In reference to the posts on the 2nd page of this thread:
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75495

if you found illegal mp3s or warez (and you knew the software title) or any other illegal content (porn etc) would you report it to the proper authorities (software developer, RIAA, etc)

I say just cancel the account, just my 2 cents.

I would take such things on a situation by situation basis. I certainly wouldn't allow it to continue, but my method of action in most cases would be to cancel the account and be done with it.

I'm not an errand boy for the RIAA or any software company. I really don't think there would be much that could realistically be done about it after the account had been removed anyway.

Two issues:

- We've had people upload warez and illegal mp3s and such. If it's uploaded within 30 days of account activation, we terminate the account. If the customer has been with us for a while, we give them a firm warning and remove the files for them. If they do it again, the account is terminated. No reporting is done to anyone -- it's a waste of our time.

- We've had one instance of child porn on our servers. The account was immediately cancelled. We submitted the domain to some child protection site and that's it.

We don't allow this stuff on our servers, and we're firm about it. However, we also don't waste time reporting them either. If they were a major ring that was using our servers as a hub, I'm sure the authorities would contact us about it and we'd work with them. Otherwise, I'm not going to bother with some small schmuck who got his hands on a proxy and a credit card from IRC. Even if we report their domain alone, it's probably some random domain and they'll just toss it and use a stolen CC again to purchase another domain via a proxy.

Sad but true.

Originally posted by lightnin


I'm not an errand boy for the RIAA or any software company. I really don't think there would be much that could realistically be done about it after the account had been removed anyway.

no one is an errand boy - usually just good samaritans....for music lovers (like myself), seeing illegal mp3s is a real pet peeve...

but again i say, if you just cancel the account that just leads the client to beleive that's all we'll (hosts) do and they'll just signup with another host..

I'd probably email the webmaster of the site, warn them that for myself to avoid legal issues I'd close their site next week. Then I'd close the account the next week.

As for MP3's, I'd put it in my TOS that I won't host them, however if I found like 1-2 in a person's account, I wouldn't really do anything. Maybe give them a warning like "Ya know, it's in the TOS that those aren't to be hosted here." I wouldn't report them to the RIAA though. I hate RIAA.

Otherwise, I'm not going to bother with some small schmuck who got his hands on a proxy and a credit card from IRC. Even if we report their domain alone, it's probably some random domain and they'll just toss it and use a stolen CC again to purchase another domain via a proxy

shouldn't you be catching stolen ccs before they are used?? very true that they will probably come back with another number, but something should be done to make it harder for them :)

Originally posted by akash


no one is an errand boy - usually just good samaritans....for music lovers (like myself), seeing illegal mp3s is a real pet peeve...

but again i say, if you just cancel the account that just leads the client to beleive that's all we'll (hosts) do and they'll just signup with another host..

I would never report anything to the RIAA. They are pure Evil!

Originally posted by akash
but again i say, if you just cancel the account that just leads the client to beleive that's all we'll (hosts) do and they'll just signup with another host..
And get cancelled again, and again, and again. They might find that golden host that doesn't pay any attention, but they are likely to go through frustration in the mean time.

What's going to happen if you report them? Most likely, nothing. I'd be surprised if the FBI/MPAA/RIAA (or CIA in overseas? hah) did anything about a 14 yr old punk uploading Britney Spear's latest album to a web server with the intent of mass-distribution (not like the P2P programs don't do that already).

Now, if there is someone using a dedicated server to store large quantities of this stuff (warez, mp3s, child porn, whatever), I'm sure the authorities would like to monitor that server (it could be a distro hub and they could monitor connections to lead them to other big fish). But if it's a small shared hosting account with minimal stuff on it, they've got better things to do; like go after the big boys.

That's just my opinion, though. If you want to report them, that's fine and dandy. I just don't think it's really going to do anything, personally.

Originally posted by Refsoft


I would never report anything to the RIAA. They are pure Evil!

true, they do charge a lot of cds...but half.com and mx are the solutions to this :)

note, i edited the question to include illegal content in general. so reflect your opinions based on this. not just mp3s.

I would also decide depending on the content found.

But as for illegal MP3's warez etc.. i would most likely delete the account and leave it at that i see no point in taking it further.

I think that reporting a small warez site to authorities would not accomplish anything. Realistically, there are a lot more important things that authorities need to concentrate right now that going after every "putz" that offers free music or games on his site.

What we can do is cancel his account and then check within a month to see if he moved his domain to another host and just let them know. At least this would put the guy through a whole lot of inconvinience.

Boris

Seems like everyone here is saying "NO" where'd all the yes votes come from.

I probably wouldn't report it, but not because I don't think it's wrong. It's definitely wrong.

But it's also a total waste of time to report these things.

First, the authorities won't waste their time on it, so nothing will ever happen based on the report. Heck, even the so called "experts" at the FBI that supposedly work these cases are the same types that would tell you to go to their web site at username@www.theirdomain.com.;)

Second, if they did try to take action, do you really think that they're going to be able to find the person? Not real likely.

What do we do then? We trash their account if it's a new setup. If it's a long time customer, we disable the content, then contact the customer to explain our terms of service. If it was a third party user on their account, we explain to them how to avoid these problems in the future by only allowing trusted users to have a user account on their site. If it happens a second time, we trash their account.

Of course, we apply common sense through the whole process. It's not always a clear cut and dry scenario, especially when things like ownership of information oriented property is in dispute.

Akash-

I applogise, neither of us were correct... Seems like its 50/50 to me.

Very true...looks like the issue is split right down the middle :)

IMHO not reporting a few illegal MP3s and a little warez is one thing but treating child pornography the same way is pathetic. Yes you will probably get dragged into court to testify and you will miss some work. But look at the alternative, leaving a predator in our communities.

To look at it on personal note, do you have kids? Does anyone you know has kids? If you want to look at it on a purely business standpoint, how do you think the community would react if they found out that a web hosting company found child pornography in one of our customer’s files and didn’t report it to the authorities. If you know that someone is in possession of child pornography and you don’t report it you are in fact taking part in the crime.

Some things you have do because they are the right thing to do. Period.

To be quite honest, child porn hadn't even entered my mind when I posted the first time on this thread. Guess I'm just not thinking about that because we've never had anyone put it on our servers in our 4+ year history of hosting.

Obviously, like I said before, common sense is used in execution of all policy based actions at our company. In the case of child porn, common sense dictates immediate and swift action.

But I think the point of this thread was soft crimes like warez, MP3, adult content, and the like, not murder and child porn.

Originally posted by advantagecom
To be quite honest, child porn hadn't even entered my mind when I posted the first time on this thread. Guess I'm just not thinking about that because we've never had anyone put it on our servers in our 4+ year history of hosting.

Obviously, like I said before, common sense is used in execution of all policy based actions at our company. In the case of child porn, common sense dictates immediate and swift action.

But I think the point of this thread was soft crimes like warez, MP3, adult content, and the like, not murder and child porn.

Nobody mentioned murder, they did however mention child pornography:


We've had one instance of child porn on our servers. The account was immediately cancelled. We submitted the domain to some child protection site and that's it

and from the line below, posted by the person that started the thread, I got the impression it was illegal content in general. As far as I can tell that would include child pornagraphy

akash

note, i edited the question to include illegal content in general. so reflect your opinions based on this. not just mp3s.