Statistics Show Z-Library Remains Unshaken Despite Over 350 Domain Seizures
Brook.X
On November 3, 2022, Z-Library, the world's largest books/journals downloading site, faced a crackdown by the U.S. Department of Justice. The United States Postal Service, under a court order, seized the library's main domain name, redirecting it to an official notice page hosted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Department of Justice.
Simultaneously, the two founders of Z-Library (both Russian nationals and a couple) were arrested in Argentina and subsequently detained and placed under house arrest awaiting extradition to the United States. However, in May 2024, they escaped from house arrest, and their current whereabouts are unknown.
The technology website TorrentFreak recently tallied the domain names of Z-Library seized since 2022. Normally, the seizure of domain names does not have a significant impact. For instance, the well-known piracy site The Pirate Bay has had numerous domain names seized but has managed to resurrect itself by registering new domain names.
However, the continuous seizure and confiscation of domain names by law enforcement can have a much larger impact. For example, at least 350 domain names of Z-Library have been seized, yet, Z-Library continues to stand firm.
Law enforcement has conducted several large-scale seizures of Z-Library's domain names. The first major seizure happened in November 2022 with over 140 domain names, followed by further seizures in May and November 2023, and in May 2024, Z-Library's main alternative domain names were also seized.
However, 350 domain names might be a conservative estimate, as some domain names might not have been accounted for. Z-Library has also registered multiple country top-level domain names, indicating the actual number of seized domains could be higher.
Typically, as long as the main access or login domains are not seized, the impact isn't too significant. The seizure of the main login domain in May this year did cause some disruption, but the overall potential impact remains relatively minor.
Thanks to the decentralized operations of its team, Z-Library continues to provide users with access to books and academic journals. Since November 2022, there have been no further reports of team members being arrested. Supported by user donations and membership income, Z-Library can continue its operations.
