Peer-To-Peer News - The Week In Review - June 3rd, ’23

[JackSpratts]

Since 2002































RARBGTOR Sharing Site Ceases Operations

End of an era
Jack Spratts

Rarbgtor has announced on its page today it will close effective immediately. Continuing efforts to operate according to staff had become overwhelming. It was however and will remain one of the most important sites of its kind ever launched and became a prime reason the last few years were a golden age for the widespread dissemination of cultural material. While the visual content was formatted by users the fact that multiple versions were found on the same page like SDR, HDR, HDR10, 264, 265, 720, 1080, 2160, Web, international, dubbed, original, theatrical cuts, director's, producer's, out-of-print etc. was all on the brilliant, dedicated folks of rarbgtor and along with title depth were the major reasons it came to be widely regarded as the best peer-to-peer film archive in the world. As far as I’m concerned nothing else ever approached it. Day after day, rock solid and dependable, I'll remember the time spent exploring the repository with gratitude and wonder. And I just installed two more 20TB drives, less than 18 hours ago...
























Early Edition



June 3rd, 2023















3DS Hackers Are Already Pirating Games Again Despite Update

Well, that didn't take long.
Rhiannon Bevan

Earlier this week, Nintendo released a firmware update for its dead console, the 3DS. While the 3DS still has a bunch of dedicated players, the update came as a huge surprise, as no new games are developed for the console, and its eShop has been offline for weeks. Therefore, it was quickly assumed that there was only one real purpose for the update: to stop piracy.

However, if this was Nintendo's plan, it failed. While there was initially some panic that the 3DS update would disrupt the modding scene, the community has already found a workaround. Now, 3DS owners in certain regions are able to hack their devices again even if they downloaded the version 11.17 update. It's expected that this fix will be available worldwide soon, thwarting Nintendo's apparent plans to stop players from using the 3DS for anything other than officially released games.

This development was spotted by the Nintendo homebrew site, WiiDatabase, which lists the 3DS exploit super-skaterhax as compatible with update 11.17. Right now, this seems to only be applicable to those in Europe, but given how many updates the hacking scene has worked around before, we can expect that to change soon. Super-skaterhax creator, Zoogie, has also confirmed that this is in the works, as they get around US-only changes to the home screen that are interfering with the software.

Others on Twitter are also reporting that 3DS consoles are once again hackable in both Europe and Japan, so it seems that other modders are circumventing Nintendo's changes as well. In fact, it seems that some were able to find workarounds on the same day that the 11.17 patch went live. If throwing a wrench in their plans was Nintendo's goal, then it will definitely need to go back to the drawing board. Or leave them alone, since the 3DS is largely unsupported now anyway.

As we mentioned in our initial report, some 3DS exclusives are now only playable through piracy, or by splurging on a console that already had them installed. Even some physical games can only be bought through resellers - another method that won't see the developers, or Nintendo for that matter, make any money.

In any case, this has been an incredibly unpopular move from Nintendo. While it hasn't been confirmed that stopping hackers was the company's intention, it's hard to imagine why else it would go to the effort of updating a console it doesn't release games for anymore. It remains to be seen if it comments on the matter, or even has another go at stopping the modding scene.
https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-3d...nted-homebrew/





Japan Goes All In: Copyright Doesn’t Apply To AI Training
Delos Prime

In a surprising move, Japan’s government recently reaffirmed that it will not enforce copyrights on data used in AI training. The policy allows AI to use any data “regardless of whether it is for non-profit or commercial purposes, whether it is an act other than reproduction, or whether it is content obtained from illegal sites or otherwise.” Keiko Nagaoka, Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, confirmed the bold stance to local meeting, saying that Japan’s laws won’t protect copyrighted materials used in AI datasets.

Japan, AI, and Copyright

English language coverage of the situation is sparse. It seems the Japanese government believes copyright worries, particularly those linked to anime and other visual media, have held back the nation’s progress in AI technology. In response, Japan is going all-in, opting for a no-copyright approach to remain competitive.

This news is part of Japan’s ambitious plan to become a leader in AI technology. Rapidus, a local tech firm known for its advanced 2nm chip technology, is stepping into the spotlight as a serious contender in the world of AI chips. With Taiwan’s political situation looking unstable, Japanese chip manufacturing could be a safer bet. Japan is also stepping up to help shape the global rules for AI systems within the G-7.

Artists vs. Business (Artists Lost)

Not everyone in Japan is on board with this decision. Many anime and graphic art creators are concerned that AI could lower the value of their work. But in contrast, the academic and business sectors are pressing the government to use the nation’s relaxed data laws to propel Japan to global AI dominance.

Despite having the world’s third-largest economy, Japan’s economic growth has been sluggish since the 1990s. Japan has the lowest per-capita income in the G-7. With the effective implementation of AI, it could potentially boost the nation’s GDP by 50% or more in a short time. For Japan, which has been experiencing years of low growth, this is an exciting prospect.

It’s All About The Data

Western data access is also key to Japan’s AI ambitions. The more high-quality training data available, the better the AI model. While Japan boasts a long-standing literary tradition, the amount of Japanese language training data is significantly less than the English language resources available in the West. However, Japan is home to a wealth of anime content, which is popular globally. It seems Japan’s stance is clear – if the West uses Japanese culture for AI training, Western literary resources should also be available for Japanese AI.

What This Means For The World

On a global scale, Japan’s move adds a twist to the regulation debate. Current discussions have focused on a “rogue nation” scenario where a less developed country might disregard a global framework to gain an advantage. But with Japan, we see a different dynamic. The world’s third-largest economy is saying it won’t hinder AI research and development. Plus, it’s prepared to leverage this new technology to compete directly with the West.

Just a friendly reminder, countries are going to do what's best for their citizens. US Law, theoretically, is the same on AI training data. If the West is going to appropriate Japanese culture for training data, we really shouldn't be surprised if Japan decides to return the favor.
https://technomancers.ai/japan-goes-...o-ai-training/





RARBG Torrent Site Shutdown makes Users Run to Archive or Backup Content as Magnet Links Surface Online
Karanjot Sidhu

Piracy has long been a contentious issue, with torrent sites serving as popular hubs for sharing copyrighted material.

One such site, RARBG, has recently faced an unexpected shutdown, due to various reasons, such as losing staff members to Covid and the war in Ukraine and more. This has left its users scrambling for alternatives.

RARBG shutdown archive or backup content

Prior to RARBG’s shutdown, another popular file-sharing platform, Zippyshare, met a similar fate a few months ago.

These shutdowns have disrupted the piracy landscape, causing a significant shift in user behavior.

An interesting discovery made by users following RARBG’s shutdown is that old torrents from the site continue to function.

This finding suggests that previously downloaded files and magnet links may still work, allowing users to access content they had acquired prior to the site’s closure.

So, people have requested each and everyone to backup any content that they have as it could be resourceful going forward.

It is YOUR job to ensure that everything from RARBG sitting on your hard drive makes it back out into the ecosystem. It doesn’t matter if that’s just a couple one-off episodes of a show, or obscure straight-to-DVD art house films from the 90s

Remember, the internet is fragile. If you care for something, preserve it in cold, hard storage! On multiple devices.

Within the community, individuals known as ‘data hoarders’ have emerged. These dedicated enthusiasts tirelessly collect and archive vast amounts of data from various sources on the internet, including torrent sites.

They play a vital role in maintaining access to historical information and media that might otherwise disappear with the shutdown of platforms like RARBG.

One such user has come forward with the three .txt files that appears to contain magnet links related to RARBG movie and series releases; a staggering 267,000 overall.

While these backups may not replicate the entire RARBG experience, they offer an alternative means for users to obtain magnet links and potentially access the associated content.

This offers some relief to users who are hit hard by RARBG shutdown or are just keen to archive or backup content.

The world of piracy and torrenting is continuously evolving, and it remains to be seen how users will adapt to the changing landscape in their pursuit of accessible media.
https://piunikaweb.com/2023/06/01/ra...ackup-content/





Watch Tarkovsky's Best Films Online for Free
Jason Kottke

Mosfilm, one of the largest film studios in the USSR during the Soviet era, has put full-length versions of many of its most acclaimed and influential films on YouTube for free, including six of Andrei Tarkovsky's films: Stalker, Solaris, Ivan's Childhood, The Mirror, Andrei Rublev, and The Passion According to Andrei. Also available is Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein. Several of these movies appear on Sight and Sound's 2022 list of the best 100 movies of all time. (via @irwin)
https://kottke.org/23/05/watch-tarko...nline-for-free

















Until next week,

- js.



















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