MediaFire Not Too Happy About Skipscreen Firefox Add-on
MediaFire Not Too Happy About Skipscreen Firefox Add-on
Posted 10/08/2009 at 5:05pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Developers of the Firefox Add-on, SkipScreen, had a bit of a rude awakening recently when Mozilla said they’d received a takedown request. The request was made by file hosting site, MediaFire. They claimed that SkipScreen violated their terms of use. To their credit, Mozilla asked the SkipScreen devs to respond before they’d pull the add-on down. Mediafire contends that SkipScreen “bypasses the MediaFire website and steals costly bandwidth”. They also claimed that SkipScreen displays content from other pages.
SkipScreen allows users to bypass the tedious wait times on sharing sites like MediaFire and Rapidshare. This ingenious little add-on will automatically click through whatever hoops necessary to get to the actual download page. Then it will extract and execute the code for the download link. This is how it bypasses those screens that force you to wait ‘X’ seconds, unless you register.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote SkipScreen’s response. They rightly pointed out that the add-on doesn’t technically bypass any screens. It just automates the process of finding a download link. The EFF also pointed out that SkipScreen does not present content from another site. MediaFire has probably just brought more attention to SkipScreen by going through with this complaint. Apparently, they’ve never heard of the Streisand Effect. So… the add-on is still available on the Mozilla site, get it here.
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Bad213Boy
October 18, 2009 at 10:27pm
LOL, I guess they thought it would be removed, NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[IMG]http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u306/Sherincal420/Banners/titlewotsq4.jpg[/IMG]
PDeath
October 11, 2009 at 10:53am
I think I just found my new favorite add-on. Thank you MediaFire!
dblal
October 08, 2009 at 9:39pm
"SkipScreen allows users to bypass the tedious wait times on sharing sites like MediaFire and Rapidshare."
"This is how it bypasses those screens that force you to wait ‘X’ seconds, unless you register."
I guess nobody checks there facts anymore. MediaFire has no wait times, download limits, or any other delays.
You can download as many files as you want at anytime. So the
discussion regarding delays, gimmicks, or hoops to download is moot.
What Skipscreen does is clicks the instantly available link for you
and then shows you a full page advertisement for SkipScreen including
their own ad. Its pretty misleading to users who think it does
something magical for them with MediaFire when in reality it does very
little but generate ad revenue for SkipScreen.
Productivity-im...
October 08, 2009 at 7:31pm
They tell you to wait because "you have just downloaded xxxMB moments ago", but in fact you did not. This little plugin carves a path through their lies.
mattdodd3
October 08, 2009 at 7:31pm
Lets all use this add-on and go to MediaFire and download everything we see and use all their precios bandwidth!
Cache
October 08, 2009 at 6:10pm
I've been using this addon for awhile, and thoroughly enjoy it. Computers are there to automate mundane tasks that no human being in their right mind wants to sit through. I fast forward through the commercials on the DVR, too. Guess it's a good thing MediaFire doesn't own any television stations.
DBsantos77
October 08, 2009 at 6:01pm
I'm sure the plug-in will be in other places than just FF Addons site, also, it's not like anyone likes waiting 45 seconds for a download. Pretty annoying if you ask me, and no I don't want to register either.
-Santos
comptech08
October 08, 2009 at 5:27pm
Thanks for pointing this out Mediafire, I am going to go download skipscreen now. Never heard about it till they cried.
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