Singapore ISPs Block 53 Pirate Sites Following MPAA Legal Action

53 piracy websites, including The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents, have been blocked in Singapore following the most sweeping action taken by copyright holders in the country in more than a decade. From a report: A new wave of blocks announced this week are the country's most significant so far, with dozens of 'pirate' sites targeted following a successful application by the MPAA earlier this year. [...] "In Singapore, these sites are responsible for a major portion of copyright infringement of films and television shows," an MPAA spokesman told The Straits Times. "This action by rights ïowners is necessary to protectï the creative industry, enabling creators to create and keep their jobs, protect their works, and ensure the continued provision of high-quality content to audienceïsï."

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[stealth_finger]

Singapore is a Muslim country governed by Sharia Law, like no parts of Britain.

FTFY

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[iamhassi]

I thought kickasstorrents was already gone, their website does not work anymore, and piratebay alternatives seem like junk ad sites. It's nearly impossible to find a good torrent site anymore even for open source software and videos

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[WinstonWolfIT]

Um, thepiratebay + dht is quite resiliant through a vpn. On occasion when tpb gets dds, tbp asia still works. The overall infrastructure is remarkably robust. The only clog in the works is if I vpn through a US address, some torrents get poisoned. Good luck poisoning Armenia lads. Or if so, I only have about 180 other endpoints to use. Pro tip: Hong Kong is criminally immune.

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[stealth_finger]

Jail prison? That's pretty bad.

List please?

[muphin]

list of blocked domains please, or it didnt happen :p for my ummm... testing

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[cciRRus]

It definitely happened because I had to do something about it.

I'm not sure if it will work, but you could try setting your DNS server to a Singapore one, and then surf to thepiratebay.org. You'll get a basic HTML error page.

Here are DNS servers from the top 3 Singapore ISPs: 203.211.152.66, 202.156.1.68, 165.21.83.88

VPN, anyone ?

[rojash]

nothing that a VPN cant access

So

[Vinegar Joe]

Has Singapore stopped the sale of pirate software at Sim Lim Square? Of well......there's always BCS and Mega Mall in Batam!

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[cciRRus]

Yes, pirated CDs and DVDs were rampant in Sim Lim Square, back in the 90s. But they had been all wiped out. Now, we can find android boxes pirating TV content.

Minor detail

[Anonymous Coward]

"This action by rich companies is necessary to protect their profits", fixed that for you

Why Protect

[rtb61]

The internet provides such a sheer volume of content, why provide that artificial protection, at taxpayer expense. What purpose does it serve any more, what is the energy and resource wasted by the content creation industry. Should all of it be protected or only some, like text books and documentaries. Why should be protect porn, why should we protect comics, why should we protect drunken drugged up minstrels selling depravity, how does that serve and protect society, what worthwhile service does it provide

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[tlhIngan]

The internet provides such a sheer volume of content, why provide that artificial protection, at taxpayer expense. What purpose does it serve any more, what is the energy and resource wasted by the content creation industry. Should all of it be protected or only some, like text books and documentaries. Why should be protect porn, why should we protect comics, why should we protect drunken drugged up minstrels selling depravity, how does that serve and protect society, what worthwhile service does it provide

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[thegarbz]

I don't think there are any blocking systems in use currently that work on the DNS level.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[thegarbz]

Hmm must be rare. There's petty few cases where ISPs allow these to be bypassed by a DNS. Just a few hundred km north and I'm the proud owner of a VPN here for that very reason. Likewise in the UK, Germany, France, and Australia (to say nothing of China) where I've experienced various blocks that don't succumb to simply changing the DNS... Speaking of who uses their ISP's DNS server anyway. That's madness!

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[cciRRus]

Yes. But I prefer to add the blocked hostnames to my local host file, to bypass the web-surfing restrictions implemented by IMDA.

By the way, porn sites like PornHub, can also be unblocked the same way. :)

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Trivial

[WinstonWolfIT]

I won't name the product because neckbeards annoy me, but I've been alternating between Argentina and Armenia for several months.

Why, though?

[wardrich86]

What do they have to lose if they don't block the site? They stop sending any legit videos their way and forces them to pirate everything?

I like going to the arcade. ...

[Miser]

Because the game of whack-a-mole continues!