Episodes
Monday Apr 18, 2011
Firefox Plugin Redirects to Mirrors of Seized Sites
Monday Apr 18, 2011
Monday Apr 18, 2011
If govt seizes a site alleged to infringe copyright, browser plugin automatically redirects users to the new mirror site.
Just when you thought the game of whac-a-mole between copyright holders, govt, and file-sharers couldn’t get any more ingenious, along comes the new MAFIAAFire plugin for Firefox. The plugin is a response to US’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement “Operation in Our Sites” domain seizure campaign which has so far seized nearly 100 sites. The problem with the seizures for many, aside from the fact that none were given advance notice or the opportunity to defended themselves in court, is the fact that a number of them were quite legal in the country where they were hosted. In the case of TorrentFinder.com that includes right here at home. Now seized sites are still accessible by IP address of course, but as points out it it’s “easier to remember Google.com rather than an IP address.” The way it works is that it allows you to “un-censor illegally taken down domains.” It maintains a list of URLs and their mirror sites so that if or when ICE seizes a domain the plugin will take you to the new site without you even noticing. “You simply type Demoniod.com into your browser as usual, the browser sends the address to the add-on, the add-on checks if Demoniod.com is on the list of sites to be redirected and immediately redirects you to the mirror site,” it says. “This happens in microseconds and completely transparent to you (the user).” So even if the govt does manage to pass the controversial Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) which would speed up the process of domain seizures, would render the legislation meaningless. “We control the redirection _before_ (and this is important) the browser tries to connect to the DNS server,” it adds. “Whatever blocks, notices, threats, etc ICE or anyone else puts up at the DNS level is as worthless as the IFPI/RIAA/MPAA to mankind.”Version: 20230822
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