Nothing more than organized, high-tech theft which hurts our economy and threatens safety and well-being of unsuspecting consumers.

(Alexandria, Virginia) – The non-partisan 60 Plus Association, touting more than 7.2 million senior supporters nationally, issued a statement today calling for action to stop so-called “Cyberlockers,” web-based entities which collect digital content and resell it online without authorization from copyright holders.  In response to a report issued by the Digital Citizens Alliance, 60 Plus is calling on Visa and MasterCard to stop doing business with these rogue operators.

Said 60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, “Just like no one wants to live in a high-crime neighborhood, Americans do not want a high-crime internet, where creative works and individual property are stolen at will, victimizing those who create digital content, and diminishing us all in the process.”

Cyberlockers are not legitimate entities like cloud services, which store consumers’ content and facilitate lawful sharing, but hubs selling pirated content for big dollars, cashing-in on the hard work and creativity of others. Their online portals frequently fool unsuspecting web users who don’t know the true nature of their operations.

Continued Martin, “America’s economy benefits more than any other on the globe from the creativity of musicians, artists, movie studios, and software producers. Cyberlockers’ activities are a direct assault on this sector of America’s economy, as well as our culture of creative freedom which rewards those who produce unique works. These websites are also unsafe, and frequently contain malware which attacks those who come into contact with their website.

“Legitimate financial institutions such as Visa and MasterCard are facilitating the operations of these internet charlatans, and should cease doing business with them immediately. I know many Americans, seniors especially, would never do business with these rogue entities if not for the brand credibility and ease of using Visa or MasterCard for online transactions. While authorities should continue to root out Cyberlockers and stop them in their tracks, it should be the goal of every concerned citizen to see these criminal enterprises dry up for lack of reliable payment methods, and that is where Visa and MasterCard should lead the way.”

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