Netflix, Sky, and Amazon Prime Video are some of the streaming services included in the latest online piracy crackdown.
The crackdown has caught hundreds of people who watch the services illegally, and they are now facing major consequences.
Netflix, Sky, Prime Video Piracy Crackdown
Around 240 have been arrested after they subscribed to an IPTV service. The IPTV service gives illegal access to users so they can log in to several streaming services at once, according to Express UK.
The arrests of the users happened after the police caught the reseller of illegal streaming devices. The 240 users who were arrested are now facing fines of over $27,000 or £20,000, and they may even face jail time.
The arrests happened in one region of Italy. Law enforcement authorities have been trying to minimize the accessibility of the IPTV platforms in the region for years.
According to TorrentFreak, the arrests of the users happened in the Italian city of Piacenza.
All of the arrested users were subscribed to an IPTV service. It is a one-stop shop that offered access to several popular streaming services, including Netflix, Sky, Amazon Prime Video, Mediaset Premium, and Dazn content.
The IPTV service costs $11 a month or £8.50 a month in the UK. The price is less than paying for all of the streaming services legitimately, according to Media News.
At that rate, you are getting free access to several paid-for services.
How Do Streaming Services Normally Cost?
To put the IPTV service cost in perspective, the basic plan of Netflix costs $8.99 a month or £5.99 a month in the UK. Meanwhile, the standard plan costs $13.99 a month or £9.99 in the United Kingdom.
After the recent batch of arrests in Italy, authorities warn the public that the fines could be between $3,000 or £2,213 and $30,000 or £22,131.
Not only that! Criminal violations connected to the "use of devices for the illegal decoding of access to streaming services" could also be issued.
The news came after the Italian police reported 223 subscribers of IPTV to judicial authorities last year. If the users are found guilty of the crime, they could face a fine of $34,000 or £25,000 and an 8-year prison sentence.
In April, the authorities arrested a man who had more than 85,000 access to Netflix, Sky, Prime Video and more.
In 2020, 11 people were arrested for the illegal streaming of Netflix and HBO streaming services.
In August, UK investigators from Federation Against Copyright Theft or FACT partnered up with the police to send Cease and Desist orders to several people who are suspected of providing illegal streaming services.
The orders targeted people who are supplying illegal IPTV services, with the notices served at homes in West Yorkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, and Pembrokeshire.
FACT warned the public that it would monitor any ongoing offending with further action taken against repeat offenders.
The chief executive of FACT, Kieron Sharp, said that they have several tactics to prevent illegal streaming.
They will continuously target different elects of the global piracy landscape, ensuring that effective and proportionate action will be taken.
Sharp added that by taking these measures, they are sending a clear message that piracy is fraud.
Those motivated by the money gained from doing it need to know that piracy is a crime that will be taken seriously by the authorities, Sharp said.
Related Article: Illegal Streaming for Profit Can Now Get Up to 10 Years in Prison and Be Considered Felony!
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Written by Sophie Webster
