7 ms·

Maybe a good moment to commemorate the infamous RedTubeGate from 2013 in Germany: A couple lawyers and fishy business men launch an ad campaign on RedTube. Thr

by rv-de 7y ago

Maybe a good moment to commemorate the infamous RedTubeGate from 2013 in Germany: A couple lawyers and fishy business men launch an ad campaign on RedTube. Through that advertisement they collected IP addresses of visitors. Before launching that campaign they allegedly bought the rights for three cheap porn flicks. Now they also claim that they have some miraculous software which allows them to track who has been watching those flicks on RedTube. They even get a totally unclear blueprint for that software officially certified by a surveyor. [4] Then they appeal to a court in Cologne for the real world addresses corresponding to the IP addresses arguing they can prove those poor schmocks watched their illegally uploaded crap flicks. Suddenly thousands of people receive letters threatening legal action if they do not agree on paying a fee of 250 Euro. Many people comply out of fear for their reputation and just pay. 1: https://web.archive.org/web/20140822000304/http://www.wbs-law.de/eng/streaming/redtube-wave-streaming-warning-letters-hits-germany-49182/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140822000304/http://www.wbs-la... 2: https://www.joyofdata.de/blog/tool-visualization-connections-agents-entities-for-redtubegate/ https://www.joyofdata.de/blog/tool-visualization-connections... 3: https://web.archive.org/web/20140911214044/http://www.crackajack.de/2013/12/13/pornostreamingabmahnungsupdate-3-the-distributed-digital-porn-heist/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140911214044/http://www.cracka... 4: https://www.abmahnhelfer.de/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/EV.pdf https://www.abmahnhelfer.de/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/EV.pd... (many of the original sources have been deleted and are only available through archive.org)

technothrasher 7y ago
Prenda Law had a similar scam going here in the US, but used BitTorrent instead of RedTube. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenda_Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenda_Law
- bujak3000 7y ago
  The difference is that bittorrent is uploading content. People are getting sued left and right for Bittorrent cases in germany but for streaming, that was a new one.
mirimir 7y ago
I can't imagine visiting port sites without using at least a VPN. And without using an ~anonymous persona, and ~anonymous payment methods. And full-disk encryption. And as I recall, I never did. But people obviously do. And get nailed by stuff like RedTubeGate, and the Ashley Madison leak. It's mind-boggling. Edit: OK, so I get the "I love my porn, and you closed-minded idiots can just sod off". That's easy to say, when you live somewhere that porn is legal and ~accepted. But many who read HN aren't in such places. And they may not realize just how much they're not in such places. Until the come to a prosecutor's attention, and they're screwed.
- rv-de 7y ago
  I've never visited a p..n site with a VPN.
- Swizec 7y ago
  I watch porn. Like everybody else on the planet. Why hide something so mundane? It’s like pretending you don’t poop. We all know you poop. You’re human. Reminds me of a failed study I read about. Researchers wanted to look into the effects of porn and couldn’t find a big enough control group. There simply aren’t enough people who don’t watch porn to make the study viable. PS: in terms of malware it’s religious sites you gotta worry about. https://www.pcworld.com/article/254694/religious_sites_carry_more_malware_than_porn_sites_security_firm_reports.html https://www.pcworld.com/article/254694/religious_sites_carry...
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    I bet you close the bathroom or stall door when you poop though. They're both something many/most people don't like to advertise. Maybe they'd be even less happy to have details of either habit known. You might think that's silly, but it's far from unusual, it's the norm.
    - Fnoord 7y ago
      > I bet you close the bathroom or stall door when you poop though. I do, but not because I'm shy someone might see (a glimpse) of me being naked; I do it so that they don't attempt to enter a toilet already in use. I find myself often not closing the toilet in after hours. In fact, I don't close the toilet at home cause I know the people who can enter won't. Except when I poo, I might, because I don't want them to smell it.
ct520 7y ago
wow now thats a hustle LOL
cm2187 7y ago
Reminds me of a 1990s scam, can't remember if I saw that in a movie or if it did really happen. Some dodgy magazine advertisement for porn videos or something. Customers orders, write a check to a totally innocuous company name. Then the company claims they ran out of stock and issue a refund check, with a "porn xxx sexshop" company name, and of course no customer wants to present that check to their bank or having that name appearing on their bank statement.
- stupandaus 7y ago
  This is a line in "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" (Guy Ritchie film)! Was this a scam in the real world as well??
  - lilsoso 7y ago
    The scheme is found at an earlier date in a novel by Jerzy Kosinski. I believe it's in his book called "Steps" (1968), however I forget exactly which work it's in. The scam seems to be well known. I presume it happened sometime.
  - cm2187 7y ago
    I think that's where I must have heard it then. Though I am sure it must be inspired from a real scam, like most books/scenarios.
  - taxidump 7y ago
    Also included in the movie Snatch. Big black dildos were used...
- toomanybeersies 7y ago
  Funnily enough I was talking to the cashier at a sex shop the other day about what it shows up as on my bank statements. I personally don't care, but was curious. Turns out it just shows up as the name of the shop, they don't bother to try and hide it these days. Pretty sure strip clubs still show up with innocuous names though, but it's been over half a decade since I've been inside one.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
bigiain 7y ago
A similar scam just got slapped down by a UKjudge: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/07/30/virgin_slaps_golden_eye_dirty_movie_downloader_data/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/07/30/virgin_slaps_golden...

by rv-de 7y ago

technothrasher 7y ago

Prenda Law had a similar scam going here in the US, but used BitTorrent instead of RedTube. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenda_Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenda_Law

bujak3000 7y ago
The difference is that bittorrent is uploading content. People are getting sued left and right for Bittorrent cases in germany but for streaming, that was a new one.

mirimir 7y ago

I can't imagine visiting port sites without using at least a VPN. And without using an ~anonymous persona, and ~anonymous payment methods. And full-disk encryption. And as I recall, I never did. But people obviously do. And get nailed by stuff like RedTubeGate, and the Ashley Madison leak. It's mind-boggling. Edit: OK, so I get the "I love my porn, and you closed-minded idiots can just sod off". That's easy to say, when you live somewhere that porn is legal and ~accepted. But many who read HN aren't in such places. And they may not realize just how much they're not in such places. Until the come to a prosecutor's attention, and they're screwed.

rv-de 7y ago
I've never visited a p..n site with a VPN.
Swizec 7y ago
I watch porn. Like everybody else on the planet. Why hide something so mundane? It’s like pretending you don’t poop. We all know you poop. You’re human. Reminds me of a failed study I read about. Researchers wanted to look into the effects of porn and couldn’t find a big enough control group. There simply aren’t enough people who don’t watch porn to make the study viable. PS: in terms of malware it’s religious sites you gotta worry about. https://www.pcworld.com/article/254694/religious_sites_carry_more_malware_than_porn_sites_security_firm_reports.html https://www.pcworld.com/article/254694/religious_sites_carry...
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  I bet you close the bathroom or stall door when you poop though. They're both something many/most people don't like to advertise. Maybe they'd be even less happy to have details of either habit known. You might think that's silly, but it's far from unusual, it's the norm.
  - Fnoord 7y ago
    > I bet you close the bathroom or stall door when you poop though. I do, but not because I'm shy someone might see (a glimpse) of me being naked; I do it so that they don't attempt to enter a toilet already in use. I find myself often not closing the toilet in after hours. In fact, I don't close the toilet at home cause I know the people who can enter won't. Except when I poo, I might, because I don't want them to smell it.

ct520 7y ago

wow now thats a hustle LOL

cm2187 7y ago

Reminds me of a 1990s scam, can't remember if I saw that in a movie or if it did really happen. Some dodgy magazine advertisement for porn videos or something. Customers orders, write a check to a totally innocuous company name. Then the company claims they ran out of stock and issue a refund check, with a "porn xxx sexshop" company name, and of course no customer wants to present that check to their bank or having that name appearing on their bank statement.

stupandaus 7y ago
This is a line in "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" (Guy Ritchie film)! Was this a scam in the real world as well??
- lilsoso 7y ago
  The scheme is found at an earlier date in a novel by Jerzy Kosinski. I believe it's in his book called "Steps" (1968), however I forget exactly which work it's in. The scam seems to be well known. I presume it happened sometime.
- cm2187 7y ago
  I think that's where I must have heard it then. Though I am sure it must be inspired from a real scam, like most books/scenarios.
- taxidump 7y ago
  Also included in the movie Snatch. Big black dildos were used...
toomanybeersies 7y ago
Funnily enough I was talking to the cashier at a sex shop the other day about what it shows up as on my bank statements. I personally don't care, but was curious. Turns out it just shows up as the name of the shop, they don't bother to try and hide it these days. Pretty sure strip clubs still show up with innocuous names though, but it's been over half a decade since I've been inside one.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

bigiain 7y ago

A similar scam just got slapped down by a UKjudge: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/07/30/virgin_slaps_golden_eye_dirty_movie_downloader_data/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/07/30/virgin_slaps_golden...