Amazon is taking stronger action against piracy on its Fire Sticks. Recently, four men in the UK were arrested for running an illegal operation that streamed sports events and made hundreds of thousands of pounds annually.
Police raided four homes in West Yorkshire in late October and arrested several people suspected of copyright infringement and money laundering, according to The Athletic.
The investigation started with a man suspected of illegally selling IPTV subscriptions. By examining his financial records, authorities discovered a larger network of resellers throughout the country. This led them to identify three additional suspects believed to be part of the same criminal organization.
Investigators believe each suspect managed a network of individuals selling illegal IPTV services. Initial assessments indicate the entire operation generated over $100,000 in profit each year. All four people questioned have been released while the investigation continues.
According to Tom’s Guide, the group was selling Amazon Fire Sticks that had been illegally modified. Amazon is now working hard to stop these sales.
Amazon aims to “block piracy” with new Fire Sticks
These arrests coincide with Amazon’s plans to update its system to Vega OS, a new operating system for devices like the Fire TV Stick 4K Select. Vega OS is built on Linux and, unlike the previous Fire OS which was based on Android, prevents users from easily installing apps from outside the official Amazon app store. This closes a security gap that previously allowed users to install unofficial and potentially unsafe streaming apps on their Fire Sticks.
Amazon is cracking down on unauthorized streaming apps on its Fire OS. They’ve increased enforcement efforts, working with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment to remove these apps.
Amazon has always taken steps to prevent piracy on its Appstore, and is now strengthening those efforts. According to a recent statement to TechRadar, Amazon will block apps that offer access to illegally copied content, even if those apps were originally downloaded from sources other than the Amazon Appstore.
Vega OS devices can’t currently use VPN apps, but an update to add this feature is coming soon.
The UK’s Federation Against Copyright Theft has cautioned that using illegal streaming services not only supports serious criminal organizations, but also puts viewers at risk of things like viruses, data breaches, and identity theft.
Watching sports or movies through unofficial apps that don’t have permission is against the law, specifically violating section 11 of the Fraud Act 2006. You could face up to a year in prison if convicted, and more serious offenses could result in a five-year sentence.
This news follows closely after the shutdown of StreamEast, a well-known illegal sports streaming website that was taken down in a recent raid. However, new websites offering the same content quickly appeared to fill the void.
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2025-11-12 00:49