Police are visiting homes across Britain in a crackdown on illegal TV streaming.
Cease and desist notices being issued to those suspected of supplying or streaming illegal IPTV streaming services.
Properties in Essex, Hertfordshire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, London and Pembrokeshire were targeted as part of a nationwide crackdown on devices such as Mag, Zgemma IPTV and Kodi boxes.
“By taking these measures we are sending a clear message," warned Kieron Sharp, Chief Executive of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).
"Piracy is fraud and anyone motivated by financial gain from doing this needs to know that this is a crime which will be taken seriously by police."
Streaming devices have become increasingly popular in recent years as they allow users to stream premium TV - such as Netflix or Premier League football - often for a cheap one-off fee.
On Monday 29 November Leicestershire Police executed a warrant as part of a crackdown on illegal streaming services. Police visited an address in Oadby and two people – a man aged 33 and a 48-year-old woman – were arrested on suspicion of infringing copyright by communicating work. A variety of equipment relating to the dissemination of paid-for TV services through internet protocol television (IPTV) was seized. They have since been released under investigation.
The IPTV service, which is believed to have provided illegal access to pay TV services, has since been shut down. Officers were also able to access the online platform, disable the illegal streams and display an on-screen message to users of the service warning them against further illegal streaming.
Detective Constable Aaron Horn, from the Leicestershire Police Cyber Crime Unit, said: “I would like to take the opportunity to remind our communities that providing or accessing copyrighted material through illegitimate IPTV services is illegal.
“We will continue to work with colleagues from organisations who provide legitimate paid-for TV services to crack down on those breaking the law.”
THOUSANDS of suspected TV pirates will receive a letter from police warning them they are being watched by the authorities.
People who are suspected to be watching TV illegally will receive police letters, warning they could face jail.
The letters are targeting those who are suspected of using Mag, Zgemma IPTV and Kodi boxes to stream channels like Sky Sports, with police warning they could be subject to legal action.
You can download the full letter below:
Your internet history and usage is now available to Law Enforcement thanks to the Investigatory Powers Act
The new Investigatory Powers Act will force connection service providers in the UK to collect internet connection records (ICRs). Any VPN based in the United Kingdom is subject to these new laws. Since Private Internet Access is not based in the United Kingdom, we maintain our no logs policy.
The Investigatory Powers Act expands existing surveillance laws and brings government mass surveillance into the Internet age. The UK government can access 12 months of your Internet history and phone call records without a warrant. Investigators now also have an easier time to get a warrant to infiltrate and infect your computer or smartphone should they wish to investigate you further.
These changes in the law now force ISPs to had over data that identify customers from their IP Addresses. The specific changes in the law state that individuals are breaching the law if they use or view streamed content from pirate IPTV services without paying when it should be paid for. Just to emphasize this point, those who intend to dodge payment for premium content and view it illegally via pirate IPTV services will be acting outside of the law. And individuals who intend to stream premium IPTV content through pirate services and share it illegally are also breaching the law.
What illegal streamers should also be aware of is that instead of any consequences under the civil copyright act, it is becoming the norm that illegal streaming can result in a serious action for offenders. It can therefore even lead to criminal prosecution and imprisonment for UK-based offenders.
Those who view streamed content by attaching a decoder to their television, will be breaking the law by viewing illegally streamed content.
In the United Kingdom, there can be severe consequences for illegal streaming. In terms of the maximum penalty, you could even be imprisoned for up to 10 years.
In short, if you are streaming and watching - for free - films, TV shows or sport that should be paid for (or that are not legally available in the UK), then you are streaming illegally. Your IP Address will be logged, your ISP will match your IP Address to you and they will hand this information over to Law Enforcement who, in turn, will take legal action against you........
More information is available from the FACT website here: https://www.fact-uk.org.uk/tag/illegal-streaming/
i agree with the comment from james h. if you have a guardian router ALL your data is hidden from your isp and your ip address can't be traced back to you!
You have gotta get yourself a guardian router