Bad news for streaming pirates in South Africa

MultiChoice-owned Irdeto’s Anti-Piracy department has teamed up with the Western Cape Provincial Commercial Crime Unit to address the threat of broadcasting piracy in South Africa.

Irdeto has collaborated with numerous South African law enforcement departments to address content piracy, making several arrests.

However, it says the partnership brings a new level of enforcement and dedication to combatting illegal streaming platforms and protecting the media landscape from the harmful effects of piracy.

“The Western Cape Provincial Commercial Crime Investigation Unit has shown remarkable commitment and support in helping us fight against broadcasting piracy,” says Irdeto anti-piracy director Frikkie Jonker.

“We are confident that with this new partnership, we will be able to protect our content more effectively and further disrupt illegal streaming networks.”

Irdeto says it aims to dismantle piracy syndicates’ operations and create awareness about the financial and legal risks associated with piracy.

While the partnership primarily focuses on anti-piracy mechanisms, Irdeto highlights that it also underscores the group’s commitment to protecting South African consumers from cybercrime and creating a safer media environment.

Due to this cooperation with law enforcement, the DStv owner said it “is confident that meaningful progress will be made in reducing piracy, ultimately ensuring the protection of content creators, viewers, and the broadcasting industry.”

The broadcaster has participated in numerous arrests in collaboration with law enforcement this year.

Last week, MultiChoice announced that it had conducted two successful anti-piracy operations in Johannesburg and Kempton Park.

The busts led to the arrests of several individuals involved in illegally distributing streaming devices preloaded with unauthorized applications for accessing DStv and other premium content.

The first raid was conducted in Booysens, Johannesburg and uncovered a distribution network supplying unauthorized streaming devices.

MultiChoice and the Hawks identified individuals allegedly involved in the sale of these devices, which are embedded with applications allowing illegal access to premium television content.

On 30 October, an undercover operation led to the arrest of three suspects and the confiscation of multiple devices used in this illicit activity.

The second raid in Kempton Park involved a similar buy-and-bust operation on 29 October.

After purchasing a preloaded device from a suspect, the Hawks moved in to arrest the individual, who was later identified as part of a larger syndicate.

“Investigations indicate that organized crime networks fuel the illegal streaming market, leaving consumers exposed to data privacy threats and financial risks,” MultiChoice warned following the completion of the operations.

“Using pirated devices poses a considerable danger to the public, as individuals paying for unauthorized services risk having their personal information, including payment details, tracked and exploited by criminal syndicates.”