UK-T Shut Down For Good, Database Deleted

http://torrentfreak.com/images/wheelmods.jpg

UK-T Shut Down For Good, Database Deleted

I have 3 good stories I want to post today, sorry if I bump anyone off the front page.

In 2005, the MPAA initiated a crackdown on BitTorrent sites linking to TV shows. Among those was UK-Torrents, a site that was later reborn as secretive private tracker UK-T. Four years later and UK-T is gone for good, but with no official announcements the exact circumstances are still unclear.

After sharing using BitTorrent increased rapidly in popularity during 2004/2005, the MPAA could wait no longer and moved to pressure and shut down several sites.

Bragginrights, ShunTV, Btefnet, CDDVDHeaven, SciFi-Classics and Zonatracker served around 100,000 users between them, and were all targeted with lawsuits in May 2005. Earlier in the year moves were also made against LokiTorrent, s0nicfreak and TorrentStop.

While others faded away, users and admins of some of these sites regrouped to form new sites, and from the ashes of another targeted site, UK-Torrents, UK-T was born.

After the scares of 2005, becoming a large and open site became less attractive. With security in mind UK-T was an invite-only private tracker with an estimated membership of less than 5000. The site also had a fake frontend which gave birth to its codename: Wheel Mods

Some might wonder why the site is being referred to in the past tense after a healthy four years’ operation. The reason is that the site is no more.

In the absence of any official announcement either by the site’s staff or any anti-piracy outfit, details about the shutdown have been very difficult to obtain. After sitting on this story for quite a while, TorrentFreak managed to get a couple of individuals close to the site’s owners to part with a few pieces of information.

According to our sources a senior member of staff experienced legal issues following allegations of selling counterfeit DVDs which led to a search of his home address. Reports from a second source close to the situation claim that there have been further arrests of site staff, although we have been unable to confirm these reports at this point.

Some facts, however, seem fairly solid. Ex-site members are assured that they are safe, since staff quickly took the opportunity to securely delete the site and databases. However, the bad news is that the site will not be returning.

:source: Source: TorrentFreak

:dabs:

At least we have some concrete information.

Top actions of the staff as well to protect their members... with shit like that about to come down on them it would have been easy to just have thought of themselves...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Burnsy

Top actions of the staff as well to protect their members... with shit like that about to come down on them it would have been easy to just have thought of themselves...

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+1

It's big news, still have trouble believeing/accepting it...

PI

at least there is some closure

real sad news...but at the very least, the staff were genuinely caring till the very end of the site

good luck to them in their future endeavors

Another site beats the dust,shame.

well which tracker dies next. FTN