Bittorrent + Alcohol = Disaster

Man, what a day. I am writing this topic to clear my name a bit, as apparently I have been dubbed as a "threat to bittorrent" by many staff members at numerous sites. I'd like to start off with a couple simple statements:

I am not a member of the RIAA or the MPAA. I do not work for the FBI or CIA. And I certainly not plotting to take down any sites.

Ok, I'll explain myself a little bit for those who do not know already. I, along with my entire invite trees, were banned at numerous sites after I was dubbed a "threat" by What.cd staff. Thats about 20 or 30 people that were banned for a simple, harmless joke I played late last night.

I was intoxicated, I admit it. I was also looking through What.cd for some new music to download. Then, I came across a pre-release album that was just upped by a new member, who joined the site only 2 weeks ago. At the time, I thought it would be a great idea if I messed with this new member a little bit, by pretending to be a RIAA agent who "traced his IP". Remember, I was out of it at the time, so I sent an over-the-top message to this poor soul, and laughed myself to sleep.

I woke up to find his security settings changed to "Tinfoil Hat", and thought, "oh shit, I forgot to tell him it was a practical joke." I got halfway through my apologetic message when I was hit by the ban hammer at What.cd. I ran to their IRC, and pleaded my case to a mod. He thought I lied, had a second account, and that I run an underground invite trading ring. He banned me and my invite tree. Fuck. OK, no problem, I got my real life friend Jaycryst to go in and explain what happened, and how it was all a friendly joke. Nothing happened, but he got some of my invite tree unbanned, but only one or two accounts (around 20 people were banned, my userid is 554 on What, so I was one of the first people on the site).

Alright, no biggie, right? Wrong. Within an hour I found myself banned on BCG and another site which wishes to be unnamed. I contacted both on IRC, explained my situation, and I am currently "pending moderation".

All of this because of a drunken late night friendly joke.

Kids, learn from my mistake. DO NOT drink and bittorrent. It only leads to mass bannings of you and your invitees.

I banned you on BCG

and just for the record, you will be staying banned.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoi

I banned you on BCG

and just for the record, you will be staying banned.

---

Why, may I ask? I did nothing wrong, besides freak out a new member of What.cd a bit.

And that was a mistake. I apologized numerous times. But I can't see it warranting a ban on a totally unrelated site.

exactly.

it was not funny in the slightest.

While I don't agree with Cheeseman did, as it was obviously idiotic, his invite tree should not be to blame. I can't defend him much, only assure you that hes not any kind of agent against bittorrent. However, I will say that his invite tree consists of many other IRL friends I have. I think the only site that banned his invite tree was what, and I talked with the staff there politely and sorted out the situation for the RL friends I have there. If any other sites have banned his invite tree, I'll be happy to vouch for the RL friends I have who might be entangled.

Cheeseman, Count your losses. I'm sorry man, but that was a stupid move; no matter how drunk you were.

I know your not any kind of agent, but when you send a PM like that to someone... what do you expect?

well on BCG he has no invite tree, but if he did, i would not have banned them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoi

exactly.

it was not funny in the slightest.

---

Stoi, does it warrant a ban?

It was not funny. It was massichistic and evil. I reread the PM I wrote, and thought "fuck, what was I thinking?". But does a small slip-up like that deserve a perma-ban from several different sites that had nothing to do with the issue?

BTW, this is merely for discussion purposes. I want to spark a debate on what warrants moderation, and in the worth case, bans from a site.

yes

maybe it well teach you a lesson to not be such a jackass in the future.

sorry but what you PMed was probably the daftest thing you could have PMed and you probably had that new member shitting himself, it wasnt funny in the slightest and alcohol is no excuse im afraid.


PS; i am going to bed nw so night night.

But look at the scope of the damage. Yes, I was a jackass to one member on one tracker. But to be globally banned from bittorrent because of it?

I messed up, but I think this moderation is a little over-the-top.

why the fuck should i care what you think.

honest you fucked up you got banned rom 3 sites that i know of, more may follow, not my problem, sorry.

btw why dont you quote the PM in its entirety on here, so people can see why you got banned, i have seen it, but its not for me to show.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cheeseman1208

But look at the scope of the damage. Yes, I was a jackass to one member on one tracker. But to be globally banned from bittorrent because of it?

I messed up, but I think this moderation is a little over-the-top.

---

If you were simply a jackass Cheeseman, it would be different. The fact that you were a jackass who scared the shit out of someone legally, thats a totally different story.

While I agree your side of the story should be heard, I can't say its over reacting. If you were, infact, an agent; I sure wouldn't want you on any trackers I'm on. So I think what what did was good in a sense, but its shitty luck that it was a joke.

All-in-All, had it not been a legal threat and just you being a 'jackass', then yes; you should have gotten in some trouble at what and then that be the end of it, but once you bring in a legal scare... thats the issue at hand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoi

why the fuck should i care what you think.

honest you fucked up you got banned rom 3 sites that i know of, more may follow, not my problem, sorry.

btw why dont you quote the PM in its entirety on here, so people can see why you got banned, i have seen it, but its not for me to show.

---

I would if I could. I'm banned, and cannot see exactly what I PMed him with.

Whoa, I did not mean to piss you off. I'm merely trying to discuss this issue, nothing more. Will I miss the sites I was banned from? Yes. But this issue did not concern you stoi, it did not concern you at all. Yet you acted on it. Why?

@Jay
Yes, it was wrong to bring legal matters into that message. But as I said before, this is between me, the person I abused, and the What.cd staff. Nobody else should be involved.

Did you not see the thread i done in our global announcements forum.

What you do on BCG effects your account on other sites

What you do on other sites, effects your account on BCG.

I have banned people for a lot less than you did, i am sick of shitty members plaguing the bittorrent scene, sooner we all get rid of them the better the place will be. (and i mean collectively over all sites, not just 1 or 2)

Ouch.

I'm sorry to say, stoi, but I think I was a pretty good member. I had constructive posts, close to a TB uploaded, great ratio, etc. I messed up once, and I admit to it. At least I am a man enough to say that I fucked up big time. Admitting to a mistake is often the hardest part.

EDIT: This applies to all of the sites I am on, not just BCG.

EDIT2: I tried to keep this post relatively high-minded. I don't want it to devolve into a mud slinging contest.

you dont have to admit to it, i know you did it.

yes you were a good member, but then i have also heard you ran armtheresistence or whatever it was called as well.

Honestly the sooner all the traders, sellers, cheaters, scumbags, idiots are out of the bittorrent scene the better it will be for everyone concerned.

yes you fucked up, deal with it, i will say this though, i will sleep on it, but dont hold your breath, only a 5% chance of you getting back in, and that is being optimistic.

Count your losses man... you have learned a lesson and thus I hope you will improve.

There are other sites besides the two you mentioned. If you can prove yourself on other sites, then you don't need to worry.

Personally, when I am drunk I just get mad at stupid people and stupid things and rant on forums or IRC. Pretty harmless. I sure as hell don't go off playing on the fears of trackers and its users. That's just dumb and not funny.

Perhaps you should stick to Pirate Bay, I hear they're not worried about governments and their agents creating user accounts.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoi

you dont have to admit to it, i know you did it.

yes you were a good member, but then i have also heard you ran armtheresistence or whatever it was called as well.

Honestly the sooner all the traders, sellers, cheaters, scumbags, idiots are out of the bittorrent scene the better it will be for everyone concerned.

yes you fucked up, deal with it, i will say this though, i will sleep on it, but dont hold your breath, only a 5% chance of you getting back in, and that is being optimistic.

---

Armtheresistance is a separate issue. It has been dead for 6 months, at least, and was a failed site at that. There was a lot of information going around that it was a invite trading ring, but that is a fabrication. AtR was a forum, nothing more, where 200 odd people met to shoot the breeze about bittorrent related issues. It was really uninteresting, but somehow it was portrayed as something completely different.

Thanks stoi. I am glad we were able to talk openly about this, and that both sides of the argument were shown.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoi

why the fuck should i care what you think.

honest you fucked up you got banned rom 3 sites that i know of, more may follow, not my problem, sorry.

btw why dont you quote the PM in its entirety on here, so people can see why you got banned, i have seen it, but its not for me to show.

---

may be that would be appropriate...if u can copy paste ur pm to that new member, that way all of us can know how funny you pm was to that new member and how drunk drunk u were exactly to type all the things u typed....
i usually never post on thread like this but seriously stoi is the most generous and nicest staff in this forum....if u have done soemthing to piss him offf it must be really bad....the least u can do is, be a man and accept the consequenses. bullying someone is not right no matter what state of mind u were in...its like racism.

Weather or not anyone thinks it's a ban worthy offense(I personally think its a decent reason) To joke about ANY legal issue doing what we do is not cool. Also if anyone has the actual screen or text from the PM I'd be interested to see it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stitched

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoi

why the fuck should i care what you think.

honest you fucked up you got banned rom 3 sites that i know of, more may follow, not my problem, sorry.

btw why dont you quote the PM in its entirety on here, so people can see why you got banned, i have seen it, but its not for me to show.

---

may be that would be appropriate...if u can copy paste ur pm to that new member, that way all of us can know how funny you pm was to that new member and how drunk drunk u were exactly to type all the things u typed....
i usually never post on thread like this but seriously stoi is the most generous and nicest staff in this forum....if u have done soemthing to piss him offf it must be really bad....the least u can do is, be a man and accept the consequenses. bullying someone is not right no matter what state of mind u were in...its like racism.

---

I'll try to get that PM for you. It is appropriate if it was posted here, since I'm trying to be as open as possible.

Oh, I like your sig, btw. That's one of my favorite quotations.

You should have just used the "King Kong" defense. Just because you say you are RIAA corporate lawyer X doesn't mean that you are corporate lawyer X until they can prove otherwise.

Harsh but fair imo, bl OP

remember, you're talking to a lot of people who "resigned" after the whole oink thing, so anal-retentive security measures with some sites is an understatement; it's also expected.

i've seen you on a lot of 'smaller' sites, that are that way because of security issues, so you shouldn't think this is unexpected, or even unwarranted.

however, this is a bit much. to think that an authority would message an individual and tell him that his IP was traced is pretty funny. of course that isn't how the law operates in most places; i'm sure What? said you were banned for an underground invite trading ring, since they think it's very bad to ban someone because you know they're an authority.

real sillyness from both parties.

integral, it is completely silly.

It should be an issue between me, the What staff, and the poor soul I scared half to death.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cheeseman1208

It should be an issue between me, the What staff, and the poor soul I scared half to death.

---

Then why make a public thread in a public forum?

Alcohol can make people do stupid things, and people cannot be held accountable for what they do when they are pissed.

I will say, though, that it is a sober decision to start drinking in the first place, so even though someone under the influence of alcohol is not accountable for their actions, they are accountable for drinking in the first place.

The simple fact is that you scared the life out of someone by pretending to be someone you are not. With the current climate in general, and piracy in particular, your joke was no way in good taste. What with the closure of OiNK and the current trial of TPB, even drunk you should have realised that what you were doing would not be well received.

As stoi has said, lessons need to be learnt. We have banned members for much less. Anyone who is perceived as a threat to the operation of a site or the well being of its members will be banned without question, and that ban may well be implemented by any number of additional sites.

Never ever think that the admin from different sites don't speak to each other. We are in constant communication, and we all know what is going on with each others sites. If you misbehave on one site, then chances are that other admins will know of that transgression.

I forgot about the whole Oink thing. Some folks on the What.cd staff supposedly were Oink staff at one point too. So they're probably a little more hypersensitive about the popo then other places. Considering, they could be the ones picking up the soap.

no it shouldnt.

the sooner every member realises that their actions on 1 tracker, can effect their accounts on all trackers, the better as far as i am concerned.

btw he never got banned for that site, christ i have just made Detale an account on BCG and what is he a staff member of, yes an invite trading site.

he got banned for the PM on what, yes it was silly, it was bloody stupid actually, but i will sleep on it.

hopefully by the time i have woke up, other staff members that know about this, can put their 2 cents in, seems to be me against him atm, so i am going to shut up now and let others have their say.

PS: i was writing this as TheFox was writing his lol so another staffer has had a say.

Good thinking. I'll catch some shut-eye as well, and check this thread in the morning.

EDIT: If anyone wants to throw in their 2 cents, be my guest. My blunder is your amusement, as it were.

EDIT2: Duly noted, fox. I read your post, then read it again. And I agree with everything you just said.

hey cheeseman read this:

Quote:

---

The FBI has tracked down two individuals who uploaded Oscar screeners to BitTorrent trackers. The pair are accused of uploading screeners of Australia, Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire to The Pirate Bay, Demonoid and Movie Hogs. They face harsh punishment of three years in jail.

---

this is news from two days ago.

how can you be so stupid and threaten a stranger with this? alcohol is no excuse. your sense of humour always sucked as one can clearly see by what you did in order to get an ftn invite. someone asked him to take a picture with a keyboard on his head ...

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3991/photoox9.jpg

before somebody screams that i violated his privacy. this pic was already published on fst and i just copied it from another thread.

now put something on your head, chill and don't drink and type anymore.

Personnaly I believe Cheeseman deserves a second chance, he knows he fucked up and I'm sure he learned his lesson.
What would be interesting is to know the victim's opinion, because if the guy who got the pm forgives him then I don't see why all bittorent should go balistic.
Like the OP said, this is between him, the victim and the What staff, this is a personal matter.
On the other side, if sites decide the pm was too harsh and think you are an ass, its their right to ban you. Hell if I had a tracker I wouldn't want jerks to be a part of it.
But that's the thing, judging on your posts in this thread, I don't think you are. A jerk would not admit he was a jerk and apologize.
I see Stoi getting all pissed and swearing all over the place and saying traders and cheaters should be banned from every site. That cracks me up. He was an ass, but that's it. Nothing more. Doesn't deserve this kind of hate.
Then again that's just my 2 cents ;)

H.

An extremely stupid thing to do and losing the account at What forever, is both fair and what can be expected.

The bannings on other sites are a bit harsh though IMO. It's not like anyone truly believes he is RIAA.. or for that matter associated with any Anti Piracy organization.

Oh and I wouldn't mind having him back at that unnamed site, so please reconsider the ban there :P

Like the OP said, this is between him, the victim and the What staff, this is a personal matter.

so hmm why is everyone on here getting involved then?

The bannings on other sites are a bit harsh though IMO.

well i never asked for your opinion tbh i dont give damn for anyones opinion. (the op brought this up by posting it here)

yes i know it was not a serious PM, but thats not the point of this, i never once thought it was serious, i knew it was a joke, it was just not a very funny one.

so i banned him, haha joke is on him, get the fuck over it.

PS: i can swear all over the place if i want to swear all over the place, i am sick of being all sweet and innocent as if butter wouldnt melt in my mouth, again get the fuck over it.

Dude just think abt the poor guy whom u threatened .. While u r were blissfully sleeping under the influence of alcohol this poor guy was undergoing mental torture to say the least after what not piracy shit has been in the news ..
You need to be globally banned in order to set an example that BT is not a place to have fun at the expense of other people (except in IRC) ..

we're getting involved because it was posted on a public forum, thus opening it up to a public forum.

it was between him, the victim, and the what staff. that's why he's banned at bcg right?

after your posting in this thread, i'm pretty sure you're just following suit with other staff at other sites, which is why you stated that you're waiting for what other staff says about the matter, as if you had no power to unban him yourself, on the site your own, because you have to wait for some great tribunal to decide. i really hope that isn't the case.

there's not much else to be said about the matter anyway. one of the victims in this case (cheeseman, the other being the guy he pmed) decided to open up his situation for public judgment. so let it be that way, until a mod here decides to close it or he requests it be closed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stoi

PS: i can swear all over the place if i want to swear all over the place, i am sick of being all sweet and innocent as if butter wouldnt melt in my mouth, again get the fuck over it.

---

lol stoi. Everyone knows what a sweet innocent chap you are. P.S,'s like that are useless.

J/K

you're pouring water on a drowning man... he apologized numerous times for what he did and admitted his fault, no need to insist...

Personally if he was on my site I would ban him also. I find what he pm'ed the dude in no way funny drunk or not.

And for those of you who are defending him put yourself in the shoes of the person whom he sent that PM.

why do people drink and then go on the computer.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jaycryst

While I don't agree with Cheeseman did, as it was obviously idiotic, his invite tree should not be to blame. I can't defend him much, only assure you that hes not any kind of agent against bittorrent. However, I will say that his invite tree consists of many other IRL friends I have. I think the only site that banned his invite tree was what, and I talked with the staff there politely and sorted out the situation for the RL friends I have there. If any other sites have banned his invite tree, I'll be happy to vouch for the RL friends I have who might be entangled.

Cheeseman, Count your losses. I'm sorry man, but that was a stupid move; no matter how drunk you were.

I know your not any kind of agent, but when you send a PM like that to someone... what do you expect?

---

Jaycryst you need to seriously look at Cheeseman's whole past. Now I have given him a pass and not commented for a long time yet he is still managing to crash through the bit torrent community ramming his views down everyones necks and having 'disagreements' repetitively with staff on bt trackers, lest we forget your little stoush with squizzle there cheeseman.
You (Cheeseman 1208) are a former trader, and heavily involved with zaa730 an invite seller. You created Arm The Resistance to find a 'communistic' way of sharing out invites to bit torrent users based on Karl Marx' theories. I challenged you about this at the time, but you seem to think that everyone has the right to have memberships in private communities no matter what.
Now we have this latest incident, where something you thought was funny as shit actually scared another member. Simply put you are a threat to the bit torrent community, your actions have always been arrogant and ill advised, you don't listen to what others tell you and just charge around like a bull in a china shop. You may not be a 'legal' threat, but your whole history is one of selfish self interest.