As French authorities step up blocking measures against illegal download sites, YggTorrent, the largest French-speaking torrent community, has gone private. Now only registered users can access the site.
YggTorrent, founded in 2017 to fill the void left by the closure of T411, quickly gained popularity. Unlike other torrent sites, this one works like a community with its own file tracking system and attracts millions of visitors every month. However, this popularity has also attracted the attention of copyright organizations, notably those of Hollywood and French producers.
In March, French justice demanded the blocking of several download and illegal streaming, including YggTorrent. Internet service providers such as Orange, Bouygues Telecom, Free and SFR are now required to block access to these sites for at least 18 months.
YggTorrent goes private to escape legal pressure
To escape this growing pressure, YggTorrent operators have taken a drastic measure: make the site private. Now users who try to access the site are presented with a login screen. By operating away from the public eye and responding more quickly to requests to remove copyrighted content, they hope the pressure will lessen. The site already had blocked visitors from the United States to avoid problems with rights holders, but this was apparently not enough.
YggTorrent notes that it receives many fake takedown requests, which will continue to be ignored. However, legitimate claims are now processed regularly to satisfy rights holders. Despite these concessions, the site operators believe that the blocking actions aggressive actions will do little to increase revenues for copyright holders. They argue that many people download content because they don’t have the financial means to do otherwise. The site warns that new blocking measures will only encourage pirates to become smarter.
Currently, the registrations on YggTorrent are closed, but the six million registered users can still access it. Registrations should reopen soon. A recent survey by French anti-piracy agency Arcom showed that many people are already aware of circumvention tools like changing DNS servers and using VPNs. These tools allow users to access blocked sites by hiding their location. If the blocking actions continue, the site operators expect that this awareness increases.
Source: torrentfreak