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ACE Has Prepared a Huge List of Pirate Sites it Wants to Shut Down in 2024
At a time when hundreds of millions of people in North America, Latin America, Europe, and beyond had little but Christmas on their minds, MPA & ACE were deciding which platforms to target in 2024. Their latest list of streaming, hosting, torrent and other platforms is not only substantial, but almost certainly represents just the tip of a very large iceberg.
During the past few hours, users of streaming site ahaseries.com hoping to access their favorite site would’ve met with disappointment.
The same also goes for those who attempted to access uhuseries.com and owlserieshd.com.
All three domains are now under the control of the Motion Picture Association, which in turn is directing visitors to the web portal of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE). There they will be greeted by a message from ACE on behalf of the anti-piracy coalition’s members.
“WATCH LEGALLY,” the message reads. “There are more than 140 content providers/platforms around the world that offer legal access to your favorite movies and TV shows across a wide variety of devices.”
How much choice there is in Thailand may have influenced the choices made by visitors to the three sites mentioned above, but no matter where pirate sites are located, ACE is likely to be aware of their existence.
At a California district court last week, the signature of MPA and ACE content protection chief Jan van Voorn could be found on several DMCA subpoena applications. When signed off, they will compel third-party companies to hand over whatever information they hold on around 40 pirate sites. One of those listed, a popular multi-content site in South America, says that after a 13-year run online, it has already thrown in the towel.
How the rest will respond is unknown but as their traffic data suggests, the platforms in the spotlight are servicing dozens of millions of visits every month. There’s little doubt that ACE wants to turn that around.
The tables below show the domains listed in the MPA’s DMCA subpoenas and the allegedly infringing content. Also included is a general category (such as streaming or torrent) for the sites targeted, their traffic data for the most recent available month, and the third-party platform instructed to hand over user data to the MPA/ACE.
CompucaliTV.org has already informed its users that after a 13-year run online, it has thrown in the towel. According to a report from La Republica, a since-removed message on the homepage read, “This is not a goodbye, but a thank you. We regret to inform that the CompucaliTV site has closed.”
Former users have been saying their goodbyes on social media, with one perfectly encapsulating why the site was great – and why it was under pressure to shut down – in the same sentence.
“I downloaded Disney and Dreamworks movies in 1080p quality and with dual audio for the last 2 years, I’m going to miss this one, guys. RIP.”
On the back of reports that some users can still access the site depending on region, it’s worth noting that at least four Compucalitv look-a-like domains were registered in December, on top of another dozen or so already in existence.
Domain-Hopping, Compliance
This is just one small example of the complications faced by ACE on a daily basis. So-called domain-hopping has escalated to become almost an artform in some parts of the world, with a report from Japan earlier this year noting that some sites operated from Vietnam actually grow their traffic when jumping to new domains. That’s hardly the kind of news coalitions like ACE want to hear.
There are also signs that some platforms contacted by ACE are indicating some level of compliance and then acting in a way that suggests the complete opposite. If that’s indeed the case, history says there will be a price to pay for that at some point; maybe not this year, maybe not next, but it will come.
Eventually, all site operators get tired, sick, start a family, find other things more exciting or simply get bored. When it comes to piracy, the MPA never, ever get bored, and never get tired of setting an example when one is required.
