SKY ATTEMPTING TO CENSOR INTERNET, SAYS VOCUS

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#1910947 30-Nov-2017 10:48

Rikkitic:

I would imagine Freitasm would comply with any legal order to provide his user list. People are not exactly hiding behind anonymity here. User names help avoid unwanted spam and other privacy intrusions. That is the nature of the modern Internet.

Relevant: https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

MikeB4

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#1910962 30-Nov-2017 10:54

frednz: It's good to read people's frank opinions on this matter but might I suggest that if people had to use their real names and addresses they might be a bit more moderate in the words they use. Think legal liability and the right of SKY to defend themselves.

I am not reading anything here that would give Sky cause for legal recourse. Of course they may attempt to gag freedom of speech.

sbiddle

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#1910963 30-Nov-2017 10:54

jnimmo:

Wow... DNS blocking, IP blocking, by a private company...

And the irony that both easily become ineffective against any content served from a CDN.

You can null route a domain name via DNS and null route the IP address but all it takes it somebody to use a DNS server located outside NZ and you can easily get a different IP address as the content will be served from a different host meaning the block would be totally ineffective.

I wonder if Sky will soon demand RSP's take steps to ensure end users can't use anything other than the RSP's local DNS server?

Oblivian

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#1910966 30-Nov-2017 10:57

dacraka:

https://www.orcon.net.nz/sky-censorship-response seems to be taken down?

Likely closed door talks now due Skys counter response (posted earlier)

Coil

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#1910971 30-Nov-2017 11:01

sbiddle:

jnimmo:

Wow... DNS blocking, IP blocking, by a private company...

And the irony that both easily become ineffective against any content served from a CDN.

You can null route a domain name via DNS and null route the IP address but all it takes it somebody to use a DNS server located outside NZ and you can easily get a different IP address as the content will be served from a different host meaning the block would be totally ineffective.

I wonder if Sky will soon demand RSP's take steps to ensure end users can't use anything other than the RSP's local DNS server?

Will need to make VPN's illegal if they try that route. I'm sure that will work out for them.

Sounddude

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#1910972 30-Nov-2017 11:02

Oblivian:

dacraka:

https://www.orcon.net.nz/sky-censorship-response seems to be taken down?

Likely closed door talks now due Skys counter response (posted earlier)

Thanks :-) Will get it resolved.

Sounddude

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#1910982 30-Nov-2017 11:09

dacraka:

https://www.orcon.net.nz/sky-censorship-response seems to be taken down?

Thanks :-) Will get it resolved.

annnnnd its back!

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frednz

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#1910988 30-Nov-2017 11:16

Rikkitic:
I would imagine Freitasm would comply with any legal order to provide his user list. People are not exactly hiding behind anonymity here. User names help avoid unwanted spam and other privacy intrusions. That is the nature of the modern Internet.

The third posting on Page 1 is one of those I had in mind. Perhaps a bit over the top don't you think?

JimmyH

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#1911002 30-Nov-2017 11:33

What is unclear to me is the meaning of the word "piracy", as it's currently being used by Sky.

Clearly, as from their press release referenced above, they mean sites like the Pirate Bay.

What is less clear is whether they also mean sites that are streaming content legally in another jurisdiction, where Sky has paid for the NZ rights. If they also mean sites that let people evade geofencing by purchasing content legally sold in another country (eg paying for and accessing the US version of Netflix or Hulu) then their demand is outrageous. They have no more of a case than a retailer arguing that they have paid a substantial sum of money for the rights to be the exclusive NZ seller of "Brand/Product X", and Amazon should be blocked because it's letting people buy from an "unauthorised seller" for less. There is nothing piratey or illegal about parallel importing.

Regardless of whether they win the serious pirates won't be remotely impeded, they probably already have VPNs and offshore seedboxes. And, if the hard drives full of material I observed circulating rampantly in my last workplace are any indication, once a few people the material into the country it will circulate rapidly anyway.

The cynic in me says that not only is this strategy doomed/futile, I suspect they knew this before they embarked on it. It won't do much if anything to address their uncompetitive offering or sliding market share. What it will do is let the incumbent management team highlight an apparent scapegoat "those evil pirates" for their woes, to obfuscate what has been going on and hopefully distract shareholders' attention from their failed strategy, failing business, and incompetent management.

Personally, I won't shed any tears if Sky goes under.

Rikkitic

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#1911071 30-Nov-2017 12:42

frednz:

The third posting on Page 1 is one of those I had in mind. Perhaps a bit over the top don't you think?

Not at all. I thought I was being quite restrained. A lot of people seem to agree with me.

I would love Sky to sue me for defamation. I would mount my own defense and they wouldn't know what hit them. Being an impoverished pensioner also gives me a wonderful sense of freedom. I can't be threatened because I have nothing worthwhile for them to take away. Bring it on, you ruthless corporate [******]!

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

rugrat

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#1911074 30-Nov-2017 12:49

Are they going to put YouTube on the list?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qgiL2WZvBy0

If link not ok remove it, I'm sure it'll stop working soon, but as soon as it does another pops up.

Link is to history channel and HD version.

stinger

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#1911093 30-Nov-2017 13:07

rugrat: Are they going to put YouTube on the list?

Link is to history channel and HD version.

If countries like Aus and UK are an example, no. They only target sites that have a sole purpose of providing (mostly) pirated material, or links to it. The likes of TBP and Torrentz. Yes, TBP have links to Linux ISO (which is of course totally legal), but noone goes to TPB for that, do they? :P

DickDastardly

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#1911095 30-Nov-2017 13:12

Come on Amazon, get yourself over here and take NZ rugby - its surely going to be a better service (and more competitive) with you and squash Sky like the bug it is...

I wouldn't like to live in NZ where Kim Jon Fellet and Sky decide to be the Internet police.

I don't want no sugar in it - thank you very much

stinger

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#1911097 30-Nov-2017 13:17

DickDastardly:

Come on Amazon, get yourself over here and take NZ rugby - its surely going to be a better service (and more competitive) with you and squash Sky like the bug it is...

I wouldn't like to live in NZ where Kim Jon Fellet and Sky decide to be the Internet police.

It would be very bold of NZRU to give Amazon exclusive rights. Those without a smart tv, a Chromecast, or in a poor Internet bandwidth area (which I would suspect is more than 50% of the population) would have no way of watching the games on television. Additionally, I couldn't see NZ ISPs being able to sustain the demand of so many customers streaming the event at once. It is much more likely that NZRU would split the pay tv and online rights into a seperate package, as is done with the AFL and NRL in Australia (Telstra have online rights, Foxtel pay tv, and Seven/Nine FTA).

rugrat

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#1911108 30-Nov-2017 13:35

Looks like Spark intends to go and fight it.

Vodafone looks like they're happy to sit on sidelines (my interpretation of their comments)

I was wondering if it would be another global mode thing where cost of court cases verus business gain would be the deciding thing, instead of the legal system.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/99393888/spark-plans-to-oppose-skys-demand-to-block-access-to-websites

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