Not sure if this fits here…

An OPSEC community would probably say no, so I probably don’t need to ask in those communities. But I’m curious about a (digital) pirate’s perspective on this issue…

I mean, the sources listed here are supposedly “safe” right? But honestly, how much would you trust these “safe” sources?

When doing sensitive tasks like banking or filing taxes, do you:

  • Use a different OS on the same machine? (Dualboot)
  • Or put the pirated content inside a virtual machine?
  • Or just use a completely separate computer?

And since PC is much different than a Smartphone:

  • Would the extra sandboxing on Smartphones make pirating games on a Smartphone much safer compared to on a PC? (Not that there are much mobile games worth playing, just curious)

(PC in this context referring to all personal computers, regardless of OS)

And last question:

  • Non-installed/non-executable files such as .mp4 .mkv .mp3 .pdf .epub, are mostly safe right? I mean, you are using another program to opening it, not executing a file, there aren’t much attack vectors as long as the video player / ebook viewer is up to date right? (Or am I understanding it wrong?)
  • LeninOnAPrayer@lemm.eeEnglish
    12·
    2 days ago

    I hadn’t really thought about it until reading this comment but I am definitely the same. I use to pirate so much software back in the day. But, I really just find myself looking for projects on GitHub that fit my needs.

    I pirated a video upscaling program just to test it out. Topaz I think it was. But it was mostly just curiosity because it was very niche in it’s performance improvement over it’s open source alternative video2x.

    That’s literally the only software I can remember pirating in the last 10 years.

    If it’s good and requires a one time purchase. I buy it. Unraid is obviously going to be an example of that for a lot of people here.

    I think I’ve spent more money donating “coffee” to good open source projects though. And going windows free for over 3 years now has been a big part of that. I can’t stand when I have to use Windows now. Work still forces it on me. But I literally only use it to SSH into my redhat VM.

    All my piracy is media these days. And that’s only because the streaming services have basically reached the point that cable did back in the late 2000s.

    Piracy has always been based on convenience rather than cost for me. “Piracy is a service issue” is the famous quote. Additionally it’s about services not giving you ownership over the thing you purchased. Which is what a lot of software has become.

    • Truscape@lemm.eeEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      Yeah, Gabe Newell definitely was quite forward thinking when he came to that conclusion, and I can definitely say it works well for my Steam Library.

      Honestly at this point the main force that brings me to hunt for media is subscription services, since it always feels like a rug pull compared to alternatives. I paid for things on GOG, I get to keep the installers and back them up. I bought things on Steam, I’m not charged to reinstall or use them on other devices, and I can still download games that are delisted now (RIP poker night at the inventory).

      Now that Blu-rays are going the way of Google Stadia, getting phased out, all I can really do is just rip any media I already have and download what I may need. FOSS tools have already replaced any subscription software I would use for my engineering work.

      • LeninOnAPrayer@lemm.eeEnglish
        4·
        1 day ago

        Yep. And I don’t have to use 10 different video player UIs. I can just use Plex. That lifetime pass from years ago has been worth it. Even if I know people are critical of Plex.

    • maxprime@lemmy.mlEnglish
      4·
      2 days ago

      Yeah I used to pirate Adobe software religiously. Every version. Now I just use inkscape and suffer through the occasional GIMP session.