Apple, Google, and Microsoft should block pirated torrent downloads in their operating system says anti-piracy think tank
An anti-piracy think tank wants Apple, Google and Microsoft to block pirated content natively on their operating systems to deter piracy. According to a new report published by Black Market Watch and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, the think tank wants Windows 10, iOS, Mac OS X and Android operating system to have a voluntary or mandatory blocking of pirated content on the operating system level.
The think tank’s idea is not new. Last year when Windows 10 was being tested for a beta launch by Microsoft, rumours were rife that the final Windows 10 OS would be equipped with a built-in piracy kill switch. However, luckily for torrent lovers, that did not happen.
The rumours originated from a single line in Microsoft’s Service Agreement which allows the company to download software updates and configuration changes that may prevent people from “playing counterfeit games.” The Microsoft ToS technically allows it to block people from playing pirated games across Windows 10 and other services, but the Redmond based company has not implemented its ToS until now.
However, this week the issue was highlighted again in a report published by Black Market Watch and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, which made several recommendations on how online piracy could be tackled in Sweden.
The think tank feels that banning pirated content at the OS level could deter active pirated downloads and cut piracy by more than half.
“Other players that possess the potential ability to limit piracy are the companies that own the major operating systems which control computers and mobile devices such as Apple, Google and Microsoft,” one of the main conclusions reads.
“The producers of operating systems should be encouraged, or regulated, for example, to block downloads of copyright infringing material,” the report adds.
Though the report is only a reference guide, it does however foretell a scary scenario where the operating system will decide what a user should and should not download.
Source: TorrentFreak
