International crackdown on 'pirates'

The crackdown was probably not targeting any "amateur" file-sharers using family PCs. "Operation Site Down," conducted in 11 countries, was after high-level traffickers in first-run movies, video games, and other copyrighted materials, CNET reports. According to the BBC, the search and seizure operation, led by the FBI, "netted copyrighted material worth $50m and led to seven arrests," four in the US and three in The Netherlands. "Eight servers used to distribute the pirated goods to Net users and file-sharing networks were shut down." The operation was targeting the tough-to-penetrate, invitation-only "warez" groups "at the top of the pirating chain." Besides the US and Netherlands, the raids occurred in Canada, Israel, France, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, and Australia. For an in-depth look at these groups and the media-piracy "food chain," see Wired magazine's "The Shadow Internet."