Pirate Bay Links to Explicit Images of Kids
- by Brandon Dimmel on 20070907 @ 10:38PM EST | google it | send to friends
- Filed under Piracy | (related terms: pirate bay, swedish prosecutors, link, explicit images, crime)
To those interested in the defense of copyrights, Torrents may be the next target on a judicial hit list. With most file-sharing protocols already tucked away nicely under the "legal" category, sites like Torrentz.com and BT-Mon could come under heavier scrutiny in the coming months.
That may be especially true for one Torrent site, which was recently busted for linking visitors to illicit pictures of minors. The link remained operational not for a few hours, or a few days, but two full weeks.
In a country seeking to rub out illegal file-sharing by making ISPs partially accountable, Swedish prosecutors have now formally begun their investigation of popular Torrent site 'The Pirate Bay', which connected users with a page showing explicit images of children. The link lasted from August 16th until this past Thursday.
By the American Labor Day, the photos had been downloaded nearly a thousand times. (Source: thelocal.se)
Despite their part in a rather horrendous crime, a legal loophole prevents Pirate Bay's management from being prosecuted directly. The site, which is also Swedish, has not been charged with any crime, though prosecutors are trying to change that. According to one legal analyst, future court action will depend on "whether, although their site is not hosting the material, they are contributing to someone else's crime."
Most disturbing may be evidence that Pirate Bay's operators were clearly aware of the link's nature. When users lashed out at management for the site, one Pirate Bay moderator responded, "I don't give a [expletive] if you folks are upset. Me and the other moderators (sic) job are NOT to have an opinion about if it is imoral (sic) or not." (Source: theregister.co.uk)
All of the above comes a month after Swedish police threatened to shut down the site for its interest in linking to web sites showing explicit images of children. With pressure mounting, it appears that Pirate Bay operators have chosen to lash out, rather than taking the high road.
It leaves one wondering just how lucrative such links, which can be described as no less than 'sketchy', are. That in itself may be the most troubling part of the problem.
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