Police are targeting both users and sellers of illegal devices
Question of the Fortnight
The police are cracking down on illegal Amazon Fire Sticks. These are devices that criminals have modified – or ‘jailbroken’ – in order to stream content like Premier League football without having to pay for it.
They’re not difficult to buy if you know where to look online, or who to ask locally. Many who use them think it’s a minor crime posing little risk of getting caught. But that’s beginning to change.
In March, a Spanish judge signed a warrant that would allow for illegal streamers to be identified. The ruling, in a commercial court in Barcelona, means that every internet provider will have to reveal the IP addresses of anyone illegally streaming La Liga – the Spanish football league. It’s a significant ruling because previously only “public establishments” such as pubs could be prosecuted for illegally streaming football.
The decision only affects viewers in Spain, but it reflects the more aggressive stance that UK authorities are starting to take. The police have always targeted criminals selling illegal devices, but they’re now also going after those using the devices.
And the problem is more widespread than you might think. A YouGov survey last November revealed that almost 1 in 10 people in the UK population have recently watched sport illegally for free.
In January 2023, police visited hundreds of homes across the UK to tell them to stop streaming illegally, warning them that they could be prosecuted. Many of these viewers were customers of Steven Mills, 58, from Shrewsbury, who earned over £1m selling illegal Fire Sticks. He was sentenced last October to two-and-a-half years behind bars.
There have been further raids and arrests across the UK this year, as the crackdown intensifies. The police have been assisted by the Premier League and Fact (Federation Against Copyright Theft).
Fact says the measures show that piracy is “treated with the utmost seriousness and decisive action will be taken against suppliers of illicit services regardless of their size or scale”.
Visit Fact’s news page (www.snipca. com/49766) and you’ll see how determined the organisation is to tackle the problem. Almost all the stories are about illegal streaming. As public awareness grows, it’s also encouraging people to report those selling illegal device
