United States authorities took down some 130 domain names as they continued to crack down on counterfeit and piracy-related websites.
The latest crackdown took place just a few days before “Cyber Monday,” according to an article on Torrentfreak.com.
It said the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have resumed “Operation In Our Sites,” the domain name seizing initiative designed to crack down on online piracy and counterfeiting.
According to Torrentfreak.com, the new round comes a year after 82 domains, including Torrent-Finder, were taken over in 2010.
Cyber Monday refers to the Monday following Thanksgiving where consumers are persuaded to shop online.
TorrentFreak posted on its site a list of some 130 domains taken over by the US government in the last 24 hours.
"The authorities have yet to comment via official channels, but we assume that they will use the same justification for the domain seizures as they did last year," it said.
TorrentFreak also noted that this year's action appears to be limited to sites that directly charge visitors for their services.
It said most of the domains are linked to the selling of counterfeit clothing (such as 17nflshop.com), and at least one (autocd.com) sold pirated auto software.
"Last year several sites were taken down because they allowed their users to access free music and movie downloads, and these were followed by several streaming services a few months later. No similar sites have been reported in the current round," TorrentFreak said.
On the other hand, many torrent site owners began to work on backup plans in case they too become a target, after the November 2010 seizures were covered widely in the press.
A few dozen sites have switched over to alternative domains, and other torrent site operators have purchased additional backup domains just in case.
A separate article on CNET noted most of the domain names suggest sites that traffic in counterfeit clothing items: cheap-louisvuitton-replica.com, nfljerseyswhole.com, uggbootsclearanceoutletstores.com, and so on.
"The list is also sprinkled with names that suggest digital piracy: dvdsetonline.com, for example," it added. —MRT/LBG, GMA News
source:gmanetwork.com
