Torrentfreak: “ExtraTorrent Reveals Most Pirated Files of All Time” plus 1 more |
| ExtraTorrent Reveals Most Pirated Files of All Time Posted: 06 Dec 2014 01:32 AM PST
Over the years ExtraTorrent users have downloaded billions of files, and this week the site revealed the top 20 most pirated files of all time. The data gives a unique insight into the downloading habits of torrent users and comes with a few surprises. While no exact download counts are provided the ExtraTorrent team told us that the top ten were downloaded at least 10 million times. This number represents the downloads of the .torrent files from the site where different releases of a music album or movie are counted as one. One of the biggest surprises is that the top three is made up of music. Drake’s album ‘Nothing Was The Same’ is listed in first place, followed by the Maroon 5 track ‘Payphone’ and Jay Z’s album ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail.’ Iron Man 3 is the most pirated movie in fourth place, followed by The Expendables 3, which leaked onto the Internet three weeks before its theatrical release this summer. The rest of the top 20, all music and movies, are listed below. While this data only applies to ExtraTorrent it’s a decent representation of what’s popular on other torrent sites as well. 1. Drake – Nothing Was The Same (Mp3 Album) The most pirated files include a lot of relatively new files. This can be attributed to the fact that ExtraTorrent has grown significantly over the years. ExtraTorrent released the ten most downloaded files as part of a contest in celebration of the site’s 8th birthday. The rest of the top 20 was provided to TF exclusively. With the contest the person with the most correct answers could win an iPad Air. Perhaps not a surprise, but none of the 3,000 contestants could name all titles. The winner guessed seven of the ten correctly, but missed the top three. Most lists were heavily based on movies. For example, Drake’s ‘Nothing Was The Same’ was only mentioned in one entry, while Maroon 5 and Jay-Z weren’t listed at all. Finally, it’s worth nothing that there are no TV-shows and only one porn title in the top 20. While both categories are relatively popular these downloads are usually spread over more files compared to movies and music. Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.    |
| Google Removes Pirate Bay Apps From Play Store Posted: 05 Dec 2014 08:15 AM PST
A few weeks ago the company implemented a major change to its search algorithm, aimed at downranking sites that often link to copyright infringing material. Another drastic move came today when Google began removing many Pirate Bay related apps from its Play store. The apps in question include “The Pirate Bay Proxy,” “The Pirate Bay Premium,” “The Pirate Bay Mirror” and “PirateApp.” The apps targeted by Google offer mobile optimized web-browsers for The Pirate Bay. In addition, many of them used proxy sites so users could easily circumvent local ISP blockades. The apps appear to have been removed proactively as there is no mention of a DMCA takedown notice. According to an email sent to the developers, the apps in question are violating the intellectual property provisions of Google’s content policy. “REASON FOR REMOVAL: Violation of the intellectual property and impersonation or deceptive behavior provisions of the Content Policy. Please refer to the IP infringement and impersonation policy help article for more information,” the email reads.  The developers are further informed that they received a “policy strike” which may lead to the termination of their accounts, if similar problems arise in the future. TF spoke with Gavin, the developer of “The Pirate Bay Proxy” app, which has 900,000 downloads and 45,000 active users per day. He is disappointed with Google’s decision and has filed an appeal hoping to get his software reinstated. According to Gavin, his app doesn’t do anything different than other browsers, Google Chrome included. It simply points people to a working proxy site and then acts as any other browser. “The app is no different from Firefox or Chrome in that it’s a tool which provides access to TPB or any other web address,” Gavin says. Gavin originally developed the app as a simple tool to bypass court-ordered ISP blockades. However, the app itself is now being censored as well, which is somewhat ironic. “The removal has a sense of irony as the app is described as an anti-censorship tool,” Gavin notes. Those who have already downloaded the apps can continue to use them, for now. New downloads from the Google Play Store are no longer allowed, but a copy of “The Pirate Bay Proxy” is available on the app’s website. Alternatively, people can still use Google and the Chrome browser as these points of access remain uncensored for now. Update: Gavin informs us that his appeal was denied. “We have reviewed your appeal and will not be reinstating your app. This decision is final and we will not be responding to any additional emails regarding this removal.” Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.   |
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