Italian Police Attacks Illegal Streaming Websites. Five Operators Detained

It seems that the crackdown against the so called online pirates in full swing. And Europe has set the example by taking the lead in this regard. The wrath against online pirates continues. 

Recently, there was the biggest raid against the so called sellers of pirate set-top boxes in Scotland, and this time around, the police department in Rome, Italy has taken the surge, by attacking 50 illegal video streaming websites. Moreover, they have managed to arrest five operators of such websites.

This is not the first time that the individuals have been sentenced to prison. In December 2015, a group of five British online pirates were sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison.   

It has been a busy week for the European law enforcement agencies. And they have done a commendable job. In fact they are in a race against time. Amid the netizens’ concerns about their online privacy, such attacks provide a ray of hope for those netizens who don’t to compromise on their security and privacy over the web.

The recent police attack (Operation Match 2.0) on 50 pirate streaming websites in Italy came as a result of efforts put in by Comando Unità Speciali (Special Command Unit) of the Guardia di Finanza (GdF), a department responsible for tackling online financial crimes. The websites attacked were operating 41 servers in three continents. There were three functional servers located in Italy. All of the local servers have been seized.  

The significance of Italian police attack can be gauged by the fact that these illegal streaming websites were offering streaming services for as low as €10 per month, with an official offer costing upto €100 per month. With approximately 34,000 active users within the local streaming community, these pirate streaming websites would have generated revenue amounting to €3,500,000 monthly ($3.89/ month) or €40,000,000 ($44.46) on annual basis. These are huge numbers by any means.

Today there are a large number of websites that facilitate users to download, upload and share their favorite files with other internet users. The netizens are also able to livestream their favorite TV programs and sports events, whenever and wherever they would like to, while browsing these websites.

For Europeans, online piracy poses the biggest challenge. It is a crime that attracts many internet users and everyone can get involved into very easily. That’s why the challenge remains daunting than ever.

If found guilty, the five arrested individuals can face a sentence of up to four years in prison.

*** This news was originally published on Torrent Freak