• Chestrade@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Piracy is wrong and should never be done. I am doing some research on how people actually pirate shows. Can anyone tell me how they do it, for research purposes?

    • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      As an avid member of the selfhosting community, I actually have a lot of familiarity with this, since tools for downloading, playing and streaming media are a very popular thing to self host.

      So my understanding - entirely third hand of course - is that the following setup is used very widely:

      1a. A torrent client such as Transmission or Deluge is run inside of a Docker container alongside a VPN client. Because of the nature of containers, the torrent client is unable to access the internet at all if the VPN isn’t running. Torrent clients are, of course, intended for allowing users to share media that they legally can access and share, but their underlying technology unfortunately offers no way to verify that.

      1b. Either alternatively, or in addition, a usenet client is set up in the same way. I’m a little less familiar with how usenet works to be honest.

      1. Next, the user sets up a “Servarr” stack. This consists of multiple different self hosted apps, all of which can be run very easily using Docker. These programs scan and monitor the user’s entire media collection, and then automatically download new episodes of watched shows, download movies when an appropriate release is available (the user might, for example, configure to ignore cam releases and wait for digital). I’m told they even have calendars to show when content will be available. The user adds everything as easily as searching for the name of a show. It’ll even automatically pick up new episodes and seasons as they air. Servarr sends all its download requests to the torrent or usenet clients, and then moves the files into an appropriate storage folder when they are ready. It also monitors existing files and replaces them when better quality releases are found.

      2b. (For those unfamiliar, Docker is a kind of all in one platform for running lots of server apps together on the same PC, configured using very simple config files called Compose files. The Compose file contains all the settings for the app in one place, and Docker runs it in a way that prevents it from conflicting with, or interacting with, anything else on your system).

      1. Finally Plex or Jellyfin are setup (probably through Docker again, for convenience) to allow all the media to be streamed wherever the user is, just like having your own personal Netflix. Of course, these programs were designed to allow users to stream their own legally owned media to themselves only, but there’s no real way to control what users load into them. From there the files can be viewed easily through a web interface or a multitude of apps for phones, tablets, smart TVs and so on. Servarr has hooks that automatically inform Jellyfin or Plex to update their media libraries when new files, are added.

      2. Optionally, something called Ombi is added to this setup. It’s a little helper program that allows people to request media be added to the download / watch queue without needing access to any of the backend management (say, for giving family members an easy way to add media to the system). It even includes an optionally approval system so the owner can have final say over what is being added. I imagine this is very useful for people with children, or who are giving access to friends, for example.

      Edit: I should note for completeness that the hardware requirements for all of this are quite minimal. Typically a Raspberry Pi 4 or similar is used, with a USB hard drive or a NAS for storage.

      The net effect of all this is that a new episode of The Boys goes up on Amazon and almost the same afternoon it’s there on the Jellyfin front page, waiting to be watched. I’m told the convenience is, if anything, higher than that of using streaming services as all the media arrives in one place (I’d imagine thats a huge plus to kids and less technical family who don’t enjoy having to remember which service a particular show is on, especially with some services renaming themselves constantly).

      Of course, someone could also purchase blu rays of movies and shows, convert them to media files using a program like Handbrake or MakeMKV, and then add those to their Jellyfin or Plex library. Of course getting good conversions is fiddly, so maybe better to just buy the blu rays and then download a file that someone else has ripped for you already. Much less hassle that way, and you still legally own a copy. But I shouldn’t be editorializing here, like you said this is entirely academic. And who knows, buying a blu ray of Wish probably also gives Disney a legal right to murder you according to their lawyers.

      • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        1b. Either alternatively, or in addition, a usenet client is set up in the same way. I’m a little less familiar with how usenet works to be honest.

        I can add a little bit of context to the Usenet side of things. I’m by no means an expert, but I at least know the surface level stuff.

        Usenet is more like a server dead-drop. Usenet providers host servers, and people upload content to those servers. Then anyone who also has access to those Usenet servers can swing by and grab a copy. You use a Usenet reader to actually browse and download the files, sort of like how you use a torrent client to download torrents. The upside is that you don’t need to worry about whether or not a torrent is properly seeded; There’s a dedicated server that is hosting the file. The big downside here is that you actually need access to those servers. This requires a Usenet subscription, the same way you subscribe to your ISP for internet service. Not all Usenet providers have access to every server, (though many providers make attempts at parity with partnered companies.) So it’s common to need more than one Usenet subscription, for access to multiple servers for your various types of media.

        Usenet subscriptions typically work in one of two ways; By usage, or by time. Usage is like a prepaid cell phone. Maybe you buy 100GB, and you can then download 100GB from the usenet servers before needing to pay again. These tend to be cheaper in the short term, but more expensive if you’re downloading tons of data constantly. Then there are the timed subscriptions, which are just like a subscription you’d expect; You pay for a month, and you have access for a month. Many people will keep a monthly subscription with their main provider, then a usage subscription with a backup. So even if their main doesn’t have a file, their backup might, and they’re only paying for the backup when their main is failed.

        If this sounds similar to cloud server sites like Mega or Google Drive, that’s because it is. And it suffers from the same hurdles; Content owners can issue DMCA takedown notices on the media they own, and force the Usenet provider to remove it from their server. Usenet has historically been a more solid way to find full file downloads, but that was largely because content owners hadn’t bothered checking them for potential takedowns. In the past few years that has changed, and files often get taken down shortly after they’re posted. If a download fails on usenet, it’s often because the file got taken down while you were downloading it.

    • SailorMoss@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      On a note completely unrelated to this comment. MullvadVPN was raided by the police and was unable to provide logs and accepts cash by mail without providing personal information.

    • MissyBee@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      When I went back to the high seas I read through the r/piracy subreddit. It is still usefull today.

  • Annoyed_🦀 @monyet.cc
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    4 months ago

    This is such a misinformation it’s bothering me so much.

    No, Disney can’t kill your wife because you watch Disney+ and sign their TOS.

    Yes, Disney can make it looks like an accident and you can do nothing about it.

    Just don’t have wife, problem solve.

    • 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝕿𝖚𝖓𝖆@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Disney knows that part of the contract is unenforceable; they’re just daring someone to try and outspend them on legal fees and court costs. Everyone knows US courts are pretty light handed on fining corpos. Whatever costs the mouse incurs, they’ll make it up in at most a few days.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Disney knows that part of the contract is unenforceable

        All a court has to do is agree that the claim must go to arbitration. Then the private Disney arbiter can squash the claim.

        • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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          4 months ago

          The part of the contract that is obviously unenforceable is the idea that signing up for a Disney+ trial a year ago forces you into binding arbitration over an issue at a Disney theme park today.

          Disney really shot themselves in the foot by even trying to claim this. They have a much, much stronger claim (morally still abhorrent, and legally still far from certain, but much better) with the fact that he had signed up for a Disney app in connection to the theme park itself. If they had stuck to only that claim they’d have an equal chance of legal success, and not gotten nearly as much bad press.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            The part of the contract that is obviously unenforceable is the idea that signing up for a Disney+ trial a year ago forces you into binding arbitration over an issue at a Disney theme park today.

            That’s very easily enforceable. It’s bad. But there’s no difficulty actually imposing the rule.

            Disney really shot themselves in the foot by even trying to claim this.

            They have oodles of money and a highly favorable court composition to argue in. Forcing anyone who has every touched a Disney property into binding arbitration would be an enormous coup for their legal team. Meanwhile, they aren’t going to lose any money on this gambit.

    • RangerJosie@sffa.community
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      4 months ago

      I can’t speak for OP. But if we’re talking about political donations. Disney kinda has a hand in a lot of women dying.

    • Stovetop@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Unfortunately if you ever used Disney+ before, it’s already too late. You could start pirating all Disney content right now and still be forced into arbitration with them if they murder your loved ones. Only people who were pirating from the beginning are protected. Lesson learned, I guess!

  • abbiistabbii@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    4 months ago

    The fact that a company can get away with killing someone because someone else in their household subbed to their TV service is fucked and we need to fucking kill that fucking bullshit, whether we will is another thing entirely.

      • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        The TL;DR is that a lady died in a Disney park due to being served a dish with shellfish cross-contamination.

        The park was negligent in serving her the food, because she had clarified with the server that she was allergic to shellfish, and the server assured her there wouldn’t be any cross-contamination, and that the kitchen would take proper safety precautions. Either the server didn’t relay that to the kitchen, or the kitchen didn’t do their due diligence. But either way, someone employed by Disney seriously fucked up, and a person died as a result.

        The (now widowed) husband sued for wrongful death. Disney’s defense has basically been “he can’t sue us, because he agreed to binding arbitration. He downloaded a free trial of Disney+ on his Xbox two years ago, and that 7-day free trial’s ToS had a binding arbitration clause. Even though the free trial only lasted 7 days, the binding arbitration clause didn’t have an end date so it is in force in perpetuity.” Basically, Disney claims that he (and her estate) can’t sue Disney for killing his wife, because of a free trial that he never even subscribed to; He deleted the app from his Xbox after the free trial ended.

        It’s currently in the courts now, with a judge set to rule on whether or not the binding arbitration clause should apply. And if they set the precedent that it applies, then capitalism has truly won and we’ll be in the end-stages where you’re not allowed to sue any company ever, because they all have binding arbitration clauses.

        • experbia@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          what exactly do these corporations think aggrieved widows and widowers will do when they go to hold companies to justice and are told “no justice for you peasant, get out”?

          do they think everyone who has just lost their life will go “ok… I’ll just live with that then, thank you Disney”? lmao

          i can’t understand for the life of me why all these organizations want to remove the systems we built as a society to act as sensible alternatives to violence. do they want to be violenced?

          • goatbeard@lemm.ee
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            4 months ago

            This is what happens when you stop teaching history; they don’t understand how things got to be how they are.

            • shneancy@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              i think it’s more hubris than lack of education. “oh sure every wannabe tyrant in modern history met a grisly death once they took one step too far… but they weren’t like me! :) i have teams of attorneys, and a golden mansion, and i’m not even a tyrant! those peasants are out of their minds, they signed the agreement to sell me their soul, it’s their fault, how could they ever blame me?”

        • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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          4 months ago

          Either the server didn’t relay that to the kitchen, or the kitchen didn’t do their due diligence. But either way, someone employed by Disney seriously fucked up, and a person died as a result.

          Given what I know about the restaurant industry, the chef probably thought the lady was just being “bratty” and made up her allergy to get a “special order”, and ignored the substitution request. Sadly I know too many “proud chefs” who just straight up ignore these things and the consequences when they trust their instinct instead of the order is

          That said, I’ve also heard of careless wait staff… had a friend of a friend go to a restaraunt and order diet coke. He felt light-headed after his third glass and realized his coke tasted “off”, when asked the waitress just told him

          “Oh, I just went ahead and gave you regular since you’re kinda skinny anyway.”

          Bro was skinny yes, but that’s not why he ordered diet. He was actually diabetic and had to go to the hospital to avoid dying as the “light headedness” was his body starting to going to shock.

          Needless to say, she was fired and the restaraunt was sued for the medical bills.

  • AeonFelis@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Wouldn’t they already have the right to do it because you’ve watched the first season?

  • LowleeKun@feddit.org
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    4 months ago

    On a sidenote: You do not need to have a gf or wife to care about human rights. Powers that want to strip large parts of the population of their rights also want to controll you.