What Does Your IP Address Say About You?

This Valentine’s Day, the Serious Organised Crime Agency in the UK took control of a domain that had previously been used to distribute copyrighted material, notably music files. The domain in question is rnbexclusive.com (I know, I know… RnB, why would you?) SOCA replaced the landing page with a very direct message, advising visitors to the site of the action that had been taken and warning them that they may be liable to a ten year prison sentence and an unlimited fine.

The message from United Kingdom law enforcement reads “If you have downloaded music using this website you may have committed a criminal offence which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and an unlimited fine under UK law”.

In what could be considered scare tactics, the message goes on to display the IP address, browser type and Operating System of the visitor along with the current date and time; presumably to demonstrate the “evidence” available to law enforcement. In the equivalent of a digital reading of your rights, the site visitor is informed “SOCA has the capability to monitor and investigate you and can inform your internet service provider of these infringements. You may be liable for prosecution and the fact that you have received this message does not preclude you from prosecution.”