I Stand Up For Piracy: The New Greek Law Made Me Do It (+Tips)

Disclaimer: The opinion on this matter is just the personal opinion of the author. HWBusters and/or any other member/affiliate of the team should not be held responsible, or in favor of the author’s opinion without any prior consent. JimCKD out.

The Case

You know something is wrong when something disturbs someone who is not in favor of something (too many somethings). And the new Greek law about piracy was that something. For those unfamiliar with the case, in February, the law about piracy that was in effect until recently was modified to meet the strict guidelines of the EU (and not only) regarding this flaming matter. But one new paragraph was adequate to raise my anger (like most of you). The following paragraph was already in effect in other countries, but the regulation was a bit lousy in Greece. And it was too stupid to be in effect in other countries as well, but when the bell rings in your house, things are off.

Long story short, before the new paragraph, anyone who was “pirating” in any way or was violating copyright laws and doing it for a living or profit was considered illegal and was under the anti-piracy measures. That was the case only for those who pirated for profit or distributed illegal copies by any means available to the public, which is quite reasonable if you ask me. But the new amendment includes now and the private users! That means whoever streams online or torrenting for private use is susceptible to a fine of 750 euros up to 1500 euros if caught again. It is unclear whether the fine will be on for every “illegal activity” or if the 1500 euros is the top. But in any case, this is off limits for the Greek reality (and not only).

For those who don’t know, I do not favor piracy. There are many reasons, including respect for the copyright laws, malware, etc. But the new amendment is just out of the water and completely unreasonable (and irresponsible as well). Streaming or torrenting for private use shouldn’t be subject to a fine. The private user won’t make any profit from it. Heck, even drugs are not illegal for private use! Now, the law will chase after even private users! This is unacceptable at the least!

What’s next? Be stigmatized? To be considered public enemies for watching “Supernatural”? I mean, come on. OK, it is acceptable that that is unethical and wrong. But it shouldn’t be considered something more than this. You can just cut the connection to illegal content with dynamic blocking, but don’t charge us for that. Yes, the “Entertainment Industry” might lose a respectable sum of money, but on the other hand, how much is too much? Because piracy has even a positive effect (e.g., Windows 95 popularity, etc.). Even tech giants like Microsoft don’t seem to bother using their OS (10/11) for free, with some “light” limits for personal use. Because they know that fighting against it is more of a problem than the solution.

And you know what? Piracy is the industry’s excuse for not finding a simple solution to a complex matter. It is just an excuse for layoffs, etc., in most cases. Instead of, e.g., lowering the price, it sells it at a high price. When users can’t afford it, their excuse is that people don’t buy and pirate! That impacts only their (underpaid) staff, etc., not their marginal profit. Piracy is not a matter of action, but that there is no plain and adequate solution to fight it properly. XBOX Game Pass, Steam, Spotify, and even YouTube offered a win-win situation. They might not be the most profitable for the studios, companies, etc., but it is still a solution. More than enough against piracy.

On the other hand, I can’t understand people who spend a fortune on their PCs and cheap out on their OS and pirating games, but it is what it is. It is for personal use. No profit. People might be unable to afford something, such as being students. It might not be ethical, but that’s how it is. The industry is profitable not only through its product but also through merchandise, etc. And there is only one truth: The actual fan of a show, movie, game, or band will buy and support them one way or another. So, stop pretending that all is lost, because the fan will always be a fan with more than one way. The rest of us don’t mean much to you. We are your excuse. In a previous article, I covered this matter extensively.

Getting back to the new amendment, it is not right to fine the private user. First of all, it is unethical to ask for personal information and activity. I think that should be considered a crime (if it is not for serious cases such as murders, etc.). Secondly, the illegal activity might be done without the user’s consent (hacked WiFi network, children, etc.). Thirdly, there is no profit. There is nothing. Not even for you or your “boys” (platforms, etc.). Netflix and other streaming platforms are suffering because of their own model. Too many choices mean charging too much money for the end user. If someone wants to watch all of their favorite shows, they should be a member of all the platforms, which means more than 100 euros. So, it is not an actual option.

You can say that if someone wants to be honest, they can be a member of each platform, e.g., in January, then February, etc. Remember what I said about this not being an option, though? Regarding Netflix, the available Greek content is limited, which doesn’t justify the asked fee. The basic plan even includes advertising! You pay, and you have ads, too! So, who is the joker now? I don’t want to write about VPN solutions and cheap geolocations (that are often blocked). Anyway, it is not totally clear (by the new amendment) how much the end user will be affected. For now, it seems that the authorities will be after IPTVs, sport events piracy streaming (Nova and Cosmote are losing money, and they have been beloved of our governments through all these years), and those who offer copyrighted content publicly.

Businesses and pirated content platforms are the main targets. The average user might be just a threat and nothing more. Still, it is unethical. It is wrong because the fine won’t be paid to the copyrighted and lawful owners. It invades personal info and space. But above all, it is not the solution. This government, like its predecessors and, unfortunately, its successors, instead of offering solutions, chooses the “easy” way. Instead of improving our lives and securing their citizens (see the Tempi case, the Mati case, the Novartis scandal, etc.), they only pretend to care for copyrights and pirates. Instead of being charged for their crimes, the propaganda (left and right parties) are trying to bully us for their irresponsible actions. So, we should be held responsible if they are accountable too. Who is to blame now?

What We Can Do

Apparently, not much. We can embargo the ISP that will be first known for providing personal information. This way, we will show our power. We can use social media and platforms to show our disaffection, etc. We can apply more drastic measures, but I won’t name them. This is not my role. However, the more drastic and convenient measure we can take is what the government was successful in: utilizing a well-regarded VPN with a no-logs policy. Well done, new amendment, this is what you managed after all. Your citizens hide behind a VPN and a proxy because of your incompetence!

Tips for Privacy And Safety

• Utilize a well-regarded VPN with a zero-logs policy and a Kill Switch. Double-layered VPNs are also welcome. Prefer paid plans.
• If you are streaming, you can use a well-regarded VPN extension (actually a proxy) to keep your browsing activity hidden. But not all are the same, so be cautious.
• Prefer Mozilla Firefox and opt out of any data collection and potential anti-privacy settings. Prefer incognito Mode.
• Disable WebRTC.
• Tune your browser against DNS Leaks.
• Use well-regarded AdBlockers: UBlock Origin or AdGuard.
• Use a well-regarded pop-up blocker: PopUp Blocker Strict.
• Disable any third-party cookies.
• If you encounter a CAPTCHA (verify you are human), ignore it. Switch locations and try again. CAPTCHAs are not privacy-friendly and can log your activity and IP, among other things.
• Some sites might not be available, or their playlists are hidden. Exit the page, clear your browsing history, and switch location. Prefer locations such as Switzerland and Sweden. Refresh the page if necessary.
• Clear your browsing history.
• Do not torrent. Torrents can reveal your IP and are under surveillance. If you choose torrenting, be sure that your VPN supports Torrents (and has a zero-log policy) and set your VPN as the access point.
• Do you think that torrenting (for illegal purposes) and illegal streaming are there by chance? They let us learn about and use them to be more easily controllable. Don’t underestimate them.
• A VPN will “hide” all your traffic instead of only your browser’s activity compared to a VPN extension (Proxy).
• Do not use VPNs for activities that might reveal who you are.
• Be careful of metadata.
• Do not trust Public WiFi and Hotspots.
• You shouldn’t consider another person’s WiFi connection. A MAC address might reveal who you are, so don’t “think” lame.
• Check for HTTPS connections.
• Remember: “We are not in favor of piracy but against stupid solutions such as a fine to the private users.” This is our right to privacy and ethics. The governments should know better. Offer solutions, not problems. Give your citizens options to do what is right and not choose the “lazy ways” (that you are responsible for).