Sticky post warning of dangers of online streaming

Dec 14, 2016 11:47 am

Hi all,

My idea is actually very simple to implement since it only consists of a new topic on the forum, that is kept visible and of which either:

- the first post is updated on current warnings, or

- posting to the thread is limited, so it's not flooded and warnings can still be easily found.

The idea behind this is that, many of us (if not all) go to streaming sites to watch dramas, and since finding all dramas we want to watch on legal sites is not always easy (country restriction, drama is not licensed on particular site), we may resort to use vpns or proxies on legal sites or use illegal streaming sites to find what we want.

However, these bring dangers with them that many of us might not be aware of.

I've tried warning MDLers using the Hola extension, but I think it did not receive much attention. I've just seen AmastrisDratwka's warning about a malicious kissanime-lookalike that steals your credentials (11th comment on the page), but I'm pretty sure that comment will soon be lost.

I think MDL's community, as a whole, has a lot of knowledge of what dangers lurk out there and how to avoid them. If we could make this all more visible, that would be amazing and would really help outeveryone.

I also think this idea should go hand in hand with this one, as legal sites remain safer (and also boost the drama entertainment industry, which is something we all want).

6votes

Ceki

Oct 28, 2017 04:09 pm

This is not a bad idea, my comp got infected with viruses because of one streaming site - https://kisskh.at/profile/Ceki91/feeds/x2lq4Fl

bannie

Oct 30, 2017 01:43 pm

watching dramas on websites is not illegal. if anything we should have a thread for links to streaming sites to facilitate drama watching. thats the point of MDL

Ceki

Oct 30, 2017 09:38 pm

Of course it is illegal unless they got a licence for streaming.

CherryBunny VIP

Oct 30, 2017 09:45 pm

Ceki, it is not illegal to *watch* from these sites. It is illegal to download them and also to upload them.

bannie

Oct 30, 2017 10:20 pm

CherryBunny:
Ceki, it is not illegal to *watch* from these sites. It is illegal to download them and also to upload them.

upvote. im pretty sure even downloading is not illegal. it is the uploading/torrent seeding of it that is illegal.

Ceki

Oct 30, 2017 10:34 pm

Doesn't it also depend on the country? I know that in Japan they arrest you for downloading too.

And there is already a thread in the forums with the links where you can watch but I'm personally against MDL promoting these links (like it did for Viki and DF). That's just my opinion.

CherryBunny VIP

Oct 30, 2017 10:40 pm

bannie:
upvote. im pretty sure even downloading is not illegal. it is the uploading/torrent seeding of it that is illegal.

It is in the USA and in EU countries. This is one reason why I stream. :p

Ceki, I don't think MDL promotes illegal downloading. I think that Skye and Ji-N just promote freedom of speech, mostly . ;)

Ceki

Oct 30, 2017 10:55 pm

I didn't say that they DID promote it (not sure where you read that I wrote that o.O) but there is a difference between legal sites such as Viki and Dramafever that pay for a licence and those other sites that don't. I'm against promoting officially the latter but that does not rob you of your right to have freedom of speech. After all, we do share those links in the comments and forums and that is okay. So I don't understand what barnie wants actually, I'm sure he can open a topic in the forum and update it with streaming links. But it is another thing to ask of the site to officially promote these streaming websites.

bannie

Oct 30, 2017 10:57 pm

Yeah Skye is good with that.

But technically if you stream you are downloading the content, no? the same amount and type of data is transferred the only drawback is if u download, u have to wait till the entire file is transferred before u watch it. and if u stream u cant rewatch it.

Ceki

Oct 31, 2017 01:11 am

I think it would be a great idea to open a topic in the forums where people would post these links to streaming sites since the forums can be seen only by registered users. And a note warning of dangers of online streaming (like Nor said) could be put there just in case.

CherryBunny VIP

Oct 31, 2017 03:35 am

I must have misunderstood you Ceki. Sorry about that.

Streaming is a grey area. It is still technically not illegal, however, because you are not downloading the actual file. The people that are uploading it and hosting it are breaking copyright laws. So are the ones downloading it from those sites and torrents. ;) However, most people know what they are doing and know that they do so at their own risk. Plus, I imagine it is extremely difficult to track down and prosecute international viewers, like ourselves. I don't know for sure, but I have not heard of idividual downloaders being prosecuted for downloading Asian dramas. Sites, yes. Fans, not that I have heard. It is different when you are in that country, though. Japan is super strict and busts illegal downloaders a lot.