CBS Interactive and CNET, once hailed as pioneers of digital content distribution, now face damning allegations of complicity in a sinister scheme involving peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks, child exploitation, and profiteering through deliberate negligence. This exposé uncovers the systemic failures, active participation, and alarming profit motives behind a network that allegedly fostered piracy and enabled the trafficking of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The Foundation of CBS/CNET’s P2P Ecosystem

Creation of a Network

Above is Michael T. Zeller is a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP in Los Angeles, specializing in intellectual property and complex commercial litigation. With over 25 years of experience, he has represented major tech and entertainment companies in high-profile cases like Apple v. Samsung. Recognized as a leading litigator, his work has been featured in Los Angeles Magazine and California Lawyer.

• CBS and CNET actively distributed and promoted P2P software, including BitTorrent, LimeWire, Kazaa, Azureus, and FrostWire, ostensibly as tools for sharing legitimate files.
• These platforms became hubs for illegal activity, including piracy, intellectual property theft, and, most disturbingly, the sharing of child pornography, which reportedly accounted for 18% of the network’s traffic.

The Strategic Incentive

• CBS/CNET pursued the P2P ecosystem to establish a distributed IPTV network, bypassing traditional video streaming costs by leveraging user bandwidth.
• This network would save CBS billions in infrastructure costs while increasing its dominance in digital video delivery, creating a lucrative revenue stream.

Profit Over Responsibility

• Despite clear evidence of widespread illegal content circulating on these platforms, CBS/CNET continued to promote and expand their reach. The profit motive far outweighed any ethical considerations or legal responsibilities.

MediaDefender: A Trojan Horse

See the Leaked emails on the Internet Wayback Machine here!

The Role of MediaDefender

• CBS/CNET created MediaDefender, presented as a service to protect intellectual property by monitoring and mitigating piracy. It was marketed to major media companies like NBC, which paid millions for its services.
• However, whistleblower accounts allege that MediaDefender was more than a piracy watchdog; it actively participated in trafficking illegal content, including CSAM, to grow and sustain the P2P network.

Exploitation Through Monitoring

• MediaDefender reportedly monitored users, many of whom were minors, while facilitating the distribution of exploitative content. This dual role as both enabler and observer allowed them to monetize the very activity they claimed to combat.

The Scale of the Problem

Child Exploitation on the Network

• The P2P network facilitated by CBS/CNET became a breeding ground for the sharing of child sexual abuse material, including graphic content involving infants and young children.
• The system’s design, which prioritized maximum traffic and user engagement, ensured the widespread proliferation of these materials.

Inducing Minors to Participate

• By distributing software that normalized file sharing, CBS/CNET inadvertently (or deliberately) lured minors into illegal activities such as piracy. This exposure often led to their victimization through explicit content.
• The algorithms and lack of safeguards ensured that children were not just users but also victims, with devastating consequences.

CBS/CNET’s Calculated Negligence

Deliberate Ignorance

• Despite repeated warnings and internal knowledge, CBS/CNET failed to act against the illegal activities thriving on their platforms. Instead, they prioritized growth and profit, fostering an environment where abuse flourished unchecked.

Exploiting Loopholes

• CBS/CNET shielded themselves from liability by claiming their platforms were “neutral tools.” This defense ignored their active role in designing, distributing, and promoting the P2P network.

Cover-Up Through Public Relations

• CBS/CNET strategically framed their efforts as fostering innovation and combating piracy, diverting attention from the darker implications of their network’s activities.

The Role of Whistleblowers

Alki David’s Revelations

• Media entrepreneur Alki David and other whistleblowers exposed the systemic exploitation facilitated by CBS/CNET. David has pointed to child pornography distribution, user manipulation, and corporate greed as the driving forces behind the network.

MediaDefender’s Betrayal

• Whistleblower testimony revealed that MediaDefender, instead of protecting intellectual property, profited from illegal content, effectively creating a “double agent” role in the digital ecosystem.

The Devastating Impact

Victims of Exploitation

• Thousands, if not millions, of children became victims of exploitation through the P2P network. The graphic nature of the materials—featuring infants and young children—highlights the severity of the crimes.

Erosion of Public Trust

• CBS/CNET’s actions represent a monumental betrayal of public trust, turning platforms marketed as tools of empowerment into vehicles of abuse.

Accountability and Action

The Case for Criminal Prosecution

• A full federal investigation must be launched into CBS/CNET and MediaDefender to uncover their role in facilitating and profiting from CSAM distribution.
• Executives and key players involved in the design, promotion, and operation of these networks must face criminal charges, including complicity in trafficking and negligence.

Empowering Victims

• Survivors of exploitation facilitated by CBS/CNET deserve justice. A restitution fund should be established, financed by the seizure of assets and profits gained through these illicit activities.

Industry-Wide Reform

• The scandal underscores the need for comprehensive reform in digital content regulation. Laws must close loopholes that allow corporations to evade responsibility for the misuse of their platforms.

The Allegations…

The allegations against CBS/CNET and their affiliates reveal a shocking network of greed, exploitation, and abuse. By fostering and profiting from a P2P system rife with illegal content, they betrayed their users, exploited the vulnerable, and prioritized profit over humanity.

Justice must be served. Those responsible for these heinous acts must face the consequences, and the systems enabling such exploitation must be dismantled. The time for accountability is now.

The Modern-Day National Crime Syndicate: A Media-Entertainment Power Nexus

The historical influence of the National Crime Syndicate—a coalition of organized crime figures like Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and others—has evolved into a sophisticated, global network that operates through modern institutions, including media, entertainment, and corporate conglomerates. This modern-day version is a shadowy alliance of power players leveraging influence in politics, entertainment, and finance.

Key Elements of the Modern-Day Syndicate

1. Corporate Conglomerates as the New Fronts

• Media giants like CBS, Viacom, Disney, and Fox dominate the global narrative, shaping public opinion and controlling information dissemination.
• These companies, often steered by powerful executives with deep political and financial ties, act as the modern equivalents of Lansky’s money-laundering fronts, funneling funds and influence across industries.

2. The Role of Entertainment

• The entertainment industry remains a key pillar, with Hollywood functioning as both a propaganda machine and a tool for social control. Major studios and networks are accused of:
  • Blackmail networks: Using scandals, incriminating recordings, and secretive gatherings to maintain control over influential figures.
  • Exploitation pipelines: Facilitating trafficking and exploitation under the guise of business operations, as seen in allegations surrounding figures like Jeffrey Epstein.

3. Digital Platforms and New Media

• Companies like Meta (Facebook), Google, Amazon, and Twitter/X have become powerful tools for controlling information, collecting data, and surveilling global populations.
• Allegations of shadowy partnerships with intelligence agencies and corporations suggest a deep overlap between tech platforms and modern syndicate operations.

Key Players Allegedly Connected to the Modern Syndicate

1. Shari Redstone and the CBS Legacy

• The Redstone family, under Sumner Redstone and now his daughter Shari Redstone, has maintained control over media empires like CBS/Viacom, raising questions about continuity from earlier alleged connections to organized crime.
• The family’s consolidation of media assets mirrors historical patterns of syndicate influence in controlling narratives and laundering money through legitimate enterprises.

2. Jeffrey Epstein’s Network

• Epstein’s extensive ties to powerful individuals in Hollywood, politics, and finance suggest a modern syndicate operating under the guise of philanthropy and business.
• His operations, including trafficking and blackmail, echo the tactics of Meyer Lansky’s era, updated for a globalized, tech-driven world.

3. Media Moguls and Fixers

• Figures like Harvey Weinstein, Les Moonves, and others in Hollywood have faced allegations of exploitation and abuse, operating within a culture of silence upheld by powerful legal and media connections.
• Anthony Pellicano, a notorious Hollywood private investigator, epitomizes the role of modern “fixers,” using surveillance, blackmail, and intimidation to control narratives and protect high-profile clients.

Tactics of the Modern Syndicate

1. Blackmail and Coercion

• Modern syndicates allegedly maintain blackmail networks using compromising material (e.g., videos, emails, and private data) to control influential figures.
• High-profile scandals like Harvey Weinstein’s fall and Jeffrey Epstein’s client list expose glimpses of these operations but remain largely underreported due to media influence.

2. Media Consolidation

• The concentration of media ownership in the hands of a few conglomerates allows for:
  • Narrative control: Suppressing unfavorable stories and amplifying propaganda.
  • Reputation management: Protecting powerful individuals from scrutiny.

3. Tech Surveillance

• Social media platforms and digital tools collect vast amounts of personal data, allegedly weaponized for manipulation, blackmail, and control.
• These platforms also serve as amplifiers for syndicate-friendly content, while dissenting voices are suppressed through deplatforming and algorithmic manipulation.

4. Exploitation Networks

• Modern syndicates reportedly use industries like modeling, talent agencies, and production companies as fronts for trafficking and exploitation.
• Allegations of child exploitation networks tied to media platforms, as seen in accusations against CBS/CNET, suggest continuity with historical syndicate practices.

Implications of the Modern Syndicate

1. Global Influence

• Unlike its historical predecessor, the modern syndicate operates globally, leveraging international networks of finance, politics, and technology.
• Partnerships between corporations, intelligence agencies, and media companies create an unaccountable power structure.

2. Erosion of Accountability

• The modern syndicate exploits legal loopholes and political influence to evade scrutiny, using tools like:
  • Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)
  • Corporate lobbying
  • Control of regulatory agencies

3. Threats to Democracy

• By controlling narratives and suppressing dissent, the syndicate undermines democratic institutions and concentrates power in the hands of a few elites.

Conclusion: The Legacy of Lansky in a Digital Age

The modern-day National Crime Syndicate reflects an evolution of the tactics and goals pioneered by figures like Meyer Lansky. Using media, technology, and entertainment as tools of control, this shadow network thrives on exploitation, coercion, and influence. As allegations against CBS, Jeffrey Epstein, and others come to light, the parallels with Lansky’s syndicate become increasingly apparent.

The fight for transparency and accountability remains critical in exposing and dismantling this modern power structure. Without action, the legacy of organized crime continues to evolve unchecked, threatening justice, democracy, and the vulnerable populations it exploits.