NZ Federation Against Copyright Theft statement

The New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft (NZFACT) would not let the Weekend Herald see their pirate-hunting software - a "proprietary content filtering system".

Here is an edited statement released by NZFACT executive director Tony Eaton about the software.


The proprietary content filtering system [PCFS] is basically a search engine that searches the search engines – that is all it does, it does not have access to anyone's computer, therefore it is not and cannot be spyware or a virus.

The PCFS uses an intelligent system similar to Google. It uses a 'series of bots' that are designed to seek out material relating to 'peer 2 peer' file sharing.

So for example if someone in New Zealand keyed 'Chicken Little' into Google and requested to download the movie using Bit Torrent – the PCFS which is searching the search engines may detect that google search and request, it would then log the IP number and the download request.

The PCFS search perimeters are set up in such a way that it filters key words such as DVD, VCD and the names and digital codes of current movie titles that have not been released to DVD/video yet.

The PCFS is also programmed in such a way that it will identify a server or hub that is trading a lot of files first.

NZFACT has no plans to use the PCFS to identify a child who may file share one movie on one occasion.

It is programmed to find computer users who are uploading and downloading current movie titles on a regular basis and who clearly have an intention to pirate.

Regarding the 10am Monday morning report of 1,153 users downloading Chicken Little, here is some context.

The CFS identifies as many requests for pirated movies as it can by searching through as many search engines as it can.

The figure 1,153 in relation to Chicken Little means that at that time there were '1,153 active requests to make Chicken Little available for file sharing'. 1,153 requests had been keyed into search engines from New Zealand computers and were active.

Therefore that figure includes, requests for file sharing that could be weeks or months old, multiple requests from the same user (they frequently key in the request several times across many search engines and the same user requesting file sharing using many different computers

The PCFS can also report if a computer was successful in connecting to another machine.

The reporting ability PCFS has can provide NZFACT with a series of information that shows a IP, server or hub has requested to file share x no. of titles, x no. of times and it can then show when the IP connected to other machines and how many times it did so.

With that information NZFACT can then proceed with its investigations."