The online file-sharing community remains active despite the Government’s move to block 10 such websites to curb piracy.
Blogger and online marketing consultant David Wang said most users simply moved on to other websites offering the same facilities and services to download content.
“Users can also continue using the blocked websites by getting around it in a few simple steps,” he said.
Wang, who published a blog post titled “What is a DNS (Domain Name System) block and three ways to get around it” following the Government’s ban against the websites, said IT expertise was not necessary to gain access.
“Anyone who knows how to download free content from such websites will be able to do it,” he said.
A quick online search using the keywords “How to bypass DNS block” also showed many websites offering detailed explanations on the ways to get past it.
It was reported that the Government had declared war on file-sharing websites, with 10 of them blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in a bid to combat piracy.
The websites were among the most visited sites by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
The MCMC had on May 30 written to all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ordering the block.
The letter, which was leaked online, also stated that the websites were being blocked for breaching Section 41 of the Copyright Act, which deals with pirated content.
The MCMC had said that the websites would be blocked in stages.
Sanjeev Nair, a marketing executive at an IT firm here, said although users could access the blocked websites through various other methods, the block should not have been imposed in the first place.
He said it was a violation of the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees which stated that the Government would not censor the Internet.
“It is the principle of the matter and the authorities should realise that the Internet is all about sharing,” he said.
A check yesterday showed that nine of the websites were still accessible
