BitTorrent Admin Monitored by US Government, Forced to Dump GNU/Linux
Written by enigmax on August 22, 2007Sk0t, an ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker is to have his internet connection forcibly monitored by the US Government. If that wasn’t bad enough, the monitoring software is Windows based - which means he is being forced to ditch GNU/Linux - or face being barred from the internet.
Scott McCausland (sk0t), the ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker isn’t having much luck lately. Back in September 2006, he pleaded guilty to two charges - ‘conspiracy to commit copyright infringement’ and ‘criminal copyright infringement’. Both charges relate to him uploading ‘Star Wars: Episode III’ onto the internet hours before the theatrical release, earning him 5 months in jail and 5 months home confinement.
Sk0t has now been released from jail but this doesn’t mean that everything is back to normal.
Back on 17 July, sk0t had to see his Probation Officer for the first time and two days later he had to have a special ankle bracelet attached. This monitoring device is there to enforce the terms of his release: Monday to Friday 08:30 to 21:00 he is free to do as he pleases. Weekends are more restrictive - freedom is allocated between 08:30 to 17:00. The one good thing about this device is that it will be removed before Christmas (Dec 19th).
According to a post on his blog, following another meeting with his Probation Officer, it seems sk0t is having more trouble:
So, I am getting shafted by the Justice Department again…”
sk0t was informed by his Probation Officer that he has to have special software installed on his PC so that the government can monitor his online activities. However, what is a more bitter pill to swallow for him is that the monitoring software is Windows only and as sk0t is an Ubuntu user, the Justice Department is forcing him to switch operating systems.
I had a meeting with my probation officer today, and he told me that he has to install monitoring software onto my PC. No big deal to me, that is part of my sentence. However, their software doesnt support GNU/Linux (Which is what I use). So, he told me that if I want to use a computer, I would have to use an OS that the software can be installed on.
Sk0t is left with a tough choice. Give in to the evils of the monitoring software, format his hard drive and install Windows - or be barred from using a PC completely.
Sk0t told TorrentFreak: “I think that this whole situation is just one more way that they can impose their will onto me. I have contacted my attorney, and we are going to fight this. It isn’t the fact that I have to be monitored that bothers me, it is the fact that I have restructure my life (different OS, different software on that OS) and that they would require (force) me to purchase software while I a currently unemployed and relatively unemployable with the 2 felonies that they gave me. It is just a ridiculous situation. Why should I conform to them when I am consenting to the software… they should have software that conforms to me.”
Unfortunately, thanks to the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, some BitTorrent users are considered criminals these days, which means these unusual measures can be forced upon them. In a society where ‘the punishment should fit the crime’, you can’t help but think that somewhere along the line there’s been a big miscalculation when regular citizens are turned into criminals for sharing files.
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448 Responses
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“format his hard drive and install Windows”
Partitioning HDDs isn’t a new invention.
[quote comment="150798"]“format his hard drive and install Windows”
Partitioning HDDs isn’t a new invention.[/quote]
Seeing as how the software is required to RUN while OPERATING, partitioning a HD seems pretty moronic. You can’t boot into two OS’s at once.
He COULD however run a VMware computer ontop of his windows installation.
I AM NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION THAT ISNT MONITORED. Which means I cant be on the computer unless I use windows… so partitioning a useless drive for 2 years is worthless.
what about using this software with Wine or crossover ?
oh i forgot to mention: only in the U.S. a private person is forced to buy a commercial product by government. is that what u understand of liberal capitalism ? sounds kinda communism to me…
The point is, he doesn’t have money to pay for $100-$500 dollars worth of Microsoft software just so some cops can put their crappy VB.NET monitoring software on his computer. Unless the Justice Dept. buys him this software so that their software would work, he should not be subjugated to changing his primary operating system and selling his organs to do so. This is serious, if they want to, they can throw him back in jail for refusing a court order/probation terms. There needs to be a compromise somewhere…
@ Hansel
No, this is Corporate Capitalism…
Oh dear, the land of the free, ey?
The way things are going, they’ll tell you what to eat and where to defecate sometime soon. Repugnant Administration.
Cheer up sk0t!
Well, what it comes down to is this… they cant support Linux… and even though I AM CONSENTING TO THE MONITORING SOFTWARE… the software cannot be installed because I do not use windows… so basically I have to switch to comply with their rules…
I will keep you posted on the rulings in this matter.
he needs to tell them that he has to find a torrent so that he can download a copy of windows… :)
Bah.
Poor guy.
Poor country.
I’m sure he’s thought of this but don’t they have some sort of router or modem that will monitor him, and if it is taken off the internet it can send a message to our wonderful government when it’s reconnected. Sorry your gettin screwed by the system man.
What about less acceptance and more resistance from normal people in that obviously fucked up country? Good Heaven, I just can’t understand this passive attitude you’ve got there.
That’s horrible. You upload digital files to people over the internet and they do this to you (i’m talking about the whole thing; jail, monitoring, etc, them forcing windows on to you is bad too :P).
Give me a break, pop another HD in the machine and set up a dual boot. It’s your own fault that you need to face the “hardships”.
It seems that people that have no compunctions about breaking the law scream the loudest when they have to pay for the crime.
Put on some Big Boy pants, Sk0t.
[quote comment="150810"]oh i forgot to mention: only in the U.S. a private person is forced to buy a commercial product by government. is that what u understand of liberal capitalism ? sounds kinda communism to me…[/quote]
He is not forced to install Windows. He can always just not access the internet.
Alan you are a dick. You probably work for the MPAA nazis.
sk0t you should set something up where you can accept donations. I would send you some money to help you through the hard times.
A lot of people sympathise with you because they know you are not a criminal and that millions of other people are just as “guilty” as you.
You have been made into a martyr for the cause of freedom. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and got fucked by the corporate greed machine.
Fuck the system and fuck the MPAA nazis. Long live freedom.
Sk0t TAKE THEM TO COURT AND TELL THOSE FUCKING PAKI’S THAT YOU’RE NOT GONNA DO WHAT THEY WANT!!
oh how my heart bleeds! how about just using a windows server as a router and have the spyware run on it. better yet, install vmware on the ubuntu machine and route from ubuntu to vmware and back, while monitoring on vmware.
and dont tell me that’d just cost more money.. any half-assed geek has at least two computers. I’ve got three I own in the same room as me right now.
what about an msdnaa version of xp or vista, or whatever he needs. it’s really not hard to get ahold of an account. scratch that - all he needs is an msdnaa key.
oh dear, how my heart bleeds for this sob story.
OK guys, for all of you with the bleeding hearts…
Lets weigh some things:
And we will see how thine heart bleeds:
Lets weight returning back to prison by bypassing their monitoring softwares, and we will weigh that against putting up a legal stand against an unjust sentence requirement forcing me to switch to conform to their standards…
I wonder if eltopo and alan would be willing to serve my sentence if I follow their methods… I doubt it.
sk0t,
its in your best interests to have your lawyer put his all into this because you are seriously getting “1 Ass RApinG by thE Government AfTer anotHER & UNder the unITED states”
“The Vision”
i feel deep inside you will be assisted … but be warned as things aren’t what they seem at first. be sure to DIG DEEP to find the hidden truth. you will know when its time from a sign “161315 4:20xx”. . .
“Unfortunately, thanks to the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, some BitTorrent users are considered criminals these days, which means these unusual measures can be forced upon them.”
He is a criminal. I’ve got no problem with ripping your CD’s or DVD’s for personal use but uploading the film before theatrical release? Yeah, that’s criminal.
I second the VMware idea. Keep using Ubuntu, and setup a Win98SE guest running the monitoring software and ICS (Internet Connection Sharing).
Then all your Ubuntu originated internet traffic will be routed through the Windows guest. The processor/memory overhead of Win98SE should be pretty low, plus you could also install Peer Guardian in it.
It’s not ideal, but that’s what I would do in your situation. Good luck man.
sk0t:
I too have been to jail before, and I know first hand how much it sucks. Its shitty that you are going through all this. I would definately throw a donate button on your site though, I’m sure you would get enough to purchase a legitimate copy of Winblowz, or someone may even send you a legal copy of it before then. However, I don’t think that this would be something that you could win. If it is a requirement of your probation that you must use this specific software to use the internet, than I think that is what it will be. Either use Windows + the software. Or don’t use a computer at all.
Hope everything works out, and please… keep us posted. Thnx.
Can you not install a windows gateway and point your ubuntu machine through that?? that way the windows machine can monitor your traffic but you can still use ubuntu on your desk
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