People who share files BEWARE!!

[Shug7272]

MMMWAHAHAHAHAHAH.... anyway here we go.

    Ok so my father just moved here from Roswell NM. He hooked up his PC and got broadband through COX (SuddenLink). It worked fine for about 2-3days. Then all of a sudden it just stopped. So after 2 days of calling people he got routed to someone pretty high up I guess. Anyway, he read her the error message he was getting and she said "Oh, I know the problem. You have a illegal copy of the DVD A Beautiful Mind on your harddrive." He did have just that, BUT he had DL it in Roswell under a completely different ISP and had NO file sharing programs on his pc once he came here.

    So, what is up with that. How did COX know what he had on his PC? Any ideas? It kinda got to me. The lady told him that they would look the other way " a few times" but after that they (I dont know if she meant they as in ISP or they as in RIAA) would prosecute. How did they do it? 

[dlewis23]

if they really did that they the broke the law, and then installed some peace of spyware on his computer to have a index of his hard drive sent to them. I would be posting this all over the internet becuse that is not right.

[php]

My best guess is that he has something shared (folder, or something, maybe drive) and doesn't know about it, and cox may have been looking through it... what format was this DVD in that it would be considered illegal?

[amc11890]

Doesnt sound right to me

[resopalrabotnick]

either he had leftovers from the filesharing proggy he used (and let's face it. the things are intended for illegal use. is a backdoor in them to make other things happen so unlikely?) or he indeed has/had the folder and/or drive the dvd was on shared on his network with no protection whatsoever making it easy for the isp to simply scan his files. (and/or someone else found the shared dir/drive and started dling it and the isp checked up on the traffic use and found it that way.)

as for looking the other way, the isp will make a fuss and usually forward the info to the riaa/mpaa/feds. it's up to them wether or not they take steps.

[Shug7272]

Let me add that my father is VERY well trained in computer use. I guess an accident is possible but I doubt he has anything shared on accident. I will check though. Leftovers from a File Share program may be it but I dont think so. Maybe, I still fail to see how that would allow Cox to see what he had. The format was ISO. Apparently when the internet stopped working he got a long serial number type thing in an error code. This is what he read to the lady and she then told him that is why his internet had been disabled and that is how she knew it was "A Beautiful Mind." That kinda blew my mind that they knew it was that particular flick. He normally erases files quickly but this one had been lost in his folder he uses to archive old programs. As I said he has not used any filesharing since he moved here. Just weird to me is all. Like I said he KNOWS what he is doing, he took 4 years (not full time mind you) of computer classes at college. He is disabled and computers is all he has done for about 15 years. He knows his S#!t. He was on the phone with COX for the better part of 2 days untill they got him to someone who even knew what the error message was.

[disturbed]

.....i dont believe this is possible - sure it sounds xfile twilight zone freaky, but .... id say no

[Shug7272]

.....i dont believe this is possible - sure it sounds xfile twilight zone freaky, but .... id say no

Yea I just got bored and made it all up. If you dont believe it thats all good. This post is for anyone who may want to know whats going on, I would have never thought this stuff could happen. My father is a member here so Dad if I said anything wrong please feel free to clear it up.

[tommie gorman]

Nice story shug,    I believe you. 

[Guest philp]

.....i dont believe this is possible - sure it sounds xfile twilight zone freaky, but .... id say no

Well, shug did say his father brought the computer from Roswell, NM 

[resopalrabotnick]

crime doesn't pay...

[Shug7272]

Just to ease the mind of people that think I am making this up for some reason, I am gonna try to get error code from my father and the number he had to call. I will PM it to anyone who wants it and you can call and find out about it.

crime doesn't pay...

Yea your not lying there.

[Roco]

Hi Shug's I beleve, I go along with 

 

My best guess is that he has something shared (folder, or something, maybe drive) and doesn't know about it, and cox may have been looking through it... what format was this DVD in that it would be considered illegal?

[cook]

I have been warned by Cox before but they had actually received a letter or 3 from the DMCA. I dont think COX is stupid enough to track anything on your machine.

They do have a 3 strikes your out rule.  I was lucky once and got 5 warings but never a closed account.