A crackdown on Amazon Fire Sticks has seen ‘home visits’ in 17 areas across the UK. It comes as Amazon attempts to make it harder for sticks to be used for illegal streaming
Owners of ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire TV Sticks have been issued three stark warnings by security experts following the Amazon block of piracy apps on Fire Stick devices.
Authorities recently stepped up action against free streaming after piracy apps allowed Fire Stick owners to watch premium TV without paying the creators or broadcasters.
Top players like the Premier League, Sky, and FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) are joining forces with authorities to put a stop to the illegal side-loading of these devices.
Boy, 8, rushed to hospital after CEILING collapses on him at school
Dad-of-five ‘lucky to be alive’ after freak accident left him shocked and shaken
In a bid to combat illegal streaming Amazon has configured its latest Fire Stick block which means that even VPNs won’t let TV pirates get around it. The device-level block means that if Fire Stick owners try to launch their “dodgy” apps, they simply won’t load.
It’s left TV pirates scrambling for alternative ways of illegalling streaming content which can cause three risks of serious danger in the wake of the ban.
Dangers of “malware” infecting your device
Users can dodge Amazon’s restrictions by seeking out alternative websites and apps to watch pirated telly, but this creates a risk of dangerous “malware”.
Consumer privacy advocate Chris Hauk, of Pixel Privacy, told The Sun: “Downloading pirated content from shady sites can often lead to malware infecting your computer.
“Either through the website itself, or via files that are often included with the content in the download. This can include malware disguised as video codec, games, or video players.”
Dangers of using “cracked” devices
Another way to try and get around the new restrictions is to buy a different kind of “cracked” device to plug in. This is where hackers take devices like Fire Sticks and modify them to allow for illegal streaming.
Chris Hauk warned: “Cracked devices of any kind, especially in the case of Fire Sticks that come preloaded with apps to allow you to view pirated or restricted content, can contain malware or apps designed to use your device in botnets.”
This could result in legal issues he warned.
Dangers of using free VPNs
The third problem comes from using VPNs – or virtual private networks – to try to mask your online piracy. They encrypt your online activity to prevent spying.
“It is my highest recommendation to be dubious of free VPNs,” said Huntess security analyst Michael Tigges.
He added: “VPN providers must generate income somewhere, and I would urger users to be sceptical about monetisation of free VPN providers.”
The legal ramifications
A spokesperson for National Trading Standards warned: “Accessing pirated content through illegal TV fire sticks undermines the UK’s entertainment industry, putting its talented workforce and supply chains at risk by depriving them of fair earnings and revenue.
“It also puts consumers at risk by exposing them to illegal software that can put their data and bank details in jeopardy.”
The spokesperson urged: “An important reminder to all those who buy and sell TV firesticks is that crime does not pay – it breaches copyright law and we encourage people to report suspected cases to the Citizens Advice consumer service.”, reports Birmingham Live.
Using or distributing these ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire TV Sticks could result in £1,000 fines.
