I always assumed key sites were using stolen credit card numbers
I always assumed it was largely money laundering.
Claim to have bought a key for 1$ sell it for 10$. Declare you made a 9$ profit. In reality there was never a key for 1$. You bought a 10$ key with dirty money and are selling it at cost.
Fundamentally no different to the mafia run pizza place.
I assume the main issue is that downloading from somewhere like steam and activating with a code, largely ensures there's no malware included in what you just downloaded.
If you're pirating something and certainly if you don't know what you're doing, you can't be entirely sure the game you just downloaded isn't a security risk.
Here's the thing about some of these people: perpetuating the idea that being critical of the Israeli government or Zionism, is the same as anti-semitism, is in the Israeli government's interests. It helps push the narrative that anyone who opposes the Netenyahu government is an anti-semite.
It wouldn't surprise me if at least some supposedly pro-Palestinian voices are managed opposition. People who wittingly or most likely unwittingly are repeating narratives that serve Israeli interests, paint critics of Israel in a bad light, and serve to divide the opposition to Israel internationally.
For example, according to recent polling American Jews are quite critical of the Israeli government. American Jews are more likely than the average American to be critical of Netenyahu, more likely to think that the US is too supportive of Israeli, more likely to think that the US should support the Palestinians more, more likely to be in favour of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, etc. etc. Who does it serve to alienate Jews in the US? You surely want the Jon Stewarts of this world to be on your side.
It's a bit like an agent provocateur who tries to turn a peaceful protest violent, because it'll allow the authorities to paint protesters as violent thugs and scare off reasonable average citizens from joining protests.
This being said, I assume most people being horrible and undermining the cause they claim to support, are simply complete and utter morons.
IME it's not even a question of forgetting. The so called kill switch doesn't always work, even for an instant. Scary stuff. Luckily you can bind Qbit to your VPN of choice, as you've also done(also qbit?), so that prevents leaks.
On an entirely unrelated note, I don't recommend surfshark. LOL.
But it still really sucks. One small leak and they can tie your IP to everything.
Expecto Transphobia.
It's also possible he got sloppy. If you've been doing something for a long time, that can happen. Like forgetting to double check if your vpn is connected for the 10000th time after 10 years of not facing issues.
That and you get cocky, because you've been getting away for it so long, that you think you're unstoppable.
This applies to all repetitive tasks, for example as an experienced driver there comes a point where you get sloppy about checking mirrors, because 99.999% of the time it's ok. And then bam.
As I said above, I'm not arguing anyone should censor what they say, simply think about how they say it.
But your point does deserve to be emphasised.
Agreed.
Of course, being openly critical online without actually doing much else, is also not necessarily particularly productive.
For example, those who openly oppose the Russian government, are often managed or controlled. Whether knowingly or unwittingly, they help further the ruling regime's political aims. Even abroad, supposed enemies of the Kremlin happily advocate the annexation of neighbouring countries or espouse Russian cultural superiority. Their loud pronouncements to the contrary mean nothing.
A lot of of people protesting loudly are doing so to appear as if (or convince themselves) they're doing something.
For example:
going on social media and calling Vladimir Putin names, is far less effective than donating to the Ukrainian army and suggesting others do so too.
complaining about the erosion of freedoms and privacy on a social medium owned by a literal fascist, is far less effective than sharing alternatives to google, inviting them to the fediverse, helping people switch to linux, sharing DIY tips on how to use a buzzsaw or angle grinder, etc.
complaining about capitalism online or watching anti-capitalist tiktoks interspersed with ads, is arguably far less damaging to oligarchy than giving people tips on how to use a VPN or torrent a linux distro.
In any case, as I mentioned in my earlier comment, I was simply referring to my being careful how I say things online, without necessarily censoring what I say. I think it's fair to say we rely far too much on corporate owned and/or surveilled media. Far better to join a local group or organise in your community. There it's far safer to be open than on a public and surveilled internet forum
I get where you're coming from, and that it's no guarantee of safety, but less obvious resistance like malicious compliance, strategic incompetence, 'accidents', and 'everyday resistance' can be a very effective strategy.
As you yourself say, it may change who they go after first, allowing you to fly under the radar longer and fight longer while undetected. Then again, letting people know they're not alone, is also important. So being loud also has its merits.
Of course, I would never be too concrete about all this on the internet, for obvious reasons. I'm also not stopping anyone who wants to take a more brazen route. In some cases, when some campaigns go viral, it has also been effective.
Put simply, there are advantages to appearing unthreatening, stupid, and boring.
This is a bit of a tangent, but I'm quite surprised that people are still prepared to say some things online, given almost everything is likely captured by the (AI based) surveillance panopticon. Everything you say online can and will be used against you and it's honestly best to assume you are not anonymous online. Maybe right now you are, but as the technology evolves, I think it's a fair assumption that plenty will be de-anonymised.
For example, when criticising certain countries, I would personally avoid using any language which can be deliberately misconstrued. To be clear, I'm not arguing that anyone should censor what they say, but I would certainly advise everyone to be careful about how they say it. Eg. death to organisation X, when you can convey the exact same sentiment by saying it should be dismantled, is illegal, etc.
This is not to say we shouldn't still fight or accept that this is now the world works, but simply me saying I have personally decided to be more careful about how I say things, so that I don't make it too easy for the surveillance state. Don't want to get fucked over 10 years down the line. This is why, although I know people find it annoying when people do the tiktok self-censor, I honestly can't entirely blame their clumsy attempts at censorship evasion.
Then again, maybe I'm being naive, and simply posting in some of the same places as people who are more outspoken, will be enough to land me on a list. One silver lining of online age checks; the powers that be are likely to assume that VPN usage is porn related.
So Iβm taking precautions and buying from stores that do provide games without DRM.
Same, although I wish I could simply pirate it all.
I already do for some stuff, pop it in sandboxie. But I don't trust that entirely.
Why haven't vinted, ebay or for that matter facebook been taken down by law enforcement?