\n
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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nI<\/span>n a world where new streaming platforms seem to launch every month (and the ones you\u2019ve already signed up for are hiking up their prices almost as frequently), one simple device is offering access to pretty much everything you could ever want to watch. You just have to get in touch with a friend of a friend, or follow a dubious link on a pop-up-laden website, hand over a one-off fee, and you\u2019re sorted. Or so you think. <\/p>\nThis is the promise of the so-called \u201cdodgy stick\u201d, the ubiquitous nickname for modified \u2013 or, to use the more technical term, \u201cjailbroken\u201d \u2013 versions of easy-to-use devices such as Amazon Fire Sticks that come pre-loaded with thousands of free channels and streaming libraries. Conduct a quick poll of your friends or colleagues, and you\u2019ll probably discover that many of them already own a similar device. Perhaps they\u2019re using it to follow their football team of choice without endless sports subscriptions, or to watch American shows before they land in the UK. <\/p>\n
The only catch? It\u2019s completely illegal. Using modified sticks to stream content that you\u2019re not paying for violates the Fraud Act of 2006. Yet this doesn\u2019t seem to put off the devotees. Otherwise law-abiding citizens who\u2019d never dream of dabbling in other illicit behaviour seem perfectly happy to break the rules when it comes to dodgy sticks. Some of them don\u2019t even realise they\u2019re doing anything wrong. <\/p>\n
Recent stats from The Athletic <\/em>found that almost five million of us consumed pirated sports coverage over the past six months, with 31 per cent admitting to using a modified Fire TV Stick or similar to do so. These devices have become so widespread that earlier this year, Sky\u2019s chief operating officer Nick Herm claimed that their use accounted for \u201cprobably about half of the piracy\u201d in the UK, and argued that \u201ctech giants\u201d such as Amazon were failing to sufficiently \u201caddress some of those problems\u201d. He suggested it is costing the broadcasting industry hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue. <\/p>\nIt\u2019s almost as if owning a dodgy stick has become the ultimate \u201cacceptable\u201d crime, infiltrating middle-class homes. Eva*, 34, is a recent convert. She and her partner sourced one from a friend after they worked out the exact amount they\u2019d been spending on streaming as part of their mortgage application process. \u201cIt was ridiculous how much we were paying each month, especially for sports,\u201d she says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t worth it for a couple of games or boxing matches.\u201d It is \u00a380 for a year\u2019s use of the illegal option, or spend just under that amount per month on the legitimate versions? It was an easy decision \u2013 especially when it meant they had unlimited access to new episodes of Below Deck.<\/em><\/p>\nThe platform she uses boasts sports, TV series and films \u2013 even ambient footage of virtual log fires, just in time for Christmas festivities. Sometimes they have to faff around with the language settings when their new favourite show suddenly defaults to a French dub, but it\u2019s a sacrifice they\u2019re willing to make for the savings. That they might be eating away at the potential profits of a mega media corporation \u201chasn\u2019t crossed [their] minds\u201d and the fact that \u201ceverybody is doing it\u201d makes it feel less illicit. <\/p>\n
So how does it work? What makes a dodgy stick so, well, dodgy? When a device is \u201cjailbroken\u201d, its inbuilt protections have been bypassed, explains ethical hacker Rob Shapland. Once this has been done, pirates can load it up with their own apps from outside the official app stores, which allow viewers to access illegal content in a process known as \u201csideloading\u201d. <\/p>\n
Sellers tend to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. \u201cIt\u2019s mates bragging down the pub, saying, \u2018I\u2019ve got access to this\u2019, and it feels like there\u2019s no downside,\u201d Shapland says. WhatsApp groups, social media accounts and websites will pop up offering the devices, too. <\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\n
open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\u2018Jailbroken\u2019 devices can be packed with illegal streaming apps \u2013 and with malware (Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe illicit appeal is obvious: the pirates have taken something that the average consumer already knows how to use (like a Fire TV Stick, for example) and packed it with a whole load of shiny streaming options, at what seems like a great price. <\/strong>Once, anyone hoping to access an illegal stream would have had to poke around in the murky recesses of the internet to try and find one. With one of these devices, though, they can simply plug and play. <\/p>\nIt\u2019s so straightforward that it might not necessarily feel like breaking the law. Using a modified stick \u201cbecomes an easy route into illegal streaming\u201d, says David Ingham, head of media, entertainment and sport at tech consultancy Cognizant. The average customer, he suggests, \u201cand even some of the middlemen selling these devices, [does] not realise that they are stepping into a world of piracy, fraud and the theft of intellectual property. They think they are simply buying or passing on a low-cost gadget\u201d. <\/p>\n
And as for those who do <\/em>know that they\u2019re doing something dubious? <\/strong>\u201cThe simple fact of the matter is that this is a fraud and everyone since time immemorial has tended to look at fraud as a victimless crime against corporations,\u201d says Kieron Sharp, <\/strong>chairman at the anti-piracy organisation Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT). He suggests that the popularity of modified sticks is essentially the modern equivalent of picking up pirated videos or DVDs back in the day. \u201cPeople would jump at the chance of buying them very cheaply regardless of the fact that they were stolen.\u201d <\/p>\nThe cost of living crisis has certainly squeezed the nation\u2019s disposable income; couple this with rising streaming subscription prices, and you have a landscape where it\u2019s easy for users to \u201cjustify the infraction as acceptable\u201d, as Ingham puts it. This year alone, Netflix has upped the cost of its standard ad-free subscription in the UK to \u00a312.99 a month, marking an increase of 18 per cent; Disney+ has hiked its standard rates by \u00a31 a month, and so has Apple TV (a subscription for the latter now costs twice as much as it did when it launched in November 2019).<\/p>\n\n
\nThis is a fraud and everyone since time immemorial has tended to look at fraud as a victimless crime against corporations<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
Kieron Sharp, FACT<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
But investing in a device that seems like a bargain might turn out to cause <\/strong>users a whole load of pain in the long run. As well as coming pre-loaded with streaming apps, the chances are that your dodgy stick will also be riddled with viruses and malware. A recent survey from BeStreamWise found that 65 per cent of people who\u2019ve watched content illegally over the past 12 months have had a security scare while doing so. \u201cIf you think about the morals of the people that are making the sticks, they\u2019re obviously breaking the rules already,\u201d says Shapland. \u201cIt\u2019s not a very big step to then put software on there that allows [them] to access someone\u2019s online banking account\u201d. <\/p>\nSometimes, Shapland adds, the device might act as a keylogger, recording your passwords and personal details and then sending them on to the criminals. According to a survey from BeStreamWise, almost four in 10 illegal streamers have suffered financial losses after being targeted by fraudsters; the average amount stolen was \u00a31,680, but one in 10 respondents ended up losing more than \u00a35,000. <\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve entered your payment details, fraudsters might activate \u201cset and forget\u201d payments, and \u201cjust keep billing\u201d, says Gareth Sutcliffe, the author of a recent report into video piracy from media and tech consultancy Enders Analysis. Or they might steer users towards cryptocurrencies through dodgy sideloaded apps, or sell your details to a third party. <\/p>\n
So, when you\u2019re handing over, say, \u00a320 for your dodgy stick, you\u2019re potentially inviting organised crime groups into the comfort of your own living room. <\/strong>\u201cThe idea, really, is [for criminals] to be able to put their tentacles right into the average consumer\u201d, who often thinks that \u201cthey\u2019ve got a good deal, when in fact they\u2019ve opened the hen house door to the fox\u201d, says Sutcliffe. And your money could end up funding other types of organised crime activity, too. <\/p>\n\n
\n<\/p>\n
open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Illegal streaming is thought to be costing sports broadcasters millions of dollars (Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nBut Sutcliffe reckons that the rise of the dodgy stick is not just about arbitrage, or \u201cgetting something for less than you would pay for if you were going through a legitimate service\u201d. It\u2019s also a question of innovation. \u201cIf the broadcasters were innovating more, providing different sets of packages, a wider range of services, would that be something that perhaps would ameliorate the risk from piracy?\u201d he asks. \u201cYou have to argue: \u2018possibly, yes.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
Sky\u2019s chief operating officer has estimated that piracy is costing sports broadcasting companies hundreds of millions of dollars. Again, it\u2019s easy for illegal streamers to tell themselves that football, for example, is already a wildly lucrative industry, and that broadcasters (and the players) don\u2019t need the extra money. But Sharp tells me that \u201cthe Premier League would not be attracting the best players in the world, would not be seen as the best league in the world, would not be the most watched sporting event in the world if people weren\u2019t paying for it in the first place\u201d. <\/p>\n
The same goes for TV shows and films. Most of these projects cost vast amounts of money, Sharp notes, and plenty of them \u201cdon\u2019t actually make a profit. None of those things would happen if people weren\u2019t paying [for content]\u201d. And when broadcasters cut back, it\u2019s the ordinary workers who feel the impact. \u201cThere\u2019s only a few people getting millions \u2013 the rest are all being paid normal wages as sound technicians or set designers or whatever it might be,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
A crackdown is underway. Over the past couple of years, a handful of sellers have been sentenced to between two and four years in prison on copyright and fraud charges. And in recent weeks, you might have seen headlines about a spate of raids targeting 17 areas across the UK. When law enforcement operatives raid suppliers, they can typically access their customer databases and find out who is using the devices, Sharp explains. <\/p>\n
But, he says, the emphasis is usually on the suppliers. \u201cOur intention is never to criminalise everybody within the whole ecosystem,\u201d he says, noting that the users are \u201cpeople we would like to see as being legitimate players. They\u2019re obviously film fans, football fans \u2013 we want to see them paying for the original content in its best format, and to save themselves any potential future heartache if they were to fall foul of the law\u201d. <\/p>\n\n
\nEven if this particular Fire Stick diminishes in terms of its risk to the public and to content owners, others will come up in its place<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
Gareth Sutcliffe, Enders Analysis <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
Amazon has also stepped up its efforts. Last month, the company,<\/strong> which has always maintained that it \u201cencourages the responsible consumption of content\u201d, <\/strong>confirmed that it is in the process of blocking pirate apps on its Fire TV Sticks. This is currently in progress in Germany and France and is set to expand globally. \u201cWe\u2019ll now block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including those downloaded from outside our app store,\u201d a spokesperson said. And the latest Fire TV Stick model, the 4K Select, uses a new operating system called Vega, which doesn\u2019t allow sideloading, rather than the previous Android software. <\/p>\nThis won\u2019t necessarily wipe out the pirates, who are pretty nifty when it comes to innovating and adapting. \u201cEven if this particular Fire Stick diminishes in terms of its risk to the public and to content owners, others will come up in its place,\u201d says Sutcliffe. \u201cIt\u2019s always like whack-a-mole.\u201d <\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re still willing to break the law to get your streaming fix? Just don\u2019t kid yourself that you\u2019re making some big anti-establishment gesture. \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to think of it as, \u2018I\u2019m just sticking a finger up to the man,\u2019\u201d Shapland says. \u201cBut you end up screwing yourself over instead.\u201d <\/p>\n
*Name has been changed for anonymity <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more In a world where new streaming platforms seem to launch every month (and the ones you\u2019ve already signed up for are hiking up their prices almost as frequently), one simple device is offering access to pretty much everything you could ever want to watch. You just have to get in touch with a friend of a friend, or follow a dubious link on a pop-up-laden website, hand over a one-off fee, and you\u2019re sorted. Or so you think. This is the promise of the so-called \u201cdodgy stick\u201d, the ubiquitous nickname for modified \u2013 or, to use the more technical term, \u201cjailbroken\u201d \u2013 versions of easy-to-use devices such as Amazon Fire Sticks that come pre-loaded with thousands of free channels and streaming libraries. Conduct a quick poll of your friends or colleagues, and you\u2019ll probably discover that many of them already own a similar device. Perhaps they\u2019re using it to follow their football team of choice without endless sports subscriptions, or to watch American shows before they land in the UK. The only catch? It\u2019s completely illegal. U…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}