• Warped@feddit.uk
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    1 year ago

    It seems strange to me how many these days openly discuss piracy, and what they are doing, how often, etc… It’s one thing to give vague instructions or point someone towards a website. But to actively say, ‘I downloaded X, from Y. It worked great.’ and/or ‘I’ve downloaded loads from X, I have over a thousand X, and they all work.’ it makes me cringe.

    Possibly has to do with age. Piracy started for me by exchanging tapes of Dragon 32 games, and I guess recording the top 40 on a Sunday. You kept a low profile. I didn’t think I would get caught. My father was friends with a policeman who was our main source for pirated VHS videos and many games. So I felt whilst it was illegal, nobody gets caught unless you put your head above the parapet. That’s the point today, many seem to be a little too carefree. Helping each other out is great, and after all, piracy is about sharing. But do try and cover your tracks. Be sensible.

    • Holzkohlen@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Silly nonsense. Just cause I said I downloaded something isn’t proof I did it. If I said I murdered someone you still have to proof I did it especially if there is no god damn body. In other words: they have to link my comments to a download I did via vpn years ago. Yeah, good luck losers.

      • newIdentity@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Actually no. Pretending to have committed a crime is a crime itself. At least here in Germany.

        Also: saying you committed a crime is basically the same as a confession and can definitely be used against you

        • Holzkohlen@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          Also keep in mind that at least in Germany the act of just downloading something is not illegal. Only the uploading/seeding of content is. So just admitting to having downloaded something is not admitting to a crime at all.

          • newIdentity@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            No, downloading is illegal too. It’s just the uploading/seeding that gets actively enforced since it’s a more serious crime

      • TheYang@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I… don’t think that’s true.

        I’d expect to get convicted if I make a (reasonable) confession of murdering someone who vanished, even if there is no single other bit of evidence.

        • Kill_John_Lennon@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Not if you made that confession outside of any prosecution process and then withdrew it saying you were just making shit up, I wouldn’t think.

          • TheYang@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I would expect that to be true as well.
            For some reason I can’t really explain anymore, I was thinking of a situation where the confession is made, and reiterated at every step in the prosecutorial process, without any other evidence (for or against) being available for the process.

        • Holzkohlen@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          Right, if you go to the police and confess to the murder of someone who vanished you are going to be in trouble. But we are talking about some reddit comments “confessing” to downloading something illegally. I could have been more specific with the example though.

        • Mugmoor@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          You won’t. It happens all the time. Youd be amazed how many people try to claim credit for crimes they didn’t commit.

      • Warped@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        I do know the law. You should try walking into a police station and saying, ‘I murdered someone.I’m just talking shit, there is no corpse or murder, just saying this for shits and giggles.’ then see what happens.

        Seriously, maybe it’s just me, I prefer a quiet life. I don’t want the added stress of a corporation or lawyer threatening me, even if it is going to lead nowhere.

        • madcaesar@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Alright buddy, that’s a horrendous example. You’re comparing MURDER to downloading End Game…

          Here’s the real comp, go into the police station with a grin and say I just littered 3 towns away in a park, I threw a candy wrapper on the floor, it even has my fingerprint! But you’ll never catch me coppers!

          They’d shrug and ask you to leave. No-one is starting a manhunt.

        • Holzkohlen@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          Bit of a leap there. I’m talking about confessing to murdering someone on reddit for instance cause that is what we are talking about: comments made years ago on reddit. Yeah, sure, maybe someone will tell the cops and they will have to investigate you based on your comment about murdering someone, but then what? Sure, it will have consequences for me, but they cannot convict me based of a single comment and nothing else. How the hell is that going to hold up in any court?
          And now think back on what we are actually talking about: comments admitting to having illegally downloaded some content. I would assume they won’t even try to start investigating that. Like how on earth are you going to get proof of that?

      • Contend6248@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        If they have no proof prior, they will absolutely wreck you with a comment like that linked to an account you own. That’s a confession, which you made, it is idiotic as you gained nothing admitting to it.

        Only because many people don’t care, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.

    • thermal_shock@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Been teaching my kid this. Do what you’re expected to do, follow directions from teachers and parents, so that when you do something you’re not supposed to and if you get caught, they won’t even believe you did it. Hide in plain site and cover your tracks by thinking of what you’d look for trying to catch someone.

      • oatscoop@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        They’re just lying about pirating to look cool.

        I highly doubt there are any actual pirates on here, it’s just users being edgy. A bunch of dorks that don’t even own a boat role playing badass pirates.

      • penguin@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I think many people just couldn’t care less about pirating and believe the companies can’t figure out who they are. For example, I discuss pirating stuff pretty openly on my reddit account. But every single comment I make, I consciously make sure to not reveal enough for people to dox me.

        I also don’t have Facebook which is how most people figure out identities.

        “Hmm, they’re an underwater welder from a specific small town and they have three sons. Well this is the only Facebook profile that matches that so I bet it’s this person” type of thing.

        • void_wanderer@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          You are only truly anonymous if you always use a VPN or Tor. If not, Reddit has your IP and the ISP knows who is behind the IP. If LE knocks at Reddit’s door with a warrant, they will give them your IP, with which they go to the ISP to get your name.

          they’re an underwater welder from a specific small town and they have three sons

          You would be suprised of how much less info than that is needed to ID a person. There are studies about ID’ing people via their favorites and last-watched lists on netflix.

    • Pika@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I think a lot of it is to do with the actual chance that the individual is going to get charged with it, big companies generally go after the Distributors and not the individuals regarding it. Plus staying online that you did something doesn’t prove that you actually did it so they would still have to get solid evidence that you actually did it which costs money A lot of times more money than they would have lost from the pirating activity in the first place which is why a lot of them just settle for sending a dmca to the ISP and the ISP for as it saying LOL you better not be doing this