Updates:
Filelist will not close after all, Romania’s largest torrent site is set to be taken over by another team of administrators.
The news was announced yesterday evening by “EboLLa.”
According to the announcement posted on the platform’s front page, the reason for Filelist’s closure is not of a legal nature. The administrator stated the following:
- “I no longer have the necessary time to manage the site.” Additionally, he mentioned that the person who was supposed to “inherit” the site had passed away.
For 16 years, Filelist has served as the primary source of pirated content. The platform was private, and access was by invitation only. Users could find thousands of gigabytes of games, music, or movies that they could illegally download, as these items were generally legally sold only in specialized stores.
It’s worth noting that in 2020, Romanian authorities seized the site’s .ro domain, but a few days later, the tracker reappeared online under the .io domain, which is still active today. The new domain is located (dedicated) in the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Here is the full message published anonymously by one of the site’s administrators:
Dear all,
I’m sorry that I have to make this announcement, but here marks the end of our tracker’s activity. It is important to understand and accept this decision. Although it was a difficult one, it was made after careful evaluations and for well-founded reasons.
Unfortunately, I no longer have the time required to manage the site. Such a site demands quite a bit of involvement, and my priorities in everyday life have changed in recent years. Time is the most precious resource for all of us, and I have invested enough time here.
I wanted to pass the site on to someone else who would continue to take care of the community, but unfortunately, I have no one to pass it to. ToXiC, the one who was supposed to take my place, is no longer with us.
The responsibility is great; we have a huge number of users who have sensitive data that cannot be left in just anyone’s hands. Significant abuses can occur, and whoever has absolute power can decide anything about the community, so it’s evident that we need a trustworthy person, capable and with very advanced technical knowledge to ensure user security and the smooth operation of the site.
Finding such a person who is integrated here and shares the same values and dedication that you have enjoyed for the past 16 years is quite challenging.
I have decided that it’s better to close the site than to risk such a thing.
I sincerely apologize; I have also invested a lot of work here, and I have always held the community close to my heart.
As SysOp, I thank you for your active involvement in our community. I deeply appreciate the valuable contributions, the passion you’ve brought, and the effort you’ve put in. FileList would not be what it is today without all of you!
What happens from now on?
From this moment, donations are closed, and the amount we have covers expenses for another 2-3 months.
During this time, you can still enjoy the site, download what you need from here, and post your farewell message in the topic.
After ~3 months, around January 2024, the site will close permanently.
With love and appreciation,
EboLLa
