Google an Advocate for Video Piracy?

This article was written on July 11, 2007 by CyberNet.

PiracyOkay, so maybe Google isn’t exactly an advocate for video piracy, but they don’t seem to be taking the drastic measures needed to keep copyrighted videos off of their service. The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) posted an article criticizing Google’s effort (or lack thereof) for stopping copyrighted videos from appearing on the Google Video site. They pointed out that:

Internet operations such as MySpace, TorrentSpy, DailyMotion and Break.com have set up filtering systems to block copyrighted material. Google is a $158 Billion company with arguably the most advanced search technology in the world. The argument that they cannot block pirated content because of technological or financial reasons is laughable.

The NLPC wasn’t just all talk either, they actually went to Google Video and scrounged up what they believe to be the top 50 full length movies, cable and television shows, and music concert videos. On average the 50 that they had chosen have been available an average of 168 days, and one Harry Potter video in particular has been up for well over a year.

They provide details for each of the items in their list, such as the year it was released, how many days it has been posted, and how many views it has had. However, they decided against linking to any of the videos for obvious reasons.

Google Video is such a haven for these pirated video uploads because they don’t have any restriction on the length or size of the movie (as long as you’re using the application to upload and not the web-based uploader). Not only that but Google makes it easy for users to download the original full-quality video that was posted by providing a "Download" link in the sidebar.

So how easy is it to find these videos? It’s kind of hit or miss, but I have found some techniques to be more successful than others. For example, if you were looking for Monty Python and the Holy Grail you could find it in just a few seconds by filtering your search results a little bit:

Google Video Search

In that search I added "full" on to the end because most people who upload the movie will put that in the description to represent that it is the full video. I also added "site:google.com" onto the end because Google Video searches a lot of sites for videos now, but Google Video is one of the few with unlimited upload limits. So only allowing Google Video results will probably help you find what you’re looking for a little faster.

Lastly, I adjusted the duration of the videos by choosing "Long" from the drop-down box. This will make sure that only results over 20-minutes are shown, which helps eliminate the movie trailers that get posted.

My first attempt was successful as you can see from the list of results I received. The very first item on the list is the full Monty Python video, and using the download link in the sidebar I could even download the 693MB AVI file so that I could watch it at my leisure:

Monty Python Download

I tried searching for some other videos and came up empty handed, but this can be a good alternative if sites like Alluc and Peekvid don’t turn up the results you’re looking for.

Source: NLPC [via Mashable]

Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

Toshiba Unveils 13″ Chromebook For $279, Available February 16

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Here at CES 2014, Toshiba has just unveiled a new Chromebook, running Google’s Chrome OS on a 13.3-inch display for the first time, and priced below the $300 mark.

This is the company’s first step into Chrome territory, while competitors like Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Acer have been pumping out the light-as-air notebooks for a while now.

The Toshiba Chromebook is powered by an Intel Haswell chip, with a promised battery life of nine hours.

Meanwhile, the laptop sports a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 display, with a .8-inch profile at 3.3 pounds.

On the inside, alongside that Haswell processor, you’ll find 16GB of SSD storage, 2GB of RAM, as well as dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wifi. And once you have Wifi on a Chromebook, the magic really begins.

These devices run on a Chrome OS, which is essentially a beefed up Chrome browser. This means that access to various applications and programs is limited to web apps.

However, Google is working to make the browser experience as complete as possible with the help of Google Apps and Gchat + Hangouts.

Toshiba’s Chromebook is available for $279 starting on February 16.

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Toshiba Chromebook 13-Inch Hands-On Preview

Toshiba Chromebook 13 Inch Hands On Preview[CES 2014] Toshiba joins the club of OEMs which are featuring Chromebooks in their computer line-up. So far, and to the surprise of some, Google’s Chrome OS has had more traction than expected, especially in the education field. That’s because Chrome OS computers are simple, easily manageable and difficult for students to hack – thus making them a platform of choice for many schools, hotels and other places where users are given a short-term computer. Toshiba is coming to this market with a cautious approach and has taken a good look at the competitive landscape before launching its own product.

(more…)

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  • Toshiba Chromebook 13-Inch Hands-On Preview original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    Alcatel One Touch IDOL X+, POP C9 phone, POP 7 and 8 tablets unveiled

    This week the CES 2014 release waves continue with Alcatel One Touch’s full collection of new machines, both tablets and smartphones included. Starting off the set is the Alcatel One … Continue reading

    Why the World Needs OpenStreetMap

    Why the World Needs OpenStreetMap

    Every time I tell someone about OpenStreetMap, they inevitably ask "Why not use Google Maps?". From a practical standpoint, it’s a reasonable question, but ultimately this is not just a matter of practicality, but of what kind of society we want to live in. I discussed this topic in a 2008 talk on OpenStreetMap I gave at the first MappingDC meeting. Here are many of same concepts, but expanded.

    Read more…


        



    Google Is Taking Android to the Car With Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai

    Google Is Taking Android to the Car With Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai

    Google has just announced that it’s joining forces with Audi, GM, Honda, Hyundai and Nvidia to create the Open Automotive Alliance. In other words, it’s planning to take Android to the automobile.

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    GMail No Longer Needed For Google Talk

    This article was written on September 29, 2006 by CyberNet.

    Google Talk The Google Blog just announced that you no longer need to have a GMail account just to use Google Talk. Users will have to sign up and register their email address but after that it is smooth sailing.

    You may think that this isn’t that beneficial because most people who are willing to use Google Talk already have a GMail account. I really like that they did this because several of my friends are stuck using Hotmail or Yahoo (for some reason) and when I do voice chat Google Talk seems to be the clearest. Now maybe my friends won’t care so much about signing up for Google Talk.

    Here are some of the things that you can do with Google Talk:

    One other feature that I would like to see integrated into Google Talk is letting you simultaneously login with multiple accounts. That way I could pick and choose which email I give to people so that I can easily separate people into multiple groups. If I don’t want to talk to one group then I can logout of only that one. It is just an idea but I think it would be particularly useful now that people can use any valid email address.

    Thanks Curtiss and Radu for the tip!

    Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

    Google Glass prescription frames revealed by Rochester Optical

    The first prescription lens option for Google Glass has been revealed, with Rochester Optical sneaking in ahead of Google’s own official frames with a custom carrier that can be slotted … Continue reading

    HTC Q413 brings Beats-based gain, smaller operating loss

    This week we’re having a peek at a bit of mixed news from HTC, with their final quarter of 2013 being wrapped up with both a gain and a loss. … Continue reading

    New Nexus 10 Release Rumored For CES 2014

    New Nexus 10 Release Rumored For CES 2014

    Google unveiled updated models of all but one of its Nexus devices. We were treated to a new Nexus 7 tablet and the Nexus 5 smartphone last year but the company didn’t launch a new Nexus 10. There have already been a lot of rumors about the new Nexus 10, the latest coming from infamous Taiwanese publication Digitimes. While its track record is not always solid, the publication claims that the Nexus 10 will be released at CES 2014. Furthermore, the tablet is claimed to have an AMOLED display.

    As always, sources from which this information has been obtained have not been mentioned in the report. It is also claimed that Samsung will remain the manufacturer of the new Nexus 10. The Korean company was also the manufacturer of the first Nexus 10 tablet which was released back in 2012. The original 10-inch Nexus tablet has already gone out of stock at a number of major retailers, driving up speculation that a successor is definitely going to be announced soon. On the other hand, Google hasn’t even commented on the existence of a new Nexus 10 tablet, so it can’t be said for sure if the company has any intentions of launching said tablet in the near future. The good things is that CES 2014 isn’t far off, so we should know for sure in a couple of days.

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  • New Nexus 10 Release Rumored For CES 2014 original content from Ubergizmo.