Increasing numbers of UK users stream sports or other content illegally, according to police. Amazon is blamed for rising tide of illegal streaming.
- Illegal devices become “prevalent”
- Organised crime groups behind some of the biggest IPTV services
- Sky says Amazon isn’t doing enough about the problem
The head of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at the City of London Police has warned that the number of people of stream content illegally has gone “through the roof”.
Emma Warbey said the use of IPTV boxes or streaming sticks that can be used to illegally stream content had “become increasingly prevalent”. Among the various IPTV devices on the market, Fire TV sticks have become popular with criminals, who modify them to access illegal streaming content. Warbey said the force had established a link between organised crime and illegal IPTV services.
Warbey warned that many consumers would not realise they were giving their personal details to fraudsters and organised crime groups. She said: “Those criminals are using that money, your hard-earned money, for lots of different things, usually drugs, certainly forced labour, people trafficking, huge amounts of other criminality that you’re feeding into, so it isn’t a victimless crime.”
Amazon blamed for rise in pirated TV
Earlier this year, Sky criticised Amazon for failing to do anything about the use of its Fire TV sticks. According to Sky, Amazon’s streaming sticks account for almost half the illegal streaming of Premier League football in the UK.
Amazon responded saying it had stopped sales of illicit streaming devices on its marketplace and does warn customers about the dangers of installing apps from ‘unknown sources’. However, the online giant has been slow to introduce other protections to stop devices being modified. Sky wants Amazon to impose controls and restrictions on the use of “side-loaded” unofficial apps on the devices. It’s obtained a High Court order forcing internet service providers to block certain IPTV services. Despite variable picture quality and substantial lag, plus concerns over fraud, consumers are tempted by the much lower cost.
With resources stretched, Warbey said they were focusing on resellers and “people at the top of the tree”, adding that “it’s really hard to stop people doing it.”
In January, a man from Halifax was jailed for two years for reselling illegal Fire TV sticks. This was followed by the sentencing of a Birmingham man who pirated content from Sky’s NOW streaming service. Law Enforcement Officers have recently focused their attention on closing 13 illegal IPTV services originating from Ireland.
By: Marc Thornham