difference between me seeding a new movie or say, some free Linux distro if its encrypted.

[SaviouR]

busting for only torrenting is probably one in a billion chance really . even if they do , they will probably be interested in a massive uploader who may/may not have Scene connections , and yes those excuses dont work as they will have sufficient proof to nail , they dont catch a torrenter saying "hey ! its a xyz country ip sharing , lets pose a 1000$ fine on him !". The most important priority for them is going after the Scene itself and basically its not tough for them at all to bust anyone out there , even Sceners . All the paying programs for privacy , SSL encrypted tunnel services etc etc will be the first ones to rat you out if a raid occurs .

[horiZen]

its very difficult to trace ip's when servers dont log your ip(mine does not log, be careful as many others DO log your IP), even if they had a fix on your ip they still have to analyse/identify what data you are putting though and to where(usually done by packet header sniffers) using SSL encryption over a secure port(443) makes it near impossible for them ;)

morale of the story-make sure your server doesnt log ip/use true SSL encryption(port 443)

[basilhaydens]

Actually it isn't really clear at the moment. Sharing infringing files is clearly unlawful, but the matter of torrents is not at all well developed in the legal realm.

I would say this much: you cannot just claim you cheated as you imagine the defense, you would have to prove that you were just cheating.

[Swift]

maybe you did something else like trade/flame/swearing staff/racist etc. there are many explenations :D

[thrillerboy]

lol.... Gr8 idea.....

I expect more from you..... you could do better :p

[ajsi]

and sir, that is not correct. isp is able to find out which port have you used during the downloading and which file packets have you transfered(p2p in this case) ;)

1. You can set BT to any port, so that doesn't matter
2. They couldn't tell the difference between me seeding a new movie or say, some free Linux distro if its encrypted.
i thought you cannot set up the port 80 for example in utorrent...

[Tokeman]

If I recall, its the sites that restrict ports, not the clients. But my point is, theres no one really using the 'official' bt port, at least not among us here.

[Polarbear]

if you got busted for cheating couldn't you just say you torrented?

oh no wait, that's what they do all the time.

[Sanka113]

If you busted by someone for cheating because they were really being busted for torrenting then at the same time your stepdad hits you for getting busted for torrenting then you have a busted lip too.

[jasperr]

it is a nice idea lol, but before they will knock at your doors, they will make themselves sure that you really upload movies/something with copyrights, not just cheat. they are not so stupid, don't worry

that's not true at all, you would think thats how they should do it but, in reality them "watchdog groups" and private firms hired for such monitoring ... all they do is scan for what they THINK may be pirated material .. and record your ip.. thats it, nothing else .. then they get your info from your more than cooperative isp and blamo your on a list.. and thats all they know. there is no real investigation into whether you actually did it or not.. they figure they have your ip, so you must be guilty ... and they will go to great lengths to prove it also while despretly avoiding the issue of how they came about getting their info..

the wireless route is the best defense so far, they loathe it.. and as such the mapaa, mpiaa have beded themselves with some isps enough to spark the isps to try to automaticly disconnect users for having non-secure wireless nets.. to avoid such deffenses from being used..

but yeah, in the end all they need is your ip.. and they will go after you ..

[TheFoX]

Just remember that cheat programs only cheat the tracker, and not each other. Torrent clients need to announce exactly how much data they have to each other, otherwise the data transfer just does not happen. After all, if you have 10% but are bragging to other clients you have 90%, they ain't gonna send you any data.

Considering that the authorities use the same tools as we do (why write your own when there are some freely available), then clients are going to be honest with each other.

The best excuse is the wireless router one, where you feign technical ignorance, although this may soon be an invalid excuse.

A recent case where a wireless router was blame was the case of Bush (MPAA) vs Saddam Hussein. Hussein was accused of aiding the distribution of a number of motion pictures protected under international copyright laws, yet he argued that Iran had tapped into his wireless router. The conclusion was that Saddam Hussein was found guilty, and hung, for illegally distributing 5 Disney films, and Iraq had all it's oil reserves confiscated.

Be warned...