Authorities in Europe have shut down a massive pirate IPTV operation, impacting 22 million users and €3 billion in annual revenue.
Dubbed ‘Operation Takendown’, this coordinated effort involved Europol, Eurojust, and law enforcement agencies across multiple European nations. Authorities attributed €10 billion in damages to subscription TV broadcasters.
Massive Pirate IPTV Operation
The operation underscores the importance of international cooperation in tackling digital piracy and IPTV services.
Authorities from the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, and Croatia executed 14 searches across these regions.
Investigators traced key servers and IPTV management panels to the UK and Netherlands, with additional infrastructure identified in Romania and Hong Kong.
As a result of the operation:
- 11 suspects were detained in Croatia.
- 102 individuals are under investigation, including administrators of the IT infrastructure.
- Law enforcement seized €1.65 million in cryptocurrency and €40,000 in cash.
- 2,500 illegally streamed TV channels and related servers were shut down.
Funding from the European Commission supported the operation, which involved extensive surveillance of social media platforms, IPTV forums, and other online profiles used to promote and manage the illegal services.
A Complex, Global IPTV Network
Authorities describe the IPTV network as a pyramid of suppliers, distributors, sellers, and resellers, operating with a high degree of sophistication.
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The network’s infrastructure was spread across nine servers located in Romania, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands.
Administrators used fake identities and forged documents to secure resources, including servers, phones, credit cards, and TV subscriptions.
Key IT administrators were tracked to the UK and the Netherlands, with their infrastructure enabling operations on a massive scale.
The organization relied heavily on social media and online forums to attract and manage customers.
Sky Italia, whose initial complaint sparked the investigation, praised the collaborative effort. Andrea Duilio, CEO of Sky Italia, emphasized the operation’s significance in combating piracy.
“This extraordinary operation dismantled a criminal organization operating on an international scale,” Duilio stated.
He highlighted the role of Piracy Shield, a tool used to block pirate sites in real-time, as a critical asset in ongoing efforts to protect the audiovisual industry and preserve jobs.
Wrapping Up
Operation Takendown represents one of the most extensive operations against IPTV piracy to date.
By dismantling this network, authorities have sent a clear message to other operators engaged in similar activities. The seizure of assets, including cryptocurrency, demonstrates the growing sophistication of law enforcement in targeting digital crimes.
For more information on this story, refer to the article from The Messenger and the report from TorrentFreak.
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