Police have completed an intense week of action across the UK in a bid to crack down on the supply of illegal streaming services — specifically Fire TV Sticks modified to watch copyrighted material for free.
Fire TV Sticks are incredibly popular gadgets built and sold by Amazon to offer an affordable way to bring games and streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and more to any television with an HDMI port. The lightweight hardware supports chatty AI assistant Alexa, which can control smart lighting, internet-connected thermostats, Ring video doorbells, and other smart home devices.
However, this low-cost streaming hardware is often used by criminals to offer a painless way to watch copyrighted material at a fraction of the cost.
Modified Fire TV Sticks, sometimes referred to as “fully loaded”, can be used to unlock access to live Premier League streams, the latest Hollywood blockbusters, and exclusive series from HBO, Netflix, and Disney+, to name just a few.
The PIPCU — Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit — at City of London Police carried out the week-long operation to clamp down on illicit streaming devices, like modified Fire TV Sticks
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Sometimes fully loaded Fire TV Sticks charge a small monthly fee to access these streams, although other vendors just charge a one-off fee for the hardware.
The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police carried out interviews across the country this week as part of a crackdown on the supply of illegal streaming services.
The operation, in conjunction with FACT and the Premier League, targeted 11 individuals who were found to be selling illegal access to premium content via smart TV devices or modified Fire TV Sticks.
Officers travelled to various locations across the UK, including Portsmouth, Wales, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Leeds, Manchester and Bury to carry out interviews.
As a result of the latest crackdown, law enforcement confirmed to GB News that one person was arrested and 10 others were interviewed under caution.
Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said: “Illegal streaming is a huge issue for the industry and while it may seem like a low-risk, high-reward crime, the proceeds are used to fund other serious forms of criminal activity. At the same time, it can expose end users to the risks of data theft,fraud and malware.
“By targeting grassroots sellers, we are sending out a clear message that this will not be tolerated. PIPCU will continue to work with partners across law enforcement and the industry to take action against those who provide illegal streaming services and protect consumers against the risks associated with using them.”
All 11 people spoken to by officers were given a conditional caution, stating they were to cease their activity and take down their advertising and social media channels selling the illicit streaming services. A conditional caution gives a person a record on the police system and if they do not abide by the conditions of the caution, they will go to court and face further prosecution.
FACT CEO Kieron Sharp commented: “The success achieved through this targeted operation is directly attributable to the outstanding effort and robust support from PIPCU.
“By implementing these measures, a strong message has been conveyed: piracy is a criminal act that is treated with utmost seriousness and decisive action will be taken against suppliers of illicit services regardless of their size or scale.
These modified streaming gadgets are often referred to as "fully loaded", denoting their ability to stream copyrighted material at no cost or a lower monthly fee
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“We remain vigilant in monitoring platforms, including modified fire sticks that promote and distribute illegal streams, taking decisive action against those selling illegal access to premium TV content. FACT and its partners are determined to disrupt these criminal operations and non-compliance will lead to further law enforcement action”.
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The UK-wide operation was the latest in a crackdown on the sale and distribution of illegally modified Fire TV Sticks, including the sentencing of one such seller to two-and-a-half years in prison back in October 2023. The sentencing followed a nationwide operation supported by PIPCU and FACT which disrupted more than 1,000 customers of the service
Streaming copyrighted material for free without permission from the rightsholders is against the law in the UK. It carries a maximum penalty of unlimited fines or a custodial sentence of up to 10 years.
Downloading and streaming — which is just temporarily downloading to your device — are the same offence in the eyes of the law, despite what some mistakenly believe. Under UK law, there is no legal “grey area” around streaming rather than downloading content.
