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Web-blocks extend to proxy list sites

By | Published on Friday 13 March 2015

The Pirate Bay

Web-blocking in the UK extended a little further earlier this week with websites listing web-block circumventing proxies the latest target.

As much previously reported, web-blocking has become an anti-piracy tactic of choice for the content industries in those countries where such measures are available, whether through court injunction or government agency. Web-blocks force internet service providers to block access to specific websites that exist primarily to enable copyright infringement, like The Pirate Bay.

But as soon as the ISPs start blocking the URLs of such sites, so that users see anti-piracy messages instead, so called proxies appear that enable users to get round the blockades and continue accessing unlicensed music and movies. So the content industries had to start getting web-block orders for the proxies too.

Every time one proxy is blocked another quickly springs up, and users keen for a freebie content fix can check in on web pages providing links to all the latest proxies, so getting around the blockades need not take more than a couple of clicks.

So, somewhat unsurprisingly, the content industries are now targeting those web pages too, presumably citing legal precedent set when the courts ruled against those sites that helped users find the latest illegal streams of movies and telly shows once the content owners started issuing takedown notices against YouTube et al.

According to Torrentfreak, among the proxy lists targeted by a recent web-block injunction were piratebayproxy.co.uk, piratebayproxylist.com and ukbay.org. The operator of the latter isn’t very impressed with the development, telling Torrentfreak: “The new blocks are unbelievable and totally unreasonable. To block a site that simply links to another site just shows the level of censorship we are allowing ISPs to get away with”.

Ah yes, the ‘c’ word. How dare the law censor your free speech right to not pay for the latest Ariana Grande record? “UKBay is not even a Pirate Bay proxy”, he went on. “It simply provides links to proxies. If they continue blocking sites that link to sites that link to sites, there’ll be nothing left”. Hmm, when it comes to sites linking to unlicensed content, I’m pretty sure that’s the point.

Though, of course, all this web-blocking is still heavily restricted while good old Google makes it so easy to find the latest proxies. And that’s the fight that’s still brewing.



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