48 Raids Carried Out in File-Sharing Investigation

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European police yesterday carried out raids across the continent as part of a file-sharing investigation. One of the addresses visited by police was the ISP linked to whisteblower website Wikileaks and file sharing site the Pirate Bay.

The AFP reports that European police yesterday raided 48 locations in 14 countries as part of a two-year investigation run by Belgian police. Of the 48 addresses, seven were located in Sweden and one was at ISP PRQ, which is home to servers used by the Pirate Bay and Wikileaks. However, Swedish police say the raid had nothing to do with Wikileaks.

TorrentFreak cites a PRQ representative who says five police showed up with questions relating to just two IP addresses.

"At 9:00 this morning, five policemen were here," PRQ’s Mikael Viberg explained to TF. "They were interested in who were using two IP addresses from 2009 and onwards. We have no records of our clients but we’re handing over the e-mail addresses for those behind the IPs. However, it’s rare that our clients have mail addresses that are traceable."

Four people are apparently being questioned on suspicion of breaching copyright law and servers and computers have been seized in Sweden. TF reports that the subject of the investigation is the Warez Scene, the network of sites at the top of the so-called 'Piracy Pyramid'.

A source later told the website that each raid was carried out in a similar fashion.

"In pretty much all of the cases the police just walked into the datacenters, proceeded with warrants, more or less unplugged the boxes and left with them," the person said. "They knew very well exactly what they were looking for and this was a highly coordinated attack."

Read more on Torrent Freak.

Jane McEntegart
103 Comments Comment from the forums
  • LLJones
    So, is anybody starting to sweat a little?


    Well, the comment was meant to be lighthearted but I see that I have offended many people. So let me continue. To all those who thumbed me down, I beseech you to please all get together and write down your divine moral code so that we may all bask in the absolute purity that is you. You buy all of your software, well fantastic for you. Would you like a medal or a chest to pin it on? I am sure that you follow all other rules to the letter as well, never ever have you sped or driven even after a single drink, you all declare extra income from having sold something no matter what the dollar value or in anyway ever done anything against any law as by your attitudes from your postings, you are as pure as newly fallen snow.

    Again for the sake of all humanity, tell how you became so enlightened and just. If there is some reason you can't tell us, then may we bask in the glow that must emanate from your very body. Your mere words scribed onto the lowliest of of parchment would in a heartbeat become more holy than any teachings written by anyone. The Analects, The Koran, The Old and New Testament, and The Talmud would all be proven to be false as you people are the Truth.

    So perfect that we can lo longer consider you even human, You have become Deity's or even Demigods. Ah, what views you must enjoy from up there. It is indeed a bitter realization that I, a mere flawed mortal, will never be able to attain your majesty. I shall however somehow manage to deal with this bane, maybe by accepting that some people are just born superior. It will be difficult, but I will try.

    Reply
  • thechief73
    Hopefully they shut down these sites and catch those involved, for the sake of all the people that actually pay for the things they want rather than steal it off from the internet.

    Let all the pirating fanboys thieves beging the down-voting
    Reply
  • JasonAkkerman
    LLJonesSo, is anybody starting to sweat a little?No, do you have a reason to?
    Reply
  • zarko90
    Piracy will NEVER be stopped. When the world is run by a single government, maybe, but pirates will continue to set up shop around the world where copyright laws take time to find them. Its inherently in human nature, these people do it for fun. They do it to spread software only for the purpose of doing it. Some don't even care about sharing, but rather do it just to show they can crack the software.

    Spend money finding child rapists, murderers, and fixing our economy. One less dollar to Microsoft or Blizzard entertainment or Will Smith isn't going to kill anyone.
    Reply
  • wavetrex
    It is wrong to have payed products in the first place.

    The monetary system has blinded everyone, it's time to wake up people !
    Reply
  • anonymous x
    LLJonesSo, is anybody starting to sweat a little?No, I buy my software
    zarko90Piracy will NEVER be stopped. When the world is run by a single government, maybe, but pirates will continue to set up shop around the world where copyright laws take time to find them. Its inherently in human nature, these people do it for fun. They do it to spread software only for the purpose of doing it. Some don't even care about sharing, but rather do it just to show they can crack the software.Spend money finding child rapists, murderers, and fixing our economy. One less dollar to Microsoft or Blizzard entertainment or Will Smith isn't going to kill anyone.What makes you think they are trying to stop piracy?
    Reply
  • dEAne
    software, money and the internet come so tricky now a days.
    Reply
  • wavetrex
    I seriously have no idea why are you voting down my comment above...

    Do you people really like this work with super-rich and dirt-poor people ? How long do you think the rich will be able to steal everything ? How long until they steal the flesh out of our bones?

    It would be much better for everyone if money didn't exist at all, and everything ( including software ) was open-source, and "free".

    There would be no need for armies, police, raids, no thieves, no pirates of any kind ( as there is nothing to steal, since everything is available to everyone )

    Google "The Venus Project" if you want to know what I'm talking about.
    Reply
  • stingstang
    And just earlier today some European was talking all smug about America losing their rights for having our phones traced. Looks like the foot is on the other foot!
    Reply
  • stingstang
    wavetrexI seriously have no idea why are you voting down my comment above...Do you people really like this work with super-rich and dirt-poor people ? How long do you think the rich will be able to steal everything ? How long until they steal the flesh out of our bones?It would be much better for everyone if money didn't exist at all, and everything ( including software ) was open-source, and "free".There would be no need for armies, police, raids, no thieves, no pirates of any kind ( as there is nothing to steal, since everything is available to everyone )Google "The Venus Project" if you want to know what I'm talking about.Or we could just google Communism and get the same results. Hmmmm.
    Reply