Using Piracy to help Tsunami Victims?

i edited my post. if this is legit im for it . if its another scam with some trying to make money off of another bad event im not for it . soul007 is that better !

dlc2000 ur retarded, they dont want the cash sent to them they want you to donate to a charity of your choice that is supporting the victims

where in this news post does it say that ? if what you are saying is correct than im for it . ive seen so many scams with people trying to make money off of bad events its pathetic . this doesnt mean im retarded . i recall some red cross scandals that come to mind when the world trade center went down . i probably have more brain power in one cell than you have in your whole body . i just hope that those who do donate that their funds actually make it to the people in need . im sorry if i misunderstood this news post .

see mate the thing is release groups release movies etc. for free and they basically wind up on BT sites, P2P networks, IRC channels, and become free for everyone to download. A file packed with them called an nfo file gives info on the group who released it (pirated it, whatever), and the actual quality etc. of the movie, in this case the group is called Tsunami-Appeal, and in the nfo they say if you download the movie and watch it, then you must donate money to the victims of the Tsunami Disaster in Asia. So basically, whoever you donate the money to for the victims is up to you. The reason i chose to report this is because i found it on a forum and its kind of ironic, as you hear people speak about the bad things that piracy causes, so I thought this would be an interesting read :-)

The Aviator dvd Screener has been nuked, People still donate

it was nuked for less than DVDRip quality, but if u read around the quality is still high, and i agree, donate anyways, ive made my donation and everyone should, it'll take years to clear up that situation, and it'll never be forgotten!

not a problem dela . im for donating to a good cause . it is ironic and very interesting . thankyou for the insight . i now have a better understanding .

strange yet I feel so so what a right thing to do;) Ok let me scrap up my few twenty or thirty dollars somewhere and donate:)

I think this really comes as a reminder and not as a "spread the word", because hell, if you don't donate you either don't care about 150,000+ dead or you're a selfish bastard. It's good to know that even release groups are reminding us that we should donate. I applaud Tsunami-Appeal and I would like to see more groups including this in their .nfos.

I think this story really underscores what the p2p community is really all about. Of course it's filled with tons for freeloaders and cheapskates, but at its heart its about creating a community with people that you otherwise would never have met. Being able to share movies and games you like with other people. This kind of community is inherently positive, and just because the corporate f*cks won the culture war, doesn't mean their destructive desire to legislate their greed is justifiable. Of course, what "Tsunami-Appeal" did shouldn't be lauded, it's the bare minimum, but if these MPAA and RIAA assh*les would spend a fraction of their "hunt" money on charitable aid, they might actually be able to justify their existence. Sorry for the rant:)

Ok we bring you this nice movie in superb quality but if you download and watch it you must dontate some money to the Unfortunate victims of the Tragedy in Asia. So many people died and more are homeless so give generously and help some one less fortunate than yourself Trust me you will feel better. is this for real or a hoax? can anyone tell me?

Hoax? Please tell me you aren't asking if the tsunami is a hoax. I think I'd have to suggest you go jump off a bridge if that was the case.

it is NOT a hoax... they even released a PAL dvdr copy after the xvid had been nuked.

ummm, how does that help tsunami victims?

Are you fucking joking me? Did you just ask how a message reminding us to donate to the Tsunami Relief Fund is going to help the victims of the tsunami? WTF?

Yeah, reminding people who are stealing in the first place to donate money makes a lot of sense *rolls eyes*

I dont believe ppl think donating money to a worthy charitable cause is a hoax. Are ppl just dumb, or dumber.

i think this is a very good idea. i'd like to see more people do this when releasing a new torrent. just think of a cause that's important to you, and ask people to donate to a charity that supports this cause if they choose to watch the vid you've uploaded. why not? it can't hurt, and it would probably make those who feel guilty DLing stuff feel a little redemption by making a charitable donation. plus, i think everyone here would probably agree with me when i say that escobar22 is an ignorant jackass.

excellent article Dela. come on people, like you need a free copy of a movie to help these people out! go look in your fridge or cabinets and see what you have, then stop and think most of these people no longer even have homes to put their cabinets of food into! Where i live we have had no power for a week due to an ice storm, living off of kerosene heaters and candles thru weather in the teens(F), and yet i still donated $500 for these people. The funny thing is, alot of the material you all download comes from these locations so their loss will trickle down to you getting less stuff for free! my point is no matter what in the world is going on with your life, if you are reading this you are better off that all those people hit by the tsunami. time to give something back, and dont bitch about it! hell look around your house and go thru old clothes and shoes even, alot of these people were left with nothing at all!!

I agre that release group did great reminding us how fortunate we are compared to others in the world

Ok,i'm brand new at posting, but an old school programmer, so don't get pi$$ed with me, but I'm new to most of this new school stuff. theoretically, how would someone get to something like a download of the aviator movie (and yes, i know that one is nuked). I get to the nfo files, but then have no idea how to actually get to a full file.

I personally use newsgroups, specifically easynews.com, because of its great web interface, and I don't mind paying a little for guaranteed valid files, and a plethora of easily accessed files. You can also use any of a number of p2p networks. Look in the File sharing applications forums on this site for more info on that.

so what is the purpose of the nfo files? they don't seem to lead anywhere. am i missing the boat there?

Just to tell you to help out. The people who wrote it aren't have faith that if you can find your way to your file, then you should be able to find the Red Cross website.

Right. It's the same as seeing a homeless man. Just by seeing him, even if you give him money, it won't help homelessness in general, but it should at least remind you to support your local homeless shelter by donating time or money. Modern advertising has proven that just by putting out a message, people are more likely to act on it, even if they just glance at it and move on. The simple fact that they've seen it makes them more likely to act on it. Personally, because I see positive aspects to the onine sharing community, I wish that more groups would include information about personal crusades in their info's. Not just siminal events like the recent tsunami.

Strange thing about that particular download.I peeked at the sample sent with the (very large) bundle of RAR files. Interestingly, the sample showed a clip from 'Team America', with Turkish subtitles...from the very same pirate VCD copy I personally put onto WinMX for a mate a few weeks ago. Overcome with doubt, I promptly deleted the entire download. I dont believe this Tsunami Appeal is at all genuine. I think it's somebody just having fun with anything with the initials T.A. Like...Total Arseholes...

The movie is real. The quality is superb for Screener. The plea is not a scam. Anyway, I have donated to Red Cross.

Why are people posting this bullshit such as "Oh this is a hoax, don't donate to help the unfortunate victims of the Tsunami." I thought we would've improved from the Middle Ages by now, but hey, I think we've gotten worse as a whole.

It CAN'T be a hoax !! If it were, there would be some kind of link to bring you to some fake Red Cross website. Please explain how you figure it's a scam.

I have dialup, so I don't pirate movies obviously, and I wouldn't if I had cable, but a friend of mine burned me a copy of 'Team America' that he downloaded. Because of this, I now want to get it when it comes out. Piracy is probably doing more good for the industry than bad. Just because sales are down doesn't mean its cause of pirates.

Oh it IS because of pirating. I know to many people that otherwise have very high moral standards, but when it comes to illegally downloading music and games, they do it without guilt or remorse. My policy is to ask myself, "If I didn't have access to this Game/Movie by downloading or copying it, would I be buying it at the store?" If my answer is "Yes", then I won't do it. If it's "no", well we know the answer to that. For instance, Spiderman 2 came out on DVD about a month ago. I bought it because I can afford to and it's worth the 15 bucks. If I were to download it, I feel like it would be stealing. A movie like Terminator 3, though, as much as I enjoyed would not make it into my DVD library anytime in the near future in my present financial situation. So i'd have no problem downloading it. Piraters need to reevaluate their moral code cause thier actions are directly affecting the entertainment industry which will soon be reflected by poorer quality of movies and moreso video games.