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Artem Vaulin was released on bail, but his real location is unknown.
Artem Vaulin, the alleged operator of the torrent file search engine KickassTorrents, escaped arrest in Poland, where he was arrested in 2016.
The KickassTorrents website is currently being blocked by all browsers for linking to malware. According to US prosecutors, the site has illegally distributed over $ 1 billion worth of movies, music, TV shows and video games.
In May 2017, Polish law enforcement agencies released Vaulin on bail for health reasons, postponing his extradition to the United States. However, now the 34-year-old Ukrainian citizen "left Poland, violating the conditions of bail, and his real location is unknown." According to CyberScoop, this was reported by the US Department of Justice in a court record dated October 7, 2020. Vaulin's extradition to the United States has been terminated.
KickassTorrents acts as a directory of torrent files and links and is intended to facilitate peer-to-peer file sharing. According to the US Department of Justice for 2016, more than 50 million unique visitors visited the resource every month. In 2020, mirror versions of the site continue to work. In 2016, the prosecutor's office estimated the net worth of the site at more than $ 54 million, while its operators earned from $ 12.5 million to $ 22.3 million per year.
The US authorities accused Vaulin of criminal copyright infringement. In May 2017, a Warsaw court agreed to release on bail after its lawyers said their client was suffering from a spinal disorder.
KickassTorrents operators make money not only on piracy. The site is a major online platform used by cybercriminals to steal credentials and other data. Typically, cybercriminals place malicious advertisements on KickassTorrents, allowing them to engage in tech support scams.
Artem Vaulin, the alleged operator of the torrent file search engine KickassTorrents, escaped arrest in Poland, where he was arrested in 2016.
The KickassTorrents website is currently being blocked by all browsers for linking to malware. According to US prosecutors, the site has illegally distributed over $ 1 billion worth of movies, music, TV shows and video games.
In May 2017, Polish law enforcement agencies released Vaulin on bail for health reasons, postponing his extradition to the United States. However, now the 34-year-old Ukrainian citizen "left Poland, violating the conditions of bail, and his real location is unknown." According to CyberScoop, this was reported by the US Department of Justice in a court record dated October 7, 2020. Vaulin's extradition to the United States has been terminated.
KickassTorrents acts as a directory of torrent files and links and is intended to facilitate peer-to-peer file sharing. According to the US Department of Justice for 2016, more than 50 million unique visitors visited the resource every month. In 2020, mirror versions of the site continue to work. In 2016, the prosecutor's office estimated the net worth of the site at more than $ 54 million, while its operators earned from $ 12.5 million to $ 22.3 million per year.
The US authorities accused Vaulin of criminal copyright infringement. In May 2017, a Warsaw court agreed to release on bail after its lawyers said their client was suffering from a spinal disorder.
KickassTorrents operators make money not only on piracy. The site is a major online platform used by cybercriminals to steal credentials and other data. Typically, cybercriminals place malicious advertisements on KickassTorrents, allowing them to engage in tech support scams.