Police have been cracking down on ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire Stick usage in recent times.
As the cost of legally streaming football continues to increase, so does the number of people who have decided to explore alternative methods in an attempt to consume the sport for less fiscal sacrifice.
One of the most commonly used methods of doing this has been via Amazon Fire Sticks, devices which plug into the back of televisions and allow users to stream services such as YouTube and Netflix.
The Fire Stick is jailbroken, which allows users to install software on their device, in turn providing access to sporting contests the world over.
Given that Sky Sports broadcast over 1,000 matches per season from the EFL, Carabao Cup and Vertu Trophy, supporters can save a lot of money by opting against paying traditional subscription fees.
How the police find ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire Sticks
There has been an increased effort from police to try and crackdown on the usage of these devices in recent times, with their most recent crackdown aimed at tackling more than 30 suppliers, which reportedly targeted the 15 areas of London Kent, Sussex, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, East and West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Northumbria and North Yorkshire.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, FACT chairman Kieran Sharp, whose company works with the Premier League to stop copyright infringement, opened up on the methods used by authorities to find responsible parties.
Sharp explained that the authorities search for specific words once seizing devices off parties they believe are guilty, to try and catch out those distributing the illegal Fire Sticks.
According to Sharp, a common search term is the word “illegal”, which is frequently used by suspects in communication with each other over involvement with the devices.
This in turn provides the police with more evidence that a party is guilty, which can be used against them legally.
The consequences for persistent use of illegal firestick streaming can be huge
Due to the increased usage of illegal Fire Sticks, the authorities are becoming even more focussed on cracking down on the devices.
A 42-year-old man was arrested in Newport on suspicion of his involvement in selling ‘dodgy’ Fire Sticks, whilst another man from Liverpool received a three-year jail sentence for distributing the devices, highlighting the consequences that can come with involvement in illegal streaming.
Amazon have also tried preventing usage of their devices to illegally stream as well, as its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select has a key change that makes it harder to jailbreak.
Naturally, consumers of football will look for alternative methods to avoid paying large subscription fees but there is an element of risk involved with doing so in an illegal manner.
