Demonoid Frustrates Censors With Domain Name Switch

[BabaDukDukDuk]

The semi-private BitTorrent tracker Demonoid has traded its demonoid.ph domain name for the Palau-based demonoid.pw. The site's operators have yet to officially announce the change, which helps to improve the site's availability online.

 

As one of the oldest torrent communities online the Demonoid tracker has had its fair share of troubles over the years.

 

Earlier in 2014 the site returned after nearly two years of downtime, which began following a DDoS attack and legal troubles in Ukraine.

 

Since then Demonoid has been rebuilding its community up to a point where it now has millions of visitors per month, making it one of the largest torrent sites online once again.

 

 

 

In an effort to obstruct the site’s growth Demonoid is now plagued by blocking requests from copyright holders. Last month the site was blocked by Italian ISPs and a few days ago major ISPs in the UK were told to do the same.

 

In addition, the site’s visibility on Google has significantly diminished. Those who Google for “demonoid†will see a Wikipedia entry as the top result because the Demonoid.ph domain was removed following a takedown notice.

 

In what appears to be a response to these censorship efforts, Demonoid switched domain names today. Out of the blue the site began redirecting its .ph domain to demonoid.pw which uses Palau ‘s TLD .pw.

 

The new domain was registered this weekend just days after reports of a fresh UK High Court injunction ordering ISPs to block the site.

 

The true motives for the recent domain changes remain unconfirmed at this point. TorrentFreak reached out to the Demonoid team for more details but we have yet to hear back.

 

If it’s indeed an effort to beat the various censorship attempts, the effects will be limited. While Italian ISP blockades are relatively easy to circumvent with a new domain, UK ISPs are generally quick to update their blocklists.

 

For now Demonoid.pw is still accessible in the UK via most ISPs, although it has to be noted that some still have to implement the most recent block.

 

ISP blockades aside, the torrent site will definitely start with a clean sheet on Google. This means that it’s only a matter of days before Demonoid will have its own domain as the top result again, for as long as it lasts.

 

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Source: Torrentfreak

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