Enders Analysis (via ArsTechnica) has dropped a bombshell report, claiming that Amazon Fire Sticks are at the heart of streaming piracy that amounts to "billions of dollars." This research, titled "Video piracy: Big tech is clearly unwilling to address the problem," mainly looks at what is happening in Europe but points out that this unauthorized streaming is a growing headache worldwide, especially as more live events, like big sports matches, move to streaming platforms.
The issue with Fire Sticks, and similar devices, often comes down to how easily users can modify them. This modification, often called "jailbreaking," basically involves tweaking the device's settings to allow for the installation of apps from outside Amazon's official app store. Once that door is open, people can load up applications that offer access to all sorts of content, including those live sports events, movies, and shows, often for free, which is obviously a massive problem for companies that own the rights.
Enders Analysis also puts some blame on Facebook for letting ads for these illegal streams run, and on Google and Microsoft for supposedly letting their digital rights management, or DRM, systems go to pot. These systems, Google's Widevine and Microsoft's PlayReady, are meant to protect content, but the report suggests they are not being kept up to date effectively, with Microsoft's last big PlayReady update, version 4.6, being way back in December 2022. DAZN, a huge European soccer streamer, called streaming piracy "almost a crisis for the sports rights industry" back in February.
The Enders report specifically names Fire Sticks as a major "piracy enabler," which is not surprising given that, in the UK, these devices account for about half of all piracy, according to Nick Herm, COO of Sky Group. Herm also notes that because Amazon is a legitimate, well-known brand, some people assume that using a modified Fire Stick for this purpose must be okay, even handing over their credit card details to what are essentially criminal outfits.
Amazon, for its part, told ArsTechnica that pirated content violates its policies and that the company works with industry partners and authorities to combat piracy, warning customers about installing apps from unknown sources. Amazon's representative also mentioned that Amazon has helped law enforcement, including the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit in London.
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