Law enforcement authorities across Europe, supported by Europol and Eurojust, have taken down one of the largest illegal streaming networks operating within and outside the EU.
The investigation targeted 102 suspects, 11 of whom were arrested, for distributing material from streaming services online illegally, including movies and series. They also pirated more than 2 500 television channels such as sports broadcasters, making them available to over 22 million users worldwide without the consent of the copyright holders.
Results of the operation include:
- 102 suspects identified
- 11 people arrested
- Over 112 house searches conducted
- At least 29 servers seized
- 100 domains taken down
- 270 IPTV equipment/devices seized
- Over 560 resellers identified
- Various drugs and weapons seized
- Around EUR 1.6 million in cryptocurrency and EUR 40,000 in cash seized
100% corporate law enforcement.
In Italy there’s a distopia called “Piracy Shield” that is banhamming random sites (for a day also Google Drive was banned WTF). Is an IP ban system, so you cannot escape changing DNS, is directly controlled by Lega Calcio; they can ban an IP for no reason in about 30 minutes. (Fun fact: it’s supported by a law that requires ALL VPNs of the whole world follow the ban LOL)
So the Italian government gave to a private company the power to virtually shutdown the internet in Italy.
I can’t imagine they will be able to enforce that part about VPNs…
Maybe they could with those popular VPNs like, for example, NordVPN. I hope they don’t IP block such VPNs. In italy before Piracy Shield there wasn’t a strong law enforcement, for example people used torrents for years (but also now) with no VPNs at all, and I don’t know nobody that has received a complain letter or similar; but the Lega Calcio is a strong corporation, dimostrated to be stronger than gonverment itselfs, in some cases. All this circus because of soccer.
Internet has changed.