It’s fair to say that piracy is a really big problem on the internet. The internet has made it a lot easier for people to sell pirated goods through various platforms, and perhaps the most widely used of these services involves illegal streaming and torrent sites that allow people to download lots of content free of charge, something that would lead to loss of profits for the creators that actually spent money and worked hard to make this content.
That being said, movie and music piracy is the least of our concerns. Things like medicine, alcohol and luxury goods are also being pirated and sold through the internet, and this is a big part of the reason why an international collaboration was initiated in order to shut the sites that facilitated this piracy down.
A collaboration of 18 EU member states through Europol, the US National IPR Center as well as a number of companies in the private sector has resulted in over 35,000 sites being shut down. 3 suspects have apparently been arrested as well in connection to these crimes. What’s more is that the initiative has resulted in 26,000 counterfeit luxury products being seized as well, along with a whopping 363 liters of alcohol that was being sold illegally.
Operation "In Our Sites" (IOS) has been going on since 2014, and this year’s round of shutdowns and arrests is a big part of this. The main goal of the initiative is to create a safer internet, although many are criticizing it for being a way to stifle media piracy which in many countries is pretty much the only way people can access this content in the first place. Still, the shut down of these sites will arguable lead to a better internet for everyone to use.
Photo: Nurphoto / Getty Images.
Read next: More the Streaming Charges, More the Piracy; Confirms a Study
That being said, movie and music piracy is the least of our concerns. Things like medicine, alcohol and luxury goods are also being pirated and sold through the internet, and this is a big part of the reason why an international collaboration was initiated in order to shut the sites that facilitated this piracy down.
A collaboration of 18 EU member states through Europol, the US National IPR Center as well as a number of companies in the private sector has resulted in over 35,000 sites being shut down. 3 suspects have apparently been arrested as well in connection to these crimes. What’s more is that the initiative has resulted in 26,000 counterfeit luxury products being seized as well, along with a whopping 363 liters of alcohol that was being sold illegally.
Operation "In Our Sites" (IOS) has been going on since 2014, and this year’s round of shutdowns and arrests is a big part of this. The main goal of the initiative is to create a safer internet, although many are criticizing it for being a way to stifle media piracy which in many countries is pretty much the only way people can access this content in the first place. Still, the shut down of these sites will arguable lead to a better internet for everyone to use.
Photo: Nurphoto / Getty Images.
Read next: More the Streaming Charges, More the Piracy; Confirms a Study
