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TorrentFreak has uncovered a "top-secret" presentation made by the Federation Against Copyright Theft and sent to Sony Pictures. "The document reveals suspects being filmed in cinemas, tracked using Facebook friends, and their connections to release groups mapped in intriguing diagrams."
FACT goes on to give Sony several examples of situations in which it has been involved in information exercises sharing with the authorities. The exact details aren't provided, but somewhat surprisingly FACT says they include murder, kidnap and large-scale missing persons investigations.
But perhaps of most interest are the details of how the group pursues those who illegally "cam" and then distribute movies online. The presentation focuses on the "proven" leak of five movies in 2010, the total from UK cinemas for that year.
[...] Considering the depth and presentation of the above investigations it will come as no surprise to most that many FACT investigators are former police officers. For the curious, the full document can be found here on Wikileaks.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 27 2015, @11:25PM
He calls it "their real mission" when it is more like an inevitable side-effect of the way they pursue their official goals in the current environment.
Some people have a really hard time with the concept of emergent effects, it is much easier to believe in active malice rather than damaging side-effects that occur because no one cares. If its malice, then there is a specific person or set of persons that you can deal with in simple straight-forward ways. But emergent properties defuse responsibility and require systemic change and that's really hard.
(Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Tuesday April 28 2015, @12:24AM
Some people have a really hard time with the concept of emergent effects
No, it's just that our system is set up to violate people's rights to such an extent that it is unreasonable to believe it's not malice at this point.
If its malice, then there is a specific person or set of persons that you can deal with in simple straight-forward ways.
Nope, because what may be causing them to become malicious is the fact that power corrupts, that these organizations have powers that they can easily abuse, and that already evil individuals tend to be hired by these organizations. So systematic change is needed either way.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @03:40AM
> No, it's just that our system is set up to violate people's rights to such an extent that it is unreasonable to believe it's not malice at this point.
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behaviour.”
(Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Tuesday April 28 2015, @03:56AM
I just prefer to take into account the probability that these filthy scumbags aren't acting with malice. When I do, I realize that it is rather improbable that they aren't
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @04:33AM
Circular reasoning.
(Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Tuesday April 28 2015, @05:11AM
Saying that I like to take probability into account and then stating the conclusion I reach when I do is circular reasoning? You don't understand basic logic, it seems. Not presenting the specific evidence I take into account in a certain comment != circular reasoning.