IPTV has become very popular with Swedes in recent years.
The fact is that roughly half a million Swedes have a subscription to the service – even though it is illegal to use.
IPTV allows you to stream basically all sports, series, movies and programs for a relatively small amount. The problem is that the operators of the IPTV services have not paid for the content rights.
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No one is charged
While some people have been convicted for running an IPTV service, no one in Sweden has yet been arrested for using the service.
The reason is that the Swedish legislation is not adapted to new technology, anything Markus SjödinSecurity Manager at Nordic Content Protection, previously told Swedish Radio.
– The law is not applicable to the new technology. There is no prosecutor who wanted to prosecute and therefore there is no judgment regarding customers.
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New warning to IPTV users
It is therefore completely risk-free to use IPTV. Or?
Not really. Now, there has been new information about the other risks that a subscription to the illegal service entails.
David Inghamhead of the company Cognizant that works to identify illegal streaming, says that you risk having your identity stolen if you subscribe to IPV.
– If you go to a website and it says “Pay five pounds for Sky Sports for a whole season”, then you probably get your identity stolen in the process. There could be malware delivered to you and monitoring you in other ways, he told British The Telegraph.
According to sources for the newspaper, IPTV sales originate from organized crime and can be compared to the drug trade, something also The Express reported on.
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“Take this as a clear warning”
Just like in Sweden, the fight against illegal streaming is in full swing in the UK. There, over four million Britons use some form of IPTV service.
The organization Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) is now issuing a sharp warning to all users.
– If you provide or use illegal streaming devices or illegal IPTV subscriptions, take this as a clear warning: you are breaking the law and risk facing serious consequences. We will continue to work with the police to track down and shut down these illegal operations,” FACT told The Telegraph.
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