After almost 20 years of service, an illegal download forum closes following a joint operation by the recording industry and the authorities.
The arrival of the system peer-to-peer download revolutionized file sharing on the Internet. He also contributed significantly to the rise of piracy. At the time, many forums emerge and users share tutorials or news on the field. As time passes, many close their doors, replaced by social networks. Not all of them though. The illegal download forum FileWarez was still active since its opening in 2004 in Brazil.
“Was”, because he has just disappeared. At the beginning of October, users were no longer able to access it. Same on Discord or the application Telegram, there is no longer any trace of the discussions, which were however regular. Even the moderators are surprised and can’t explain what’s happening. You have to wait for a post on the FileWarez Facebook page to understand : the person in charge of the site put an end to it themselves. She explains that sooner or later, the authorities will take action against the forum, and that it is better to stop everything beforehand to protect the teams and those registered. A few days later, a press release confirmed the prediction.
Famous pirate forum closes its doors after 19 years of activity
There International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), responsible for enforcing copyright, announces that FileWarez has been closed following a joint operation. She associated music labelsthe anti-piracy group APDIF and a Brazilian unit specialized in fight against cybercrime. The IFPI recalls that “FileWarez was the most established illegal file sharing forum in Brazil, dedicated to sharing illegal musical content. When active, the site had over 118,000 registered users and at least 24,000 monthly active users”.
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In the end, we don’t know who acted first, but the result is the same. FileWarez joins the list of large illegal download sites that have gone out of business in one way or another. Not sure that this will reduce piracy, however, closing services of this type generally does not have much effect.
Source: TorrentFreak