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Ithe world is new streaming media Platforms seem to be launching every month (and the ones you’ve signed up for are raising prices almost as frequently), and one simple device can deliver pretty much everything you want to watch. You just have to get in touch with a friend of a friend, or click on a shady link on a site full of pop-ups, pay a one-time fee, and you’re set. Or so you think.
That’s the promise of what’s known as a “jailbroken stick,” a ubiquitous moniker that refers to modified versions of devices that are easy to use, or to use more technical terms, “jailbroken” versions like Amazon Fire Sticks that come preloaded with thousands of free channels and streaming libraries. Do a quick survey of your friends or colleagues and you’ll likely find that many of them already own a similar device. Maybe they use it to follow a football team of their choice without an unlimited sports subscription, or to watch US shows before arriving in the UK.
The only gain? it is Totally illegal. The use of modified wands to transmit unpaid content violates the Fraud Act 2006. But that doesn’t seem to be stopping enthusiasts. Otherwise, law-abiding citizens who would never dream of dabbling in other illegal activities seem more than happy to bend the rules when it comes to crafty sticks. Some of them don’t even realize they did anything wrong.
The most recent statistics come from Competitor The study found that nearly 5 million people had watched pirated sports in the past six months, with 31% admitting to using a modified Fire TV Stick or similar product to watch pirated sports. These devices have become so ubiquitous Earlier this year, Sky chief operating officer Nick Herm claimed they were responsible for “around half of piracy incidents” in the UK, arguing that “tech giants” such as Amazon were failing to adequately “address some of these issues”. He said this resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for the broadcast industry.
It’s as if possessing a dodgy stick has become the ultimate “acceptable” crime, penetrating middle-class homes. Eva*, 34, is a recent convert to Christianity. After working out the exact amount to spend on streaming as part of the mortgage application process, she and her partner found one from a friend. “The amount we pay every month is ridiculous, especially for sports,” she said. “It’s not worth paying the price for a few fights or boxing matches.” Costing £80 for a year with the illegal option, or less than that amount per month for the legal version? It’s an easy decision – especially when it means they get unlimited access to new episodes Below deck.
The platform she uses has sports, TV series and movies, and even ambient footage of virtual bonfires, just in time for Christmas celebrations. Sometimes they have to adjust their language settings when their favorite new show suddenly defaults to the French dub, but it’s a sacrifice they’re willing to make to save money. They could eat into the potential profits of a major media company that hasn’t crossed the line yet [their] Thoughts” and the fact that “everyone is doing it” makes it feel less illegal.
So how does it work? What makes a cunning stick so cunning? Ethical hacker Rob Shapland explains that when a device is “jailbroken,” its built-in protections are bypassed. Once this is done, pirates can load their own apps from outside the official app store, which allows viewers to access illegal content in a process known as “sideloading.”
Sellers often rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. “It doesn’t hurt to have friends bragging at the bar and saying, ‘I could use this,'” Shapland said. WhatsApp groups, social media accounts and websites will also come up to offer these devices.
The illicit appeal is obvious: Pirates take something the average consumer already knows how to use (like the Fire TV Stick) and package it with a bunch of shiny streaming options at what looks like a great price. Once upon a time, anyone wanting to access illegal streams had to hunt around in the dark corners of the internet to find one. However, with one of these devices, they can simply plug and play.
It’s so simple that it may not necessarily feel like a violation. David Ingham, director of media, entertainment and sport at tech consultancy, said using the modified sticks “becomes a shortcut to illegal streaming” cognition. He suggested that regular customers “and even some of the middlemen selling these devices, [does] Not realizing they are entering a world of piracy, fraud and theft of intellectual property. They think they are just buying or passing on a low-cost gadget.”
As for those Do Know they’re doing something fishy? “The simple fact of the matter is that this is a form of fraud and everyone has tended to view fraud as a victimless crime against businesses since time immemorial,” said Kieron Sharp, Chairman of Anti-Piracy Organization Alliance Against Copyright Theft (fact). He believes that the popularity of modded joysticks is essentially like the modern purchase of pirated videos or DVDs. “People will jump at the chance to buy them very cheaply, regardless of whether they’re stolen.”
The cost-of-living crisis has undoubtedly squeezed the nation’s disposable income; coupled with rising streaming subscription prices, it’s easy for users to “justify breaches as acceptable,” as Ingham puts it. This year alone, Netflix has Increased cost of standard ad-free subscription It rises to £12.99 per month in the UK, an 18% increase; Disney+ has increased its standard rate by £1 per month, as has Apple TV (the latter’s subscription now costs twice as much as when it launched in November 2019).
This is a type of fraud and since time immemorial everyone has tended to view fraud as a victimless crime against companies
Kieron Sharp, FACT
But investing in seemingly cheap equipment can lead to In the long run, users will suffer a lot. In addition to pre-installed streaming apps, your dodgy stick is also likely to be filled with viruses and malware. A recent survey from wisdom flow The research found that 65% of people who watched illegal content in the past 12 months experienced a security scare while watching illegal content. “If you think about the ethics of the people who made the sticks, they clearly broke the rules,” Shaplan said. “It’s not a big step to put the software out there; [them] Access someone’s online banking account.”
Shapland added that sometimes the device could act as a keylogger, recording your passwords and personal details and then sending them to criminals. According to a survey by BeStreamWise, nearly four in 10 illegal streamers have suffered financial losses after being targeted by fraudsters; the average amount stolen was £1,680, but one in 10 respondents ended up losing more than £5,000.
Gareth Sutcliffe, author of a recent report on video piracy by media and technology consultancy, said once you have entered your payment details, fraudsters may initiate a “set and forget” payment method and “continue to be billed” Enders analysis. Or they may steer users toward cryptocurrencies through dodgy sideloaded apps, or sell your details to third parties.
So when you hand over £20 to buy your crafty stick, you could be inviting organized crime gangs into the comfort of your living room. “The idea is actually [for criminals] Sutcliffe says they often think “they’re getting a good deal, but in reality they’ve opened the door to the henhouse for foxes”. And your money could end up funding other types of organized crime.
But Sutcliffe believes the rise of crafty sticks is more than just arbitrage, or “getting something for less than a legitimate service.” This is also a question of innovation. “If broadcasters innovate more and offer different packages and a wider range of services, will this reduce the risk of piracy?” he asked. “You have to argue: ‘Probably so.'”
Sky’s chief operating officer estimates piracy is costing sports broadcasters hundreds of millions of dollars. Likewise, it’s easy for illegal streamers to tell themselves that football, for example, is already a lucrative industry and broadcasters (and players) don’t need the extra money. But Sharp told me, “If people didn’t spend money in the first place, the Premier League wouldn’t attract the best players in the world, wouldn’t be seen as the best league in the world, wouldn’t be the most watched sporting event in the world”.
The same goes for TV shows and movies. Sharp noted that most of these projects cost a lot of money, and many of them “don’t actually make a profit. If people weren’t paying, none of these things would happen.” [for content]”. When broadcasters cut back, it’s rank-and-file workers who suffer. “There’s only a handful of people who get millions of dollars – the rest of them are getting regular wages as sound technicians or set designers or whatever,” he said.
A crackdown is underway. Over the past few years, some sellers Sentenced to two to four years in prison Jailed on copyright and fraud charges. In recent weeks you may have seen headlines about a series of raids Targeting 17 areas Across the UK. Sharp explained that when law enforcement raids a vendor, they can often access their customer database and find out who is using the equipment.
But, he said, the focus is often on suppliers. “Our intention is never to criminalize everyone in the entire ecosystem,” he said, noting that users are “legitimate players that we want to see. They’re obviously movie fans, football fans – we want to see them pay for original content in the best formats and avoid any potential pain if they break the law in the future”.
Even if this particular Fire Stick poses less of a risk to the public and content owners, other Fire Sticks will emerge in its place
Gareth Sutcliffe, Enders Analysis
Amazon has also stepped up its efforts. Last month, the company, It has always insisted on “encouraging responsible content consumption”, Confirmed that it is blocking pirated apps on its Fire TV Sticks. The project is currently underway in Germany and France and will be rolled out globally. “We will now block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including apps downloaded from outside our app store,” a spokesperson said. The latest Fire TV Stick model, the 4K Select, uses a new operating system called Vega, which doesn’t allow sideloading, as opposed to the previous Android software.
This doesn’t necessarily eliminate pirates, who are very smart at innovating and adapting. “Even if this particular Fire Stick poses a reduced risk to the public and content owners, other products will take its place,” Sutcliffe said. “It’s always like whack-a-mole.”
And if you’re still willing to break the law to solve your streaming problem? Just don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re making some big anti-establishment gesture. “It’s easy for people to think, ‘I’m just sticking a finger at this guy,'” Shaplan said. “But you end up screwing yourself up.”
*Names have been changed for anonymity