Windows 10 Should Ban Downloads of Pirated Content, Organization Says

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Exterminator

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Windows 10 Should Ban Downloads of Pirated Content, Organization Says

Windows and Office are two of the most impacted software products when it comes to the high level of piracy around the world, and this is exactly the reason Microsoft should introduce new methods of blocking the download of illegal content straight from the operating system level.

This is the conclusion of a report published by Black Market Watch and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime regarding ways to tackle piracy in Sweden, with hopes that similar measures could be adopted worldwide at some point in the future.

Specifically, the organization claims that Microsoft, Apple, and Google can introduce piracy-blocking filters in their operating systems and thus make it impossible for users to download illegal content anyway. This would make torrent trackers and other piracy content distribution channels obsolete because, this way, users wouldn’t be allowed to download files, no matter if these sources are available or not.

Furthermore, the organization claims (document in Swedish) that these companies need to be encouraged, and if this doesn’t work, “regulated” in order to block downloads of copyright infringement material, according to a report from TorrentFreak.

“Other players that possess the potential ability to limit piracy are the companies that own the major operating systems which control computers and mobile devices such as Apple, Google and Microsoft,” it says.

The Windows 10 example
The aforementioned report uses Windows 10 as the living proof that such a thing can be done, although it’s only based on pure speculation, and no evidence is brought in this regard.

Specifically, Windows 10 is described as a possible way to block piracy at the operating system level, citing older reports that suggested Microsoft planned to ban users from playing pirated games on their PCs.

Back in August 2015, updates that Microsoft made to its terms and services made everyone believe that the company wanted to block pirated software on Windows 10 PCs using an automatic detection system similar to the one proposed by today’s new report.

The terms pointed out that Microsoft might “download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices.”

Despite the fact that Redmond strongly denied these claims shortly after that, pirate websites were quick to respond and blocked access for computers running Windows 10, in an attempt to prevent additional risks that would have been caused by such a protection system.

Windows 10’s spying claims didn’t help either, as many accused Microsoft of using the new operating system to collect data about users and the content on their computers.

For the moment, an official statement from Microsoft and Apple isn’t available to see how the two companies react to this proposal, but we’ve reached out to both, and we’ll update the article with more info when it becomes available.
 

kev216

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I find it good that they propose this, because I'm not a real fan of pirated content in a certain way. Cracked sofware or windows ISO's often contains packed malware or there has been played with it, so you can not be 100% sure the iso's are malware-free. Same with for example Office and other popular paid ones like for example photoshop. There are enough free alternatives for them so it's not necessarily needed to get a pirate version. Just pay for it if you can and need those extra features that free alternatives don't offer. Support the devs.

On the other hand some people that live in certain countries can't use or get legal copies of office or certain AV's, so they are happy they can use pirated content and I can understand that they use it, however they also can use the free alternatives of course, that would be even better.

But if it's about movies, music, series.... There are still not good legal alternatives. You need to have two or more subscriptions, for example netflix and your providers movie database, other services.... to see every serie you want to see. Same with sport streaming on the internet. You also have to get many subscriptions to see every competition, so that makes pirated content so attrictive. So unless they don't make work of one genaral legal place to watch those, I don't see much potential in this blocking thing.

Also I have questions about it's effectiveness in general if they would do this. It's so easy to set up a VM with linux, download the torrents, and copy paste it to your host machine anyway... And how long will it take before some guy find a workaround to be still able to download files without hassle?
 
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Then millions of users in "poor" countries will lose access to Windows and other MS products. who will pay 300$ for MS office when their salary is 50$

With Win10 being free , people will not need to buy it every 2 years.
 

Logethica

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I voted "I disagree Microsoft would be going too far with this"...
IMO One has to consider the impact and ramifications of what the introduction of a filter system that disallows the downloading of "illegal" content would be.
It is all very well to think only of "Piracy" and lost revenue,but the introduction of such a system would certainly be exploited politically..
I would be very surprised if a system like this did not end up as a form of Government controlled censorship.
The sources of proof of corruption at the very highest level would be "blacklisted" so that the information could not be downloaded and shared,as each Government would (in the end) have full control over which Videos,Images,or Documents were shared, they would just need to declare them "illegal".
In the UK,we had a situation where it was made illegal to watch certain specific videos that were in themselves proof of the manipulation of public opinion/foreign policy /National debt reliance/"Common enemy" creation tactics..
....these videos were (despite the risks) able to be shared to educate more people as to the reality of the situation....
I am 100% sure that should a filter system be introduced to prevent the downloading of illegal content,that this would by default be used in an evil way.
With every minor decision is a "Big Picture"!
 

DJ Panda

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Voted "I Agree" I believe that the less piraters there are the cheaper some stuff can be at some point. If you download illegal content I will not sympathize when your computer gets bricked from malware...
 

Atlas147

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I voted disagree because I find that this could essentially be used to force users to certain content and not others, literally giving up freedom of choice. This and I think that piracy helps the media industry in a sense that media has to be reasonably priced, if they cost too much users would go to pirated content instead of purchasing it by legal means.

Piracy is also useful for getting content across the world, with legal means like Netflix limiting all the shows by the different countries, some content available in the states might not be for the people in the UK due to licencing deals. Just imagine something popular like Game of Thrones or the recently released Stranger Things getting aired in other countries and not yours, and you have absolutely no way of getting the content even when you are a paying customer of Netflix and are paying the same amount that your international friends are, but they have the privilege of watching shows you don't.

Until laws are in place to prevent giants like Netflix, Hulu or even local channels from charging absurd prices because they have monopoly over the media, I think a little competition is actually beneficial to the media industry as a whole.

I personally get all my media via legal means, however if certain shows are not available in my region I would then find other means to catch the show.
 
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