A crackdown is underway for people across Ireland who create illegal streaming services via so-called 'dodgy boxes'.
Legal warnings are being delivered nationwide to parties involved in providing illegal access to premium TV content, including from Sky and the Premier League.
These cease-and-desist notices are instructing those running the services to immediately cease all illegal streaming activity or risk facing the consequences - most notably, criminal prosecution.
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They have so far been issued to addresses across Kilkenny, Mayo, Limerick, Meath, Offaly, Dublin, and Wexford since February 28 and will continue until mid-March.
It’s understood that this action has already brought a number of services to a halt, and customers are warned that more services will go dark over the coming weeks and months.
These legal notices are just one small part of a broader targeted campaign which plans for more action in Ireland to disrupt and shut down organised and sophisticated piracy networks.
“Illegal IPTV service providers are a significant problem in Ireland. This is criminal activity, and those involved are not concerned about the risks their streams pose to consumers," according to Keiron Sharp, CEO at FACT.
“In research carried out last year by cyber security experts Webroot, it was found that of 50 illegal streaming sites analysed, every single one contained some form of malicious content – from sophisticated scams to extreme and explicit content.
“FACT and its partners are determined to disrupt these criminal operations and protect consumers”.
Despite the legal issues with creating access to and using illegal streaming services, it also poses serious risks to consumers and their personal data.
Research carried out by Dynata in 2022 showed that almost half (49%) of respondents who illegally stream say they or someone they know has been a victim of scams, ID theft, fraud, or data loss.
FACT continues to work with law enforcement to crack down on illegal streaming services in the UK as well, many of which also have customers in Ireland.
Police made visits - and continue to do so - to homes across the UK, serving notices to individuals to cease illegal streaming activities immediately.
They informed users of the associated risks, including criminal prosecution and just last week, the City of London Police led a crackdown on illegal streaming networks which resulted in arrests in Scotland and London.
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