MALWARE PURVEYORS TARGETING PIRATE SITES WITH BOGUS DMCA TAKEDOWN NOTICES

SOURCE: TECH DIRT

DMCA takedown abuse is nothing new. But it normally involves bogus takedown requests claiming copyright violations. TorrentFreak has uncovered a new form of abuse that involves the DMCA, but unlike normal copyright claims, doesn't allow the target to contest the claims.

One of the most recent scams we’ve seen targets various popular game piracy sites, including gamestorrents.tv, fitgirl-repacks.site, freegogpcgames.com, crotorrents.com, nosteam.ro, pcgames-download.com and skidrowreloaded.com.

The notices in question are seemingly sent by prominent names in the gaming industry, such as Steam and Ubisoft. However, the sudden flurry of takedown requests appears to be initiated by scammers instead.

These scammers appear to be going after competitors. The entities behind this wave of bogus takedown notices are gaming Google's search engine via DMCA notices. Much like shady characters trying to vanish unflattering news and blog posts from Google's search results, these shady characters are trying to move their malicious sites higher in the rankings by targeting similar sites offering a similar selection of cracked software.

But rather than go with a straight copyright claim which could be contested and result in a reinstatement, the scammers are using another part of the DMCA -- one that provides no adversarial process.

[T]he notices are not regular DMCA takedowns. Instead, they are notifications that the URLs circumvent technological protection measures such as DRM, which is separately covered in the DMCA.

“Google has been notified that the following URLs distribute copyright circumvention devices in violation of 17 U.S.C. § 1201,” Google informed the site owner.

“Please find attached the notice we received. There is no formal counter notification process available under US law for circumvention, so we have not reinstated these URLs. If you dispute that you are distributing circumvention devices, please reply with a further explanation.”

That's the way the law works. Takedown notices claiming DRM circumvention (most pirated software involves some sort of circumvention) cannot be contested. Google is allowing replies in these cases, but what it's doing isn't mandated by law. Google, however, is obliged to comply with requests unless it feels the complaint isn't legitimate. How strongly it feels sometimes depends on the manpower available... or the attention the issue is receiving elsewhere on the web.

The notices collected by TorrentFreak hardly seem legit, even with only a cursory review. They're littered with typos and make unrealistic/absurd claims, like supposedly filing on behalf of Steam even though Steam doesn't actually own or produce the game titles listed in the takedown notice.

As TorrentFreak notes, thousands of URLs have already been taken down, pushing malware-loaded sites higher in search listings. Internet users seeking free games now may find they've picked up bitcoin-mining hitchhikers after visiting these scammers' sites.

The good news is Google is paying more attention to these takedown requests and has reinstated some URLs targeted by these malware purveyors. But the fact that this sort of search engine gaming is still effective is further proof the DMCA enables abuse by treating the accuser as inherently credible while limiting the options of those falsely accused.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE...

Views: 84

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by Boris on December 12, 2018 at 5:47pm

IT'S BEEN YEARS SINCE THIS SITE GOT A DMCA, WEIRD

Comment by Boris on December 12, 2018 at 5:47pm

Maybe these

obnoxious terms we require to file a DMCA the reason :)   thanks piratebay 2009!

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted blog posts
yesterday
Burbia favorited tjdavis's photo
yesterday
FREEDOMROX's blog post was featured
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's blog post WHY YOU MUST UNDERSTAND AMYLOIDOSIS AND AMYLOID PLAQUES June 13, 2022
yesterday
FREEDOMROX posted a blog post
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post The Many Keys to Deadly Secrecy in our Government
"cheeki kea, thanks so much for your support."
Friday
FREEDOMROX posted a blog post
Thursday
cheeki kea favorited Doc Vega's blog post The Many Keys to Deadly Secrecy in our Government
Thursday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thursday
cheeki kea posted a photo
Wednesday
cheeki kea replied to cheeki kea's discussion Tartaria
"Greetings to you John, You're right and it didn't take long for those manuals to totally…"
Wednesday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Many Keys to Deadly Secrecy in our Government

We now know thanks to the legislation of FOIA access to federal documents and evidence and the…See More
Wednesday
Less Prone favorited tjdavis's photo
Wednesday
Less Prone favorited rlionhearted_3's photo
Wednesday
John Miller commented on rlionhearted_3's photo
Thumbnail

Another incredibly Stupid!! What, no mirrors?

"Brutal post... not sure it’s helping anyone though."
Tuesday
John Miller replied to cheeki kea's discussion Tartaria
"Tartaria: the empire that built half the world's cathedrals, then vanished because someone…"
Tuesday
Burbia commented on rlionhearted_3's photo
Thumbnail

Another incredibly Stupid!! What, no mirrors?

"This movie portrayed plastic surgery as absurd. I guess the numbers in the real world are growing."
Tuesday
Burbia commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Redux

"Ah yes, General Jussitri Smolletkov. Good tongzhi. Good tongzhi."
Tuesday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Unusual Discoveries and Headlines

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient tool dated to be 6,000 years old, but even more…See More
Jun 2
tjdavis posted a video

Inside Texas HOMELESS HELL – Even Cops Don't Dare Step In! - Documentary

In this powerful documentary, we explore the escalating Texas homeless crisis 2025, where cities and rural areas alike are witnessing a disturbing rise in th...
Jun 2

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted