Threat to BitTorrent

As many of you know, a new private BitTorrent tracker has sprung up after Brokenstones was shut down to fill the void of a mac tracker. I thought this was a great thing and instantly got involved. That is, until I discovered how greedy the owner really is and what her plans were. The owner of this tracker, RachelFaith, has a giant master plan to unite all bittorrent trackers as a legal business front as something that cannot be taken down. At the same time, she has pay2leech setup at such rediculous amounts that it undermines all tried and true torrent economy systems and serves only as a get rich quick scheme for her. Talk about greed at others' expense. She has also registered Vortex Network as a legal business, but pays no taxes, so there's another problem right there. Add that all on top of treating the staff wrong except for the few she likes, and the fact that she has no earthly concept of how to run anything related to bittorrent or a website, and you have one tracker destined for disaster. I am writing this to inform the community to stay away at all costs, because when Vortex finally does fall, it will fall hard, and I wouldn't want to see anyone get sucked in to being a part of their incompetence.

Such a plan would never work. Trying to unite and legitimize all bittorrent trackers, which are all most likely taking part in some kind of copyright infringement, is a surefire way to attract more heat, lawsuits, and international investigation than you can shake a stick at. Not sure if any of that is true about Vortex, though.

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Originally Posted by integral

Not sure if any of that is true about Vortex, though.

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It's all 100% true

My eternal inner skeptic simply wonders what motive you'd have for posting this...? Revenge?

However I'll respectfully ask you if you have anything credible to back up your theories.

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Originally Posted by bblogs

My eternal inner skeptic simply wonders what motive you'd have for posting this...? Revenge?

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informing the masses ?

Wow, even if all of this is true, one crackpot new site owner and all bittorrent is threatened. :lol:

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Originally Posted by dragos

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Originally Posted by bblogs

My eternal inner skeptic simply wonders what motive you'd have for posting this...? Revenge?

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informing the masses ?

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Bugger, I just did my part. I'm not posting in this thread again. :dry:

I have posted this to inform the masses, not as revenge or whatever else. I also cannot tell who I am for personal reasons, hence why I am posting on this account. Yes I do have a credible backing, as I had a certain position on Vortex. And yes, one site owner who gets about 11,000 people to believe what she does can hurt us all due to their expectance of this type of mentality throughout the community

:sleep: Who cares what some dumb bitch on a mac tracker thinks.

Well,If it is true,we will find out I guess...

I'm stupid? Yes, I am.

None accusation must be taking in consideration if no proofs provided.
I could say that you are a FBI agent, somebody moving by hate or even that you come from Mars. And I should get the same credibility than you.
You say you have a background, a reputation, etc... bullshit, if you really know what you are talking about and you are motivated by fair reasons, then you have to decide between hiding behind an anonymous username and look like a hater or act like a honest person and tell what you have to tell being who you really are.
Maybe you´re right, but I don´t care, until I have some real proof or argument, not an accusation made by Whothehellknowswhoandwhy.

and also, their total monthly server expenses due to using freely available site software and tracker solutions is less than $200, which makes this look even more like highway robbery.

Donations
All donors get the Golden Tornado.

Patron A person who is a customer, client, paying guest, or a person who supports with money, gifts, efforts, or endorsement.

Noble A privileged peer, distinguished by rank or title, belonging to a class that is composed of those who exemplify special exalted character or excellent status or are otherwise famous; illustrious; or renowned for their ideals or conduct.

$10 = 10GB & Automatic Patron for 30 days.
$20 = 25GB & Automatic Patron for 90 days.
$30 = 50GB & Automatic Patron for 180 days.
$40 = 75GB & Automatic Patron for 240 days.
$50 = 100GB & Permanent Patron Class.
$75= 100GB & Nobel Class for 60 days.
$100 = 250GB & Nobel Class for 120 days.
$250 = 500GB & Permanent Nobility.

If any total in any 365 days equals or exceeds the $250 mark, permanent Nobility is granted.

Site and design © 2008 Vortex Network

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Originally Posted by Guest24

Donations
All donors get the Golden Tornado.

Patron A person who is a customer, client, paying guest, or a person who supports with money, gifts, efforts, or endorsement.

Noble A privileged peer, distinguished by rank or title, belonging to a class that is composed of those who exemplify special exalted character or excellent status or are otherwise famous; illustrious; or renowned for their ideals or conduct.

$10 = 10GB & Automatic Patron for 30 days.
$20 = 25GB & Automatic Patron for 90 days.
$30 = 50GB & Automatic Patron for 180 days.
$40 = 75GB & Automatic Patron for 240 days.
$50 = 100GB & Permanent Patron Class.
$75= 100GB & Nobel Class for 60 days.
$100 = 250GB & Nobel Class for 120 days.
$250 = 500GB & Permanent Nobility.

If any total in any 365 days equals or exceeds the $250 mark, permanent Nobility is granted.

Site and design © 2008 Vortex Network

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seems like an extreme p2l to me...i mean look at those numbers. That just shows that most of the money is going straight into the owner's pocket

And?

Lots of trackers are like that, and sometimes its the only way for new trackers to keep their head above water (even we did it when we first started out, then we seen the light).

It wont be the first and it definately wont be the last.

..

So don't donate.Who cares if you are a patron or not?
Although it is extreme no one is twisting anyone's arm here.

A $250 donation, I've never ever seen such a sum mentioned on a tracker before.

The expectation that someone would actually consider that amount must be there for the figure to be quoted in the first place.

However, it's up to members what they decide to do, not me or the OP bitching on a public forum, the members themselves will decide what is, and isn't, a fair donation for what they get.

It's all checks & balances, and if a person wants to run an internet torrent site as a means of employment, so what, it takes a lot of time & effort in keeping something like that afloat, some will dislike it, some will embrace it, just leave it to their userbase to decide what is and isn't ethical.

One man's wine is another man's vinegar, if you don't like something then either move on or fight it from within, not create a new account here and whine about it, sounds like sour grapes.

A discussion not a debate.

That is what I shall be doing. In a debate, sides present their case and then some other party gets to decide.
In a discussion, both sides can present their case and then that is that.
They are each understood. But there is not the presumption that persuasion will occur.

I know this “debate” has been around for longer than p2p. I know the roots run deep and no one post can
persuade those whose minds are already made up.
Thus, this is a discussion. Feel free to discuss for as long as you wish.
Feel free to ‘debate’ if you wish. Know that I am not interested in debate.

With that being said, let me make the brief introduction and outline the points I hope to present.
There are many issues, and not all of them are even related, so keeping this as a discussion not a debate,
allows the latitude to include all the points being raised even if some are not germane.


The list of points:

P2L is bad, impure, and somehow against the spirit of something greater. It makes others (those who pay not seed)
who are for this reason not as good as others (those who see seeding as the ultimate sign) equal.

Yeah, it does exactly that. It says, just because you seed and do not donate, you are not better than someone who donates
and does not seed as much as you. If you are offended by the equality of the two different ways in which status can be obtained,
that is your personal feeling.
But a feeling is not a fact. Choose to act upon a feeling and not a fact, and you act irrationally. That is also a fact.

The fact is, we fully declare that there is no superiority between those who seed and those who donate. None.
We are neutral, unbiased and blind to any such thought, rejecting totally and without repentance the notion that seeders are “better” than “donors”.

That this is a point of contention for those who would like to think they are better than someone else – because their way is pure – is a very
old elitist mentality which we fully intend to eradicate.
In short such thinking is beyond bullshit, and the mark of juvenile thinking and weak egos who cannot bear the thought that they are not superior to someone else.


This is why we do not have the titles as plain as other sites.

Take the word user, or power user. What is a user? Someone who uses something or someone. This too has been rejected.
You will never see the word user in any of our rules or guides. You, the people are not users. You are not using us, using each other,
or using the community. You are members, each equal under the rules and given the same opportunity to succeed or fail in your own right.

Now the other end. The VIPs. We do not have this term either. Rejected is the idea that someone is more important or very important
beyond anyone else. All members are part of the same body. Any opinion from any member is received with the same hope, optimism and credibility as is any other.
Each will be weighed on the merits of the idea, not on some favored status. You are all Very Important People.
Words have meaning, and we have chosen the theme and the words for the titles with that care in mind.


What are the other problems? The red herring. Server costs. Let us be very clear. Vortex Network is not a tracker. It has a tracker.
True enough. And we come to existence from the ashes of a tracker. Also true. But this is not who we are, where we are going and what is to be the future.

We are more than a tracker. We are more than 22,000 members. Not yet, not today, not this hour. But sooner than later.
Sooner than many but a very small few who really understand what is going on, would dare to believe. So let us be clearer for all.

We are a legal and legitimate Tax Exempt Corporation. Any other site taking money of any kind for any reasons and not filing with the
authorities needs to face the facts that p2p may not have ever put anyone in prison, but tax evasion has done so to the best of mice and men.


There are two schools of thought. One is old and is the conventional thinking. One is new and is the wisdom we present.

The first school of thought says this: Our technology is forbidden by most authorities, we must be small, quiet, hidden and meek.
If we get caught we must lie and erase our activities. We, by these actions admit our guilt and we believe ourselves to be criminals.
Nothing, will or can change and we must act in this belief.

We reject every element of that thought. We embrace a better future. We believe the statutes change. We believe public perception changes.
We are students of the law, of history and we are agents of change.

Like those before us who stood for the right of men to be free of slavery, like those before us whose suffrage was to bring the right of women to vote,
and like those before us who have stood even for their most basic of human rights under much worse oppression and tyranny, we stand to bring the necessary changes
to the use of p2p technology and to the common sense rights for intellectual property as well.


We do not hide. We are not criminals. Our behavior will not be that of cowards, criminals or those who are ashamed to speak out truth in this, a darkened night.


Your donation is not for access to a tracker. That access is free.
And as the seeder club has pointed out, a donation is not needed at all to seed or even to build a ratio, provided you are willing to wait long enough.

Your donation will fund this change. It will provide us the opportunity to build a community far beyond 22,000 members, beyond 220,000 members.
It will change the whole misunderstanding about what p2p technology is, does and who and why we are doing what we do.


Our effort will be public, it will be open, it will be legal, and you will see exactly where your contributions are going.
And we use the word contribution, because it is not just a donation of money, but of time and effort, which will be rewarded as well.

This is just a single small step into a new world vision. This is but the tiniest spark of hope in a hopeless future.
We are asking you to be part of that spark. To be keen to lighting the brush fire which then can never be extinguished!



And to our dear friends who cannot. To those whom we still love and respect, we wish you the best in your efforts.
We bear no ill will to those who, in their own belief cannot see, cannot hear and will not act.
We ask only, that you let us do so. We ask this in friendship and sincerity.

We know these are real differences and they are real points of objection. We understand the thinking of fear.
Do not think we are deaf to it or ignorant of it.
We know you are uncomfortable with our choice, and you feel safer in your isolation.
That is the freedom we all share. The choice we all make.
You can go in peace or stay and be peaceful.


This is not a debate. This is a direction and a path. You are welcome to walk it with us, or stop and wait and watch, or run and hide as far as you may need to run.
We will not hold it against you in any path you choose.

And should providence shine a blessing upon us, we will never ask “Where were you?” We will embrace it together, welcoming you to this future as brothers/sisters, family.


For those who understand, who see what could be and seek with us to pursue it, to embrace the future: You have reached the calm… the eye of the storm.


Rachel Faith Anderson

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Originally Posted by SgtMajor

A $250 donation, I've never ever seen such a sum mentioned on a tracker before.

The expectation that someone would actually consider that amount must be there for the figure to be quoted in the first place.

However, it's up to members what they decide to do, not me or the OP bitching on a public forum, the members themselves will decide what is, and isn't, a fair donation for what they get.

It's all checks & balances, and if a person wants to run an internet torrent site as a means of employment, so what, it takes a lot of time & effort in keeping something like that afloat, some will dislike it, some will embrace it, just leave it to their userbase to decide what is and isn't ethical.

One man's wine is another man's vinegar, if you don't like something then either move on or fight it from within, not create a new account here and whine about it, sounds like sour grapes.

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this isnt about p2l solely....it's about this whole "bittorrent trackers unite", registered business, and new world order ideals she has

well on that, i have not heard anything at all.

so either its a load of bull, or im not invited :( lol

"We reject every element of that thought. We embrace a better future. We believe the statutes change. We believe public perception changes. We are students of the law, of history and we are agents of change."

She is a blind idiot.

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Originally Posted by Who?

this isnt about p2l solely....it's about this whole "bittorrent trackers unite", registered business, and new world order ideals she has

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Are you seriously telling me that the ideas & ideals that a person has, especially one as volatile as top sites all joining up as one with TPB et al, is a wrong ideal?

We can all have aspirations, I aspire to be a multi-millionaire, but I know in reality it will never happen.

Are you going to open up a thread at vortex now saying that SgtMajor guy from FST wants to be a millionaire, what a dick he is, let's all bash him?

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that p2p may not have ever put anyone in prison

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I havnt read all that post, but i did notice this tidbit.

tell that to the owners of elitetorrents for the star wars leak.

tell that to the person that leaked the Hulk Work print.

just because it doesnt happen often, doesnt mean it doesnt happen.

I wish you luck in your business venture, but then a tracker shouldnt be about making a business or raking in the cash, it should be about sharing the files and making a community.

but your site, you can do with it as you please.

It will collapse under the weight of it's own absurdity.
None of the better trackers will ever agree to co-operate anyway.
Delusional people are never a lasting threat.

And Sarg there's already a thread like that here.Do a search.

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Originally Posted by Guest24

This is not a debate. This is a direction and a path. You are welcome to walk it with us, or stop and wait and watch, or run and hide as far as you may need to run. We will not hold it against you in any path you choose.

Rachel Faith Anderson

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/me runs and hides to deep darkest corner

editZ:

i read your "vision" over again, yet i found nothing convincing.

comparing it with slavery and women's revolution you were making it look like a big deal which it's not, not to me at least.

also, torrenting should be about sharing not p2l.

beside, if p2p were to be business what different is it from usenet?

P.S. p2p as a legal business WILL be an epic fail, it might even lead someone behind the bars, imo :whistling

Nice try, but capitalism on a large scale and copyright infringement don't mix. As stoi said, you aren't the first person with big eyes staring at your own Bittorrent tracker thinking "Hey, I don't need a job.. I'll make a living off this!" Trackers are about sharing, not profiting off of other people sharing. If you're looking for outrageous donations in the amount of $250, it's just greed and capitalism, pay to leech; I'd rather buy the software than participate in that.

Hey, why don't you take that money, hire a few software programmers, make some Mac programs, and put them on your tracker. You know, legal things?

Oh, and trust me, your non profit tax exempt designation will quickly be investigated, because surely if you continue to do this, you will get press. And I know you're thinking press = $$$, but you're wrong. If you host any torrents that aren't freeware software, companies (such as Apple) will challenge your non profit status. And by the way, donating $250 for 500gb? Apple's law team will be preschoolers, since you won't need lawyers to easily prove that you are committing donation solicitation. Your tax exempt status will be stripped, you'll be sued. End of story.

I usually don't get bothered by such topics, but this makes TL look good. Stick with sharing, stick with 1:1. Stop monetizing it.

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Originally Posted by stoi

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that p2p may not have ever put anyone in prison

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I havnt read all that post, but i did notice this tidbit.

tell that to the owners of elitetorrents for the star wars leak.

tell that to the person that leaked the Hulk Work print.

just because it doesnt happen often, doesnt mean it doesnt happen.

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plus the OiNK guy.

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Originally Posted by integral

Hey, why don't you take that money, hire a few software programmers, make some Mac programs, and put them on your tracker. You know, legal things?

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:glag:

is Mrs Anderson (hah!) an actual person? Her speech had me in tears... Nah not really, but seriously how dramatic can you get? All sounds like a scam to me. The whole 'contributions' thing.

well he isnt in prison is he, tbh i have no idea whats going on with that, all i know is hes out on bail and his trial keeps getting put back and back.

i have not heard anything about the trial being over and him being banged up, thats not to say he wont get banged up.

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Originally Posted by IdolEyes787

And Sarg there's already a thread like that here.Do a search.

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That I want to be a millionaire, or that I'm a dick?

We can't please all the people all the time :whistling

he was put in prison for like a day i think.

the trial has been pushed back for like ages.

check http://oink.cd/

atm it's set on July 28th and by tomorrow it prolly will be pushed away a month or so.

Ha ha ha I don't know about anyone else, but that whole... post there that she did freaked me out.

Some people are born leaders, have that ability to lead. Others try to recreate, imitate this charisma. You are trying far too hard to imitate. It doesn't work. And wrong material to be using your 'inspirational' message on. You're trying to turn stealing into a legitimate business? Ha ha ha. Now that's priceless.

well im prety sure that "prison" was just the local nick for questioning.

so it starts tomorrow then, will be interesting to see the outcome of it, it it ever starts.

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Have you guys (admins) seriously made Vortex into a company?

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No, as Rachel said "We are a legal and legitimate Tax Exempt Corporation", which in the US means that a legal entity was incorporated as a subchapter "S" corporation, a non-profit organization.
This was necessary to open a bank account, purchase equipment and report revenue to the taxing authorities. If anything, this makes things more difficult for some who would want the community shutdown. Perhaps Rachel can make this statement a bit clearer.
To maintain tax exempt status, there are very strict legal requirements, one of which is that the entity is not allowed to make a profit, but can raise money, do research and development, etc.

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This is untrue and not even close to being sane. Here is the only fact that needs to be said and the rest will dissolve under the light of the true facts.

We have an upload credit for $10 and for $25

That's it.

$10 and $25.

What some who are BAD at math are getting confused about, is the fact that we ALSO have a reward if someone donates MONTHLY this same $10 and $25.

And because if someone DOES this.... 10 for 12 months... that is a total of $120. We have added an UPGRADE for those who donate regularly... but it is still just this same $10.

And we do the same for The $25. One is a Patron Class. The other is a Noble. Since we have the whole Roman Theme going.

Nothing more than the boring old VIP class of most site with a more expressive name.

So, if someone donates for a whole YEAR of $25... they get this class for Life.

And the Math on that is 25 x 12 thats $300.

But that is a TOTAL OF NORMAL small donations over a years time.

Most groups have regular donors... nothing unusual at all.

But... and here is where those who are BAD at Math have failed to understand....

Because we are brand new and have many urgent needs, we posted that anyone who could, could choose to make that one year donation ALL at one time.

And we gave them a discount. Not $120 but just $100 and not $300 but $250.

So some ignorant punk who is bad at math and doesnt know that you can get 12 donuts and one free all the time, has gone off and make a big deal out of nothing.

So, there. The records is clear. Donate $10 once or as many times as you like.

Its the same $10 no matter how or when it comes in.

I guess some people just have nothing better to do than blow stuff up and seek attention for themselves.

PAX !

nobody here cares about math, our average age here is 13 and our average iq is ~ 69.

Anyway, what we do care is - IS THAT YOU ON THE PIC? :rolleyes:

this was posted over at What, but I think everyone needs to see this.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6...awesomepp4.png

Nail.Head.Hit.

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Originally Posted by RachelFaith

Nothing more than the boring old VIP class of most site with a more expressive name.

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Now the other end. The VIPs. We do not have this term either. Rejected is the idea that someone is more important or very important beyond anyone else. All members are part of the same body. Any opinion from any member is received with the same hope, optimism and credibility as is any other. Each will be weighed on the merits of the idea, not on some favored status. You are all Very Important People. Words have meaning, and we have chosen the theme and the words for the titles with that care in mind.

Rachel Faith Anderson

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