Any pirate site operating at scale risks negative attention from the authorities and once governments get involved, any movement in pressure is likely to be in an upwards direction.
Considering Z-Library's well-publicized issues with the United States government, including a criminal indictment in New York, the seizure of hundreds of domains, and the site's subsequent return online, things seem to be going remarkably well.
Indeed, the arrest of two of its alleged operators in Argentina back in 2022 doesn't appear to have held the platform back in any noticeable way. When that matter will be resolved is a complete unknown because for a copyright infringement matter, things appear to be unusually complex, to say the very least.
From the couple allegedly having their phones tapped, and movements monitored as they traveled through Argentina, to an official inquiry into their alleged domestic air travel arrangements and the unexplained disappearance of news articles reporting on the case, controversy is rarely far behind.
And now there's more to contend with, this time in China.
Access Disruptions Reported in April
Last month on the official Z-Library blog, the team reported that users in China were experiencing difficulties accessing the platform.
Source: Official Z-Library blog (April 17, 2024)
A similar message was posted April 13 on Z-Library's official Telegram channel for China, which mentioned a workaround where users could email a particular address and receive a new link to regain access to the site.
Whether that helped the situation is unclear but a little over two weeks later, Z-Library users in China started to believe that their access to the site might be permanently over.
Dramatic Announcement On 'Official' Social Media Channels
To strengthen its presence in China, back in January Z-Library registered official accounts on WeChat and Bilibili, two Chinese social media platforms with massive reach.
We're unaware of other issues since the launch of the accounts, but an announcement on WeChat last week strongly suggests that things weren't going to plan. A translation of that announcement reads as follows:
In this era of rapid development of information technology, sounds from every corner can travel across mountains and seas and reach our ears. However, sometimes technical and regulatory limitations also become barriers to communication. Today, we must convey an important message to you: Due to the recent crackdown by Chinese judicial authorities on our website, donations and social media operation volunteers, we will have to make a difficult decision. Our mainland China social accounts will be logged out within seven days.
This is not just a simple farewell, but also a microcosm of an era. In the past few years, we have shared knowledge and spread ideas with thousands of Chinese readers. Every interaction and discussion is deeply engraved in our memories. We know that every click of every user is full of yearning for intellectual freedom and cultural diversity.
The announcement further notes that while Z-Library's social media accounts will disappear, visitors from China will still be welcome on the site. No books will be removed from the library but donations via WeChat and Alipay will end indefinitely, leaving donation via cryptocurrency the only option.
Goodbye, China, but this is not the end, just another form of moving on. Let us hope that in the near future, technology and regulations can find a way to coexist, so that there will be no obstacles to the flow of knowledge and ideas.
At that time, we may not need to say 'goodbye', but only need to use warmer words: 'Welcome back.'
Z-Library Lacks "Full Control" Over Volunteers
As 'goodbye' notices go, the above is fairly convincing. However, an announcement on Z-Library's official Telegram channel for China seems to draw back on some of the claims.
Most likely this is a reference to comments made in a separate post by the volunteers which states that no donations from mainland China will be accepted, and all access to Z-Library from mainland China will be blocked until "the books are removed from the shelves."
We deeply apologize for the confusion and concern caused by a recent post on the WeChat group 'Z-Library'. We would like to clarify that our Chinese social media platforms are entirely run by volunteers and we do not have full control over their activities.
We assure you that we will not restrict access to our website to Chinese users. All books remain open to Chinese users, and the Chinese addresses of Z-Points (now called Litera Points) are visible to everyone.
However, if hiding some files prevents some countries from blocking the site and allows a wider audience in those countries to use the site without restrictions, we are willing to do so. Please be assured that these books are still available to users in other countries. We again apologize for any inconvenience caused!
A public statement that appears to have been published by the Chinese volunteers notes that "they did not participate in any operation of the Z-Library website, did not receive any donations, and were completely unaware of the political books uploaded by users on the Z-Library website."
That may suggest that Z-Library's mission to spread knowledge to people, wherever they may be, ran counter to standards enforced locally.
A statement published by Z-Library in Chinese yesterday, which mentions that its Chinese media coordinator has moved on "for personal reasons", further notes that his "previous participation in VPN service-related activities" was something that Z-Library did not endorse and actively discouraged.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
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