TorrentFreak: storm in a teacup
p2pnet news view P2P:- Over the last couple of hours I’ve had quite a few Reader’s Writes (all on hold), and several emails, on Dutch BT news site TorrentFreak.
They seem to centre on the departure of of its owner, best-known as Ernesto, from his previous job, and his friendship with one of the (former?) owners of The Pirate Bay.
1 – “There is a scandal on xx Ernesto xx OF TorrentFreak and Jon Newton of p2PNet is censoring any mention of it,” says one of the comments, adding, “P2Pnet is supposed to be about Free Speach.”
2 – “This has to do with an article about BREIN and a reporter of a Dutch news radio station broadcasting a rant about Torrentfreak,” says another. “All a little biased. Indeed xxx is a respected member of our community.”
I’m not censoring anything. But I’m sure as hell not going to start allowing attack comments on sites which support honest sharing, and the concept of P2P. I’ll leave that to the RIAA and MPAA, and the rest of them.
I’ve never met Ernesto, but I’ve known him since TorrentFreak first went online, and I’ll go with #2.
Keep up the good work, Ernesto. And enigmax. 
Cheers! And thanks …
Jon
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
September, 2009
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September 15th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
All the comment come from one or two persons I think, who obviously don’t like all the work we put into TorrentFreak…
Yes I left my old job and I met some of the TPB forls in person, but that’s no crime either…
September 15th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Guilty by association
2 years jail and 4.5 million dollars in fines.
Torrent freak must be blocked by all ISP’s now.
Is there a link to this “rant” anywhere?
September 15th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Oh come now, it’s not like a couple of whiny attack comments are going to throw p2pnet into chaos.
Let the angry users speak, and offer your rebuttal, defending torrent freak in an article. You can’t just censor comments because you disagree with them.
I happen to like Torrent Freak, and part of what makes TF great is that even stupid comments go uncensored. Sure it adds to the noise, but nowhere else do I see such a lively fierce debate on intellectual property issues. The reason? Opposing voices have their say.
September 15th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
” You canât just censor comments because you disagree with them. ”
If this is your site, you can run it however you wish.
” You canât just censor comments because you disagree with them. ”
I think Jon made it clear why they weren’t allowed.
Create your own site and run it however you wish.
Jon has the right to throw out the trash in his own home, real and virtual.
Don’t like it, go elsewhere .. make your own site and call it JonSuxLOL.com and post
whatever you want. Don’t bother with the ‘Free Speech’ strawman.
September 15th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
@ normal1515
99.9999% of p2pnet Reader’s Writes stay up and if these had been merely ‘whiny attack comments’ they, too, would’ve stayed. But several were considerably more than that and rather than ‘censor’ some of them, I decided to delete them all, including several which were very definitely pro-TF.
As for myself, I’m being sued because I don’t delete comment posts. My case comes up in February after four years of it hanging over my head. So please don’t preach to me about ‘opposing voices’ or, for that matter, comments.
For more on the case, go to >> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5230776.stm
Cheers!
September 15th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Dreddsnik:
“If this is your site, you can run it however you wish.”
I’m completely aware that it’s Jon’s site and he can run it however he wants. Nobody should force him to change the way he runs his site. However, Jon is wise enough to let readers leave comments on his posts, and I assume he appreciates constructive criticism. I’m urging him to revise his policy. Is that such a bad thing? I’m not using a free speech strawman. Nobody has the *right* to speak uncensored on someone else’s webpage. But I do think if Jon offered us the *privillage* of talking more freely, his users would appreciate it, and his audience would grow.
” I think Jon made it clear why they werenât allowed.”
Yes. He said he won’t allow attack comments on a site that supports honest sharing and p2p. I take that to mean he agrees with the values of p2p sharing (as do most of us here) and will not allow comments attacking sites that share those values. And that’s precisely what I’m talking about when I say you can’t just censor comments because you disagree with them.
Please don’t interpret my statement too literally. Of course he *can* censor comments he disagrees with. He can do anything he wants. It’s his site. But IMHO, if he wants to act in the best interest of his readers, he should not.
September 15th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Jon, I was unaware of your pending court case. I can understand then why you might not hesitate in removing potentially defaming comments. I hope you win, and I hope the laws in your country change regarding defamation. Clearly the laws have created a chilling effect which silences meaningful debate.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Here’s my take on this sort of thing — if anybody actually cares
1. Personally, I put “reader’s writes” in a different — and less respectable — catagory from contributors who either use their OWN name (Me, Crosbie Fitch, Koltai, etc.) or choose — and use — a consistent ‘handle’. Y’know why? Anonymity is all well and good, but sometimes — on some issues — you just need to stand FIRM, and let your views be known. The issues surrounding p2p, copyright-reform, corporate bullshit tactics etc. are that kind of issue.
So if you want the perceived “anonymity” that comes with “Reader’s write” status, you shouldn’t be surprised if what you say — whatever it may be – isn’t taken as seriously as it would be if others could attatch some kind of “ID’ to it.
(Hell, even “Sam I Am” — uber-troll that he was/is, actually uses the same handle consistently, so as to leave a bigger “footprint” on those areas of internet culture he frequents. True, everything he says is the same old bullshit, but you gotta admire the tenacity.)
Maybe your comments — whatever they are — would stand a better chance of getting through if you’d at least use a handle? Personally, I’m reluctant to have ‘discussions’ with Reader’s writes, because you never know if the comments come from the same person, if that makes any sense.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
” But I do think if Jon offered us the *privillage* of talking more freely, his users would appreciate it, and his audience would grow. ”
I think his judgment is just fine as do the majority.
His audience has already grown to the point that the waves it’s
making is gaining attention of those who wish to close it down …
by any means necessary.
It is not beyond the capacity of those who wish this site gone to deliberately post things that will cause negative attention
Case in point, very recently as a matter of fact,
One use consistently posted veiled threats of violence.
I suspected he was doing it to cause a backlash against Jon, and, in fact, it did exactly that.
One single idiot caused a major ruckus.
That’s all it takes is for deep pockets of the wealthy to grab onto like a crocodile about to do the
‘Death Roll’ . One poster.
All the truth spoken gets ignored, but they latch onto the single jackass.
He’s doing just fine.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Well if they were more than just angry comments, and actually made threats, then I can understand. I hope no valid comments were thrown out with the rest.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
In regards to henry’s rhetoric.
I suggest that anyone who doesn’t want their name or company associated with what they have to say or think sign their name as Henry Emrich.
Yes, Henry. What you said is rhetoric. Think of the children type crap.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
@ normal1515
“I can understand then why you might not hesitate in removing potentially defaming comments.”"
That had absolutely nothing to do with it. As I said in the post, “Iâm sure as hell not going to start allowing attack comments on sites which support honest sharing, and the concept of P2P. Iâll leave that to the RIAA and MPAA, and the rest of them.”
That was it, and that was all there was to it.
The day I start taking comments down because I’m afraid I’ll end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit is the day I close p2pnet.
Cheers!
September 15th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
If you want to post in a forum where your posts won’t be deleted, make them over at Torrent Freak or do like Dreddsnik said and create your own site. I like TF and subscribe to the RSS feed, but the noise does tend to get tiresome. I view p2pnet’s comment section as quality over quantity. Not as many people comment here but at least what is posted is relevant, thoughtful and to the point. Especially when it’s posts made by the regulars (you know who you are).
September 15th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
I just want to say one more thing or, rather, to repeat it.
This is starting to look like I do a lot of deleting.
I don’t.
As I say above, “99.9999% of p2pnet Readerâs Writes stay up”.
Cheers!
September 15th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
I always get deleted.
September 15th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
” Yes, Henry. What you said is rhetoric. Think of the children type crap. ”
Bullshit.
Some people have a legitimate need to stay under the radar, while some
simply use anonymity to say crap that they are too cowardly to say to
someones face.
It’s obvious which type you are.
September 15th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
” I always get deleted. ”
Hee hee ..
I seeeee yoooo.
Never say ‘never’ or ‘always’ .
September 16th, 2009 at 4:50 am
Hi Jon,
Here’s the deal. A famous blog in the Netherlands called Geenstijl.nl was posting an article about the BREIN director Tim Kuik. Supposedly he had stolen a laptop from a hacker. This sparked some debate as it turned out Geenstijl based the article on a Torrentfreak article and Torrentfreak did not ask the BREIN director for comments. A reporter of Business News Radio called Herbert Blankesteijn criticized both Geenstijl and Torrentfreak for this.
The entire event caused a small riot and people wanted to find out who Ernesto was (as if it was a secret, which is not because googling “Ernesto” and “founder” and “Torrentfreak” will do the trick). They also posted info about his background and ties to members of the Bittorrent community (not really a surprise either).
Anyone who does not understand that Torrentfreak or P2Pnet for that matter are pro-P2P is a nut. Ernesto’s comment about one or two persons is probably correct. Then again, only a small group of people is keeping the torrent scene alive.
Cheers,
Spence
September 16th, 2009 at 5:02 am
Jon, you should be more critical of what’s happening. What we have here is a respected member of the Dutch academic community running Torrentfreak which is good. The man is however deleting posts, filtering out domain names and filtering out keywords of various persons. Now that’s censorship. Makes one wonder who is paying him and what his views are on a censorship free future of the internet.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:08 am
silent is right. many think tf is a honeypot. think about it. posting the most popular torrent sites, the most popular files, background info on pirates. it provides mafiaa with all the info they need. torrentfreak has done the scene more harm than can ever be imagined.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:14 am
they only thing that bugged me was the reporting on Piratebay and GGFX. too many articles with useless info or info that could hurt the community and the deal that was going on. lawyers are reading Torrentfreak too.
September 16th, 2009 at 9:41 am
one poster threedifferent names. i see what henry means
September 16th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I think Lennart Renkema feels that Torrentfreak is his baby and the bit of this world he can shape and control. And now people are invading both his site and his privacy.
Something he usually does to others, so it must have startled him and he began to throw people off his site.
He is already having difficulty with the status of the torrent technology and therefore he started Freakbits.
September 16th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Go! go! go! Jon! You are my hero! That’s all I want to say!
September 16th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
” Are these all kids ranting? ”
Rhetorical.
Singular.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
In case anybody wondered, most of the stuff under my name isn’t me.
For one thing, I would NEVER use the phrase “whoopty-fuqn-doo”.
For another thing, if I’m gonna say FUCKIN’, then I’ll say FUCKIN’. I’m not a fan of “minced oaths” or “Bowdlerization”, as y’all know well.
Moreover, I just have to ask what kind of person WOULD come up with the whole “fuqn” thing?
Doubltess some sort of sad little troll who thinks he’s “3l33t”. Yeah, boy, you’re flexin’ them 3l33t Tr0lL SkIlLz now.
Idiots.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
“as yâall know well”
But I’m a fan of the Beverley-Hillbillies, as y’all can tell.
Ah’m also not a fan of anon users as I stated above. Everyone must use their full name like me (or use the same handle all the time). Otherwise y’all aint bein American. I don’t respect privacy and no one should be allowed to be anon when Ah’m not.
I shall rant again with foul language and l33t sp33k.
Latah y’all.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Just let Jon know what’s up Henry, of course he probably already knows.
Some ‘child’ pulled the same cowards stunt on me a while back.
Jon and I worked out a way to handle it.
Besides, anyone with an IQ higher than a microcephalic can tell when it’s not really you.
There’s only ONE Henry.
It’s best for the world that they broke the mold
( kidding ).
September 16th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Dredd:
Yeah — the fucktard can’t even come up with anything better than a “beverly Hillbillies” reference.
As to the “foul language”, why don’t you just come one out and call me a “potty mouth”, Like you want to?
(Pussy little bitch wants to troll, but can’t even deal with ‘foul’ language.)
What, is my language giving you “the vapors?” Why don’t you go sit on the veranda, drink a mint julep, and stop being a whiny little troll bitch? Fiddle-dee-dee. (Dumbass.)
(I just *love* when some sad little troll decides to crawl out from wherever the hell it is they come from, and try to battle.
They never learn.
There *IS* only one — until I get the cloning thing working correctly.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
“I suggest that anyone who doesnât want their name or company associated with what they have to say or think sign their name as Henry Emrich.”
If you don’t want your “name or company” associated with what you say or think, you are a COWARD.
Too often, ‘privacy’ or ‘anonymity’ is just an excuse to stay “in the closet” on a given issue. If I was homophobic, or subscribed to Freudian psychological models, that would lead me to think you were maybe ‘closeted’ on other issues, but that’s just me.
Additionally, how much of a half-wit do you have to be to say ‘in regard to Henry’s rhetoric” — while posting SPOOFING ME, using MY NAME? And then you follow it up with the accusation that I advocated stuff “for the children?”
I’m not even going to bother troll-smashing this one.
Anybody think we used to get a better class of trolls here awhile back?
(Hell, even “reasoned mind” from over on Torrentfreak would be better than this feeb.)
September 16th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
lol I agree. We should all use the nick of that guy whining, stomping his feet and bitching about anon. Whaaaa
Maybe this guy can Email Newton and tell him everyone must provide ID to post. LOL what a whiny little moronic bitch.
Whaaa anon whaaa
whaaa my nick whaaaa
I’m going to write 12 comments about people being anon then cry about it whaaaa
Shouldn’t you be cleaning your room?
September 16th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
LOL
September 16th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
” just *love* when some sad little troll decides to crawl out from wherever the hell it is they come from, and try to battle. ”
They never crawl out from anywhere Henry.
That’s the problem. Leaving mommas basement is almost as frightening as leaving her womb.
Instead of worrying about you cleaning YOUR room they might want to try LEAVING theirs
The world is too big and scary for them to go out and risk a nosebleed, so playing ITG is
all that they got.
September 17th, 2009 at 12:47 am
“Maybe this guy can email Newton and tell him…”
Now we know that this dickhead can’t even *read*. Did I advocate that people be required to provide an I.D. to post?
No, I did not. TrollBoy2009 can’t read very well and he’s not even clever enough to become a “script kiddie” and make up for the infinitessimally-small size of his genitalia that way. (I’m assuming Trollboy2009 is male, because a woman anywhere near his caliber would probably be off blowing guys at the bus station to scrounge up enough money for some crack or something.
What I *did* say, is that — as a personal rule, I don’t take “reader’s writes” particularly seriously, and will not reply to them directly.
(In the case of trolls, I will however, play with them until I get bored — which has just happened.)
Now be a good little troll and say something entertaining, or just fuck off.
Is that sufficiently “fuqn” clear for you, Skippy?
September 17th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Ok, I’m confused. Will the real Henry please stand up? Thank you.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am
normal1515:
It’s me … I use my real name, Henry Emrich.
Henry
[NOTE: I deleted an obviously fake henry lasty night and this is probably what normal1515 was referring to. Jon ]
September 17th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Ironic, since normal is the one doing the fake posting.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
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So to start the story at the beginning, in April the main guy from TorrentFreak.com – Lennart was in San Francisco (I even have some pictures of him …
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