We've been talking a lot lately about technologies that can protect your security and privacy. One of our favorites is VPNs. They're easy-to-use tools that keep your traffic encrypted. However, none of these services that promise protection will protect you if you're careless.
TorrentFreak published the story of Phillip Danks, a movie pirate who was sentenced to 33 months in prison last month. The reason? He had gone to a movie theater, recorded a movie with a cam, and then uploaded it online for his “friends” to download. He thought he was covered because he was using a VPN. The problem, however, was the alias he was using. He used to use the same name all over the internet, it was like a brand name for him.
It’s something that a lot of people do. They use an alias, and Danks was no exception. His online name in the torrent scene was TheCod3r, and as you can see below, his name was also in the title of the torrent he uploaded.
Let's remind the obvious. Pseudonyms are used to cover a real name.
However, what many do in the file-sharing scene is that they forget that they should not use their pseudonyms on some website that is linked to their «normal» life.
The Danks or TheCod3r did not use his alias only in the torrent name “Fast And Furious 6 2013 720p x264-CAM TheCod3r”, but also in a dating profile of his on Plenty of Fish. His profile included a lot of personal data such as where he lives, and also his real name. Of course the same profile was also linked to a Facebook page, where there were also his personal photos.
The moral of the story? VPNs, proxies, encryption, and security in general, are not needed if the other person is stupid. The hero of the story doesn't even need a lawyer!
