Just for the record and just so you know: I use TorrentSpy … and a lot of other BitTorrent sites to acquire footage that is not as readily available as the Public Domain files found on Archive.Org. I also use BitTorrent in my work with other filmmakers, animators, designers and effects technicians.

The MPAA, in its mindless quest to control the entire fucking planet, has recently sued TorrentSpy, which has prompted TorrentSpy to do a very courageous thing by publicly declaring on their front page:

Hello Friends of TorrentSpy,

This message is to inform you about recent efforts by the motion picture studios to shut down TorrentSpy. As you may know, in February 2006 the major movie studios and their Washington lobby, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), filed a lawsuit against TorrentSpy and other search engines.

We guess that hiring hackers and turning a blind eye to identity theft is not enough for the movie studios and the MPAA. Now they want to know who you are, what you search for, and what you download. In short, it is the view of the movie studios that websites should not allow anonymous use and your activity on the Internet - anywhere - is their business.

The really scarry thing is that if we lose this court battle, the movie studios will be able to go after any search engine or website and force them to collect data about YOU. It is not an exaggeration to say that losing this fight is a nail in the Internet’s coffin.

We have spent the last year challenging their relentless campaign against the 1st Amendment and personal privacy laws Worldwide. We have succeeded in delaying the court order to turn on logs while we appeal it. TorrentSpy will not create logs of what you do on the site without your consent.

While we use Google Analytics for website statistics, TorrentSpy servers have never tracked your IP Address, the searches you make, or how you use the site. We are dedicated to your privacy and we are fighting for your rights!

I’ll write more on this tomorrow once I’ve had some java. It resonates so much with the 2600 case.

Cheers.