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Content piracy remains rife in South Africa because consumers don’t see it as a crime, and circumventing cybersecurity measures is easy for pirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the view of Irdeto broadcast cybersecurity and anti-piracy director Frikkie Jonker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Irdeto is a MultiChoice-owned global digital rights management and cybersecurity powerhouse. In addition to looking after MultiChoice’s anti-piracy interests, Irdeto’s controversial Denuvo digital rights management software is used by major game publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jonker explains that content piracy is the act of distributing copyrighted content without permission, such as films and music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Africa has shallow barriers to entry for content piracy, making it a very attractive opportunity for criminals who seek the path of least resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In terms of penetration success \u2013 circumventing cybersecurity measures \u2013 they may achieve a success rate of 70%, which compares favourably with other territories,” he argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This \u2014 coupled with Africa’s billion-strong population \u2014 is a key supply driver of content piracy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This makes the supply side seem very attractive to criminals. As for the demand side, Jonker says there needs to be a change of attitude towards content piracy being a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Changing people’s attitude to the crime of content piracy has to be an industry-wide campaign,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The creative industry must unite and address the issue collectively \u2014 as they have done through pan-African initiatives like Partners Against Piracy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jonker points out that government policy also influences the attitude towards piracy within a state \u2014 whether this is seen an important issue or one that needs to be sidelined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the government views it as an insignificant issue, it has even further ramifications than letting crime flourish; foreign content businesses like Netflix or Amazon may hesitate to enter the country without the correct reassurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, because of technological advancements, Jonker and his team can track down and prosecute pirated content rapidly, accurately and at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Piracy is often a multi-level operation, with global and regional headquarters, as well as regional resellers,” Jonker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It is now also possible for content owners and police to identify criminals at every level of these operations, as well as those who consume pirated content.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jonker also believes that “financial difficulty is no longer a reason for piracy” and that the crime puts many people’s livelihoods in danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n