Online Piracy risen by nearly 60%

According to the Guardian UK Piracy has risen massively during lockdown. It is during these times of self isolation and, for many, a lack of income that options become far more tantalising. This is not just a trend within the UK but worldwide as this graph from MUSO shows.

Films and hit shows such as Contagion and Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness have been huge draws for streaming services in recent weeks, and for illegal websites that host pirated copies.

“For the last three years of data, we’ve seen film and TV [piracy] in every single territory in the world spike at the weekends,” said Andy Chatterley, Muso’s chief executive. "The company now sees even more weekday film piracy by U.S. users than it previously did on weekends," he said.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness

The top pirate sites in the U.S, U.K, Germany, France, Italy and Spain served 50% more ads to users in the first quarter compared with the previous quarter, according to White Bullet Solutions Ltd., a London-based company tracking the advertising that supports intellectual property theft.

While Netflix and other streaming sites are having to reduce the quality of their streams to allow for the increased demand, many pirate streaming sites are still offering high definition viewing. 

"Netflix said it added more than double the number of subscribers it forecast in the first quarter, and Walt Disney Co. said it had 50 million subscribers to its Disney+ service on April 8, from 28.6 million in early February. It had told investors last year that it expected 60 million to 90 million signups by the end of fiscal 2024." - Wall Street Journal

In response to this increase social media companies have cracked down of streaming by banning certain URLs, while Europol warned customers that black market streaming can open you up to forms of cyber attack. Meanwhile police forces worldwide have been arresting people behind the piracy. 

With an increase in piracy and peoples desperation the chances of downloading harmful software has increased along with door to door and phone scamming of the elderly and vulnerable. 

Stay smart, stay safe.