For the first time, it's not the resellers or administrators of IPTV platforms who are being targeted, but the users themselves. Since the beginning of May, more than 2,200 people have received a fine of 154 euros for using an illegal Internet television service. And this is just the beginning.
A strong and unprecedented signal
The signal sent by the Italian authorities is based on an unprecedented legislative and judicial arsenal. Thanks to a memorandum of understanding signed between the prosecutor's office, the Guardia di Finanza (financial police), and AGCOM (the Italian equivalent of ARCOM), cybercrime services now have access to data collected during the dismantling of certain platforms. Last October, a large-scale operation in Lecce resulted in the recovery of thousands of IP addresses, bank details, and emails of subscribers to a pirate service. Information that was used to issue violation reports.
This change of direction is based on Law 93/2023, adopted in Italy to strengthen the crackdown on piracy. This law authorizes the issuance of administrative fines ranging from €154 to €5,000 in the event of a repeat offense, without the need to initiate criminal proceedings. In other words, subscribers caught red-handed for illegal use can be punished quickly, based on digital evidence, as if it were a traffic violation.
This new severity is widely supported by the major football clubs, on the front line in the face of the economic losses caused by illegal streaming. Paolo Scaroni (president of AC Milan) and Beppe Marotta (Inter Milan) have been campaigning for months for a response that meets the challenges. According to them, piracy causes Italian football to lose around one billion euros per year. This loss of revenue weakens the entire industry, from clubs to official broadcasters.
At the same time, the country has launched a technological tool called "Piracy Shield." It blocks illegal IPTV streams in just a few minutes by forcing access providers to filter DNS. Even public services like Google DNS are now forced to comply with these blockages if ordered by judicial authorities. This rapid response aims to deprive pirates of their main asset: the live broadcast of protected content.
An initiative that is attracting followers
In Greece, a similar bill also plans to sanction end users, with fines of up to 5,000 euros. And other European countries, including France, are watching the situation closely. For now, in France, users of illegal IPTV services don't risk much, as long as their use remains purely private. But the trend could change quickly, under pressure from rights holders and broadcasters.
By penalizing users and not just sellers, Italy is changing the rules of the game. The objective is clear: to make it clear that a 30-euro per year subscription to access hundreds of premium channels is not trivial. The criminal response is becoming personal, and the excuse of ignorance will no longer suffice. A red line that many consumers cross without understanding the consequences.
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