Microsoft Employs Pirates

[The Wooster]

Microsoft Employs Pirates

According to Torrent Freak and YouHaveDownloaded, Microsoft is harboring Bit Torrent pirates.

Microsoft is, to put it lightly, against piracy. The company censors links to the Pirate Bay in Windows Live Messenger, it's funding supposed Bit Torrent killer, Pirate Pay and, according to recent reports, is the most active sender of DMCA takedown notices to Google. It's also staffed, at least partially, by pirates.

Using the site, YouHaveDownloaded.com [http://www.youhavedownloaded.com/], which collects information on Bit Torrent users who don't hide their IP addresses, Torrent Freak performed a search for a list of IP addresses assigned to Microsoft. The results show a number of illegal downloads taking place in various Microsoft offices. What was being downloaded? Why, films, motivational eBooks and pornography, of course.

Torrent Freak is quick to point out that Microsoft is a massive company that employs thousands, at least some of which are statistically guaranteed to be pirates, but it's still grimly amusing to see employees skirting around their employer's own anti-piracy efforts. Torrent Freak has also noted that there's pirates working for Sony, Universal, Fox, The US House of Representatives and, most deliciously of all, the RIAA.

Source: Torrent Freak [http://torrentfreak.com/busted-microsoft-harbors-bittorrent-pirates-120527/]

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[BrotherRool]

Yeah this is just really a sign that for some people, a jobs just a job

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I'm not surprised but damn, hypocrisy much. I guess no one told these guys that the first part of taking a stand against something and preaching its evilness is not dabbling in it yourself.

Captcha: fair godmother

No seriously, what the hell?

Which evil would that be, I wonder? Piracy, or the aggressive defense of a broken and immoral law?

Not that the employees who did the downloading are likely to have been involved in the latter at all. Microsoft is a huge company, a very small percentage of which is made up of lawyers. Considering that it's an IT company, I'd be shocked if a lot of their employees /weren't/ pirates.

 

[vrbtny]

Well... it at least shows that somebody at Microsoft is human. 'cos heartless robots have no need for porn.... unless it's bender.

 

[IndianaJonny]

"Not pirate, privater"

Just goes to show you can talk the talk, but you can't walk... the plank.

Damn, ninja'd by a ...pirate...privateer?...*sigh* pirate paradox, I'm so confused right now.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I guess soon there will quite a few calls to their overseas technical support staff inquiring how to block their ip addresses.

 

[LadyRhian]

Ah... that utterly delicious gandersauce...

 

[Sougo]

These days you can find a pirate anywhere in the world.

Except at sea.

Irony?

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

When I read the headline I thought it meant that Microsoft were hiring the services of reformed pirates to help them better protect their systems, which would have actually been quite cool, not just that a few guys who also happen to work there were illegally downloading porn.

 

[lacktheknack]

Well, that website is a bit horrifying.

I came up clean (They didn't notice me torrenting my legal things either? Huh.) but I clicked a couple of the sample IP addresses given on the list below, and it came up with nothing but porn, porn, and moar porn.

I don't think I'll type my friends' IP addresses into it.

 

[Dreadman75]

These days you can find a pirate anywhere in the world.

Except at sea.

Irony?

No, you're forgetting Somalia. Thought I don't think I've heard anything about pirate attacks from them in quite some time.

OT: I agree with Owyn. Trying to find a big IT company with NO pirates on it's payroll would practically be a herculean labor. Though I can't help but wonder how many of these employees are/were KNOWN to be pirates by those that hired them. That's the real question.

 

[Suave Charlie]

Really I have more sympathy for software companies when it comes to copyright issues. Don't get me wrong, the laws need a total overhaul, but I understand them trying to protect their suites etc as opposed to the music labels issuing notices because you may have heard a song once and sue you to oblivion..

Just my take on it, especially after talking with my software engineering prof about piracy in seminars.

 

[Nenad]

So much win and delicious irony. You made my evening Escapist.

 

[=y]

Glorious. Just glorious.

 

[Baldr]

Hmm I'm curious to see escapist staff has pirated from their offices...

(Good News you look clean)

 

[Jaeke]

I have no idea why but that pictured made my laugh hystericaly.

Now to await Microsoft's rebuddle to this.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Torrent Freak is quick to point out that Microsoft is a massive company that employs thousands, at least some of which are statistically guaranteed to be pirates, but it's still grimly amusing to see employees skirting around their employer's own anti-piracy efforts. Torrent Freak has also noted that there's pirates working for Sony, Universal, Fox, The US House of Representatives and, most deliciously of all, the RIAA.

Do as we say, not as we do.

I am not going to be able to eat for the rest of the day.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I read pirates as hackers... That ain't news people move on!

OT: Lol that's just hilarious, do want the totally not bullshit rebuttal from them kthx.

"We are shocked to learn that some of our employees are pirates, but then we made them eat some oranges and it was 'k"