Warning email from Amazon

[Sebastian001]

Sigh... No it is not doing the same thing and, for downloading legally, I am not worried about them noticing. I don't understand what is so hard to grasp.

With StreamFab, they see you downloading a ton of shit and removing the protection. You can watch the content wherever and whenever you want. You can even stop paying for Prime and you still have the content.They ban your account.

With the PrimeVideo app, they see you download a ton of shit to your device, they don't give a fuck because you can only watch that in the PrimeVideo app and if you stop paying for prime, you lose access to it. They can even say, "I know you paid for WestWorld, but HBO says i gotta remove your access to it so, sorry, but you can't watch it anymore".

So if you use the PrimeVideo app and remove the DRM OFFLINE, they are blissfully ignorant that you now have content that they cannot control (well, a copy of it)

So when you say it does the same thing but in different order, that is not the case. It's a different procedure entirely. Accessing media files from a CDN and querying a server to get a license and feeding that to a compromised CDM is not the same as access media on a protected file system and using the built-in decryption routines in the PrimeVideo app.

Please note, however, that not everything can be downloaded with the Windows app. In Germany, for example, Bones and Prison Break are blocked for download. It works on the iPhone.

[Sebastian001]

I was lying in bed last night thinking. Sometimes I think about things that are bothering me before I go to sleep... Anyway, it occurred to me that Streamfab might be doing something to circumvent the problem. It might be setting the counter from 100 to below 20, or enabling recode. :-/

[jpp72]

I don't think you read my entire explanation. It's doing the same things (in general) just in a different order. But in either case you still send up the same flares of frequent downloads, possibly pulling them down faster than typical and possibly not watching them. Whether you rip the DRM off prior to download or post download it's the download.

Yes I get the app allows you to do it but the current paradigm technically allows us to do what we are getting emails now for. I get what you are saying, you are trying to figure out how to circumvent their noticing. But you won't. If they REALLY wanna stop all of it, they can, they have the resources. The only question is how much is it worth to them to do it. They knew the whole time what Fab was doing. They have just now decided to spend the resources to do something about it. This is actually a light handed way of just letting everyone to "stop, we know". In the case of the music stuff years ago they sued the hell out of some folks and financially tortured them as an example.

From here this probably goes 1 of 2 ways. They either just tamp it down with this and let it be less mainstream, or this is just a warning shot and they come hard after this.

Sigh... No it is not doing the same thing and, for downloading legally, I am not worried about them noticing. I don't understand what is so hard to grasp.

With StreamFab, they see you downloading a ton of shit and removing the protection. You can watch the content wherever and whenever you want. You can even stop paying for Prime and you still have the content.They ban your account.

With the PrimeVideo app, they see you download a ton of shit to your device, they don't give a fuck because you can only watch that in the PrimeVideo app and if you stop paying for prime, you lose access to it. They can even say, "I know you paid for WestWorld, but HBO says i gotta remove your access to it so, sorry, but you can't watch it anymore".

So if you use the PrimeVideo app and remove the DRM OFFLINE, they are blissfully ignorant that you now have content that they cannot control (well, a copy of it)

So when you say it does the same thing but in different order, that is not the case. It's a different procedure entirely. Accessing media files from a CDN and querying a server to get a license and feeding that to a compromised CDM is not the same as access media on a protected file system and using the built-in decryption routines in the PrimeVideo app.

[Stan001]

I thought the issue of the emails being authentic had been resolved. So why all this work?

I still don't know about the emails, but those who got the message to Amazon's message center have to be legitimate, or someone mass brute hacked Amazon, whether it's prime, and/or com, and/or uk.
Or a possible breakdown in Amazon's system, but you think it would be fixed by now if that happened.

Now, yes, it's suspicious that some claim 1 download triggered it; that within 15 minutes or less of a download, they got a warning message and/or email.

It was shown here how to check your messages on Amazon. >here

It does seem very unusual as there are still those saying they do at least 50 to 100 and have not received a notice.
Now, maybe it is one of the last few updated versions of SF, and many lately tend to hold off updating.
I am letting it ride out, at last this week, maybe longer, as the show I usually get from Amazon, a previously FreeVee show, is on summer break.
And can be found via other means.

And yes, don't worry if you decide to go to torrents. I don't say much for private torrent sites, but it’s very easy in the US to get a proxy or VPN and download your a$$ off.
As both hide your IP so the DMCA who spends the whole day every day sending out notices to your ISP if you don't hide your IP/ISP.
For those who found very good private sites and have not been reported, go for it. I still feel safer behind either a socks5 proxy or VPN.

Right now, I am not in the position to risk my Amazon account, as some have had their accounts suspended. I order most everything I get from Amazon. With an occasional shift to other sites.

Let's hope things calm down soon, but if it is a new way for Amazon to track downloads versus watching, it could be some time before SF can even figure out how to hide it.
SF needs to query Amazon for the files and keys in order to download the files. And there may even be more to it.
It was pretty quick for SF to get past DRM lately, so anything is possible.

[Sebastian001]

Can you narrow down what you have downloaded, everything or just Amazon's own productions?

[Sebastian001]

I thought the issue of the emails being authentic had been resolved. So why all this work?

[0xFeedBeef]

the way to check if it's a genuine communication from Amazon or not is to check it in your amazon messages under:

www.amazon.{whatever the domain the message came from is}/messages

if it's there, it's genuine

[Cats4U]

Yesterday, I have received the warning message as well. I've been a member with StreamFab for nearly two years, and now all of a sudden I've received this warning from Amazon. Last week, I only downloaded at least 25 episodes of a show on Prime in a day. Here is the attachment.

Were you responding to my request? If so, you didn't include the email header. See here as to how to view an email's header using your particular email reader: https://www.hostknox.com/tutorials/email/headers

[MrMayor]

I have a question, for the people who received the warning, what version of SF are you on? I'm asking because, this seem to pop up after the last (or the one before) update. I've been downloading from Amazon once a day for the past few days, each time from 12 to 22 episodes, and the most I did was more than 50 downloads in a day, but so far I haven't receive any email or message on the warning. I'm still on version 6.2.3.7.

I was kind of wondering if a version or newer could contribute towards the message.

[Eureeka1989]

Yesterday, I have received the warning message as well. I've been a member with StreamFab for nearly two years, and now all of a sudden I've received this warning from Amazon. Last week, I only downloaded at least 25 episodes of a show on Prime in a day. Here is the attachment.

[Cats4U]

I'd really like to see the header of the Amazon warning message that someone has received. So as not to reveal personal information, it'd be best to zip up the entire message including header and upload as an attachment. Only the few Trusted Members would be able to read the information.

Is it me or does it seem that it is primarily New and Junior Members on the SF forum are receiving these warning messages from Amazon. Basically, what I mean is that the member has about 20 posts or fewer on the forum. Go back and check the previous posts in this topic. Besides being new to the forum, they are probably new to StreamFab. Despite what they say, those new to SF are exactly the ones that are most likely to download 100 files for several days in a row.

And finally, just for information, when it comes to torrenting, Amazon and other providers don't check for piracy themselves. They hire third party security companies to handle that job. There really is no reason why they wouldn't do the same for direct downloads from the provider site. That might be the reason why the email seem a little less than real to some. Again, seeing the email header would be helpful.
Some have put down torrenting as unsafe. That is only true if using a public tracker. Third party security companies scour all public trackers for violators of DMCA so they can turn them in and be compensated for it. Private trackers vet their member thoroughly, and I've never read of anyone receiving a DMCA on a private tracker. I've been torrenting on private trackers for well over a decade and have never received a DMCA, even without using a VPN. I used to use newsgroups. They are very safe, as well. I just prefer private torrenting better.

[theresay]

I have a question, for the people who received the warning, what version of SF are you on? I'm asking because, this seem to pop up after the last (or the one before) update. I've been downloading from Amazon once a day for the past few days, each time from 12 to 22 episodes, and the most I did was more than 50 downloads in a day, but so far I haven't receive any email or message on the warning. I'm still on version 6.2.3.7.

[DQ1]

No, it is not. Downloading with the Amazon app is allowed. Then you decrypt the movie OFFLINE. They don't know you removed the DRM and can play it outside of the app. It's completely different.

I don't think you read my entire explanation. It's doing the same things (in general) just in a different order. But in either case you still send up the same flares of frequent downloads, possibly pulling them down faster than typical and possibly not watching them. Whether you rip the DRM off prior to download or post download it's the download.

Yes I get the app allows you to do it but the current paradigm technically allows us to do what we are getting emails now for. I get what you are saying, you are trying to figure out how to circumvent their noticing. But you won't. If they REALLY wanna stop all of it, they can, they have the resources. The only question is how much is it worth to them to do it. They knew the whole time what Fab was doing. They have just now decided to spend the resources to do something about it. This is actually a light handed way of just letting everyone to "stop, we know". In the case of the music stuff years ago they sued the hell out of some folks and financially tortured them as an example.

From here this probably goes 1 of 2 ways. They either just tamp it down with this and let it be less mainstream, or this is just a warning shot and they come hard after this.

[Sebastian001]

No, it is not. Downloading with the Amazon app is allowed. Then you decrypt the movie OFFLINE. They don't know you removed the DRM and can play it outside of the app. It's completely different.

Streamfab android


2.0.2.0 2024-09-20

• Notice: The download feature of Amazon, Netflix and other streaming services has been temporarily removed in this version.
• New: Some improvements for the video download engine.

[jpp72]

I mean that's essentially doing the same thing as now is it not? Just maybe in a different order. You still move a file from a cloud resource to your device and decrypt it at some point. Still requires the download regardless of what app it is through and I personally believe it's the action of download whether in speed or cumulative number that is the signal.

But it's maybe a window into history that could repeat. Look how Napster and others were stomped out. A small number of people got hosed but the overall effect was the industry radically changed and now we have Spotify with access to anything and 99 cent songs where prior you were forced to buy a CD for $20. It could be argued though the CD was better because you physically possessed it. So less choice but it was yours.

No, it is not. Downloading with the Amazon app is allowed. Then you decrypt the movie OFFLINE. They don't know you removed the DRM and can play it outside of the app. It's completely different.