Law enforcement in Indonesia took down a massive illegal IPTV operation last week. The ringleader has been arrested and faces up to eight years in prison in addition a fine of up to two billion Rupiahs, or $126,000.
West Java Regional Police apprehended the operator of pirate sites PaseoTV and OkStream on October 16 after a complaint was issued by Vidio, an Indonesian-based streaming service. The sites were illegally streaming pirated content owned or licensed by the streamer like Premier League, Ligue Un, and AFC. The websites attracted millions of viewers every month who accessed the links to Paseo and OkStream from a Telegram account.
According to the Coalition Against Piracy, or CAP, social media and messaging platforms — Telegram in particular — are the most popular forms of accessing pirated content in Indonesia.
“Indonesia has one of the best site-blocking programs in Asia-Pacific, however site blocking is not sufficient alone to protect content, and action by local enforcement teams remains a vital component in protecting both the local content industry and consumers who are increasingly being targeted by pirates for the spread of malware, viruses, and identify theft,”
Government officials and agencies around the world are locked in a seemingly unending battle with illegal IPTV providers. You could argue that battling pirates, as pervasive as they are, is wasted energy, especially when you consider the number of providers and users as well as the staggering amount of money piracy rakes in,” Matt Cheetham, CAP’s general manager said in a statement.
“Effective anti-piracy measures are critical for maintaining the integrity and sustainability of the content industry,” Gina Golda Pangaila, Vidio’s senior vice president of legal anti-piracy and government affairs, said in a statement.
Due to the sheer number of services available today, it’s no longer economically feasible for many viewers to watch everything they want to. In addition, many services have raised their prices amid climbing inflation rates. The combination of factors has resulted in some consumers seeking out illegal options.
While it’s crucial that agencies continue to fight back against cybercriminals, a future fully eradicated of IPTV services is a highly unlikely one.