Sunday, October 3, 2010

Pirated Movies Can Be A Mess

By Eduardo Lester

We live in a world of on-demand satisfaction. To an extent, whatever you want, you can get and with home theaters becoming a social staple for families, the ability to download a movie that you want at the moment you want to see it is seductive.

Downloading music on iTunes or books onto a Kindle has made the notion of downloading entertainment mass market. To assume that being able to download a movie is the the next logical step. The notion, however, has always been fraught with thoughts of legality, that perhaps whatever is downloaded is nothing but a bootleg copy that will put a computer at risk and get you into trouble.

In the beginning almost all online movies were indeed bootleg pirated copies, most often recorded right off of the screen with a camcorder. Watching these films was and is an act of copyright infringement.

The danger of copyright infringement is that if the government wanted to crack down on a website, most likely, you IP address which is recorded at every visit will be offered up along with all of the other addresses as a way for the site's owner to not be prosecuted as harshly.

This doesn't happen, but it could, and it has happened with many music buffs who have shared filed illegally having to pay expensive fines in lieu of prosecution. Who's to say that movies aren't the next group that will feel this sort of crackdown?

That doesn't mean that abstaining from any movie downloading websites is the way to go. There are still many sites that are both safe and legal. What to watch out for are any websites that promise you everything for nothing. These sites usually peddle in spyware and adware.

What is spyware? It's a malicious software that downloads onto your computer and records your actions on line. This can include recording keystrokes that can give away your passwords on a myriad of websites and open the door to having your identity stolen. Adware is not as malicious, but is a nuisance that can slow down the performance of your computer by inundating you with pop-up ads on the misguided thought that it will make you want to purchase one of the items.

Trafficking on sites that charge you a fee for being able to download movies is the better and safer bet. Like Napster, the music file sharing site, a flat fee of $35 will usually get you unlimited downloads. These pay-for sites are also usually equipped with free virus protection that will keep you safe from malicious software.

The convenience of the internet is a wonderful thing and you can have the entertainment experience that you want, just make sure that you use a legitimate service in movie downloading. A little homework can go a long way. - 40728

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