With the UK recently looking to implement new online pornography laws (more on that via the link here) most peoples proposed bypass to the problem seemed to be hitting the torrenting websites.
Now, as you might expect, care needs to be taken in such areas of the internet. There is, as you might expect, a lot of content on there that by downloading you would potentially be breaking the law. In addition, there are also files that you’d have to be certifiably mad to put on your pc (downloadmoreram.bat.rar.exe).
In a report via the BBC, however, there are also seemingly people on there willing to blackmail you over what you choose to download. Specifically, content of the more hairy palmed variety. Fortunately, one such person (who happened to be a lawyer) has just been sentenced to prison for 5 years for this exact offence!
Lawyer Jailed for Pirated Porn Blackmailing
John Steele downloaded pornography online and then uploaded it to a file-sharing website. He would then track any person who downloaded the file and use it as blackmail to extort money from them. Although exact figures are not known, it is believed that he may have received as much as $6m.
It is believed that he was initially identified as several ISPs noted that he (or more accurately his computer) was the source of the pirated downloads. He clearly didn’t account for someone else being able to do what he was doing to others.
Strange, but not unheard of!
While this all might sounds more than a little bizarre, he isn’t the first person to be successfully jailed for such offences regarding porn blackmailing. For example, earlier this year a UK resident was jailed for 6-years. That was, essentially, a carbon copy of this exact blackmailing technique.
In this instance, however, John Steele was clearly far better at being an extortionist rather than a lawyer. Why? Well, he clearly wasn’t able to keep himself out of prison for this was he?
What do you think? Do you use torrenting websites? – Let us know in the comments!
