Amazon Fire Stick warning to Brits as warrant signed to reveal IP addresses
A new warrant has been passed that is sure to cause headaches all over the country.
'Dodgy' Amazon Fire Stick users have yet another obstacle to consider after a new bill has been put in place that will change how some people stream TV.
IPTV (internet protocol television) has been the craze of the past few years, amidst the rise in prices from subscription-based TV providers like Sky and TNT, or even streaming platforms.
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It works essentially by jailbreaking the operating system, downloading illegal streaming apps on devices such as Amazon Fire Sticks.
Predominantly used by thousands as a way to watch sports games that would otherwise be behind a hefty pay-wall, it looks like they have been given an urgent warning after a Spanish judge passed a game-changing warrant.
It will basically share your IP address if you stream illegally, as a part of the major push in efforts to stop illegal streaming in the European country.
Mostly aimed at those who illegally watch football games in the Spanish top tier football league, La Liga, big matches like Real Madrid vs Barcelona are the most commonly pirated.
Internet providers are now obligated to share IP addresses of those who stream illegally, as legal expert Lynetter Calder further explains: "For more serious and organised offending that went to the crown court, you are talking a maximum of up to 10 years in prison if the charge is under section seven or five years for section six and 11."
She urged: "Why take the risk? If you can't afford the streaming service for Premier League then why not find yourself a pub that can."
As reported by Birmingham Live, Spanish outlet El Pais revealed that the court has allowed La Liga to pursue 'private users who consume protected audiovisual content through IPTV.'
The President of La Liga, Javier Tebas, has spoken on the subject too: "We are lacking that final step to put an end to massive piracy.
"We have already been using the technology (to block illegal streams) for the last nine years and the EC is doing its job, and now we want Spain to make that move to have a law like in Italy that prevents pirate users from having access to live events."
He also highlighted that piracy has increased by four points in the last three years, and that 46,000 IPs are illegally streaming the football league, with the fault falling at the feet of politicians and the government for not giving it enough attention.
Despite this new warrant, it isn't clear if those with personal VPNs will be able to be tracked, as it hides your real IP and makes it look like you are in a different location.
In the UK, a recent crackdown has seen the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, the Premier League, and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) team up with one man arrested and 10 questioned over supplying devices for illegal streaming.
Joshua Nair