Piracy FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions regarding content piracy and safe streaming.
Is it illegal to stream movies online?
Streaming movies online can be either illegal or legal, depending on the site or service from which you stream. By watching movies from an unlicensed website, you are engaging in illegal streaming, which may result in financial risk, identity theft, and virus threats. A video stream from a site or company with a copyright license to broadcast a movie is legal.
Are illegal streaming sites safe?
No. Illegal streaming sites can compromise users’ security and safety in a variety of ways, including identity theft, bloatware, malware, invasive ads, viruses, phishing scams, and more. There’s also always the potential for legal prosecution for those operating these types of sites. When providing illegal content online, sites open themselves up to a variety of penalties, including the site being shut down.
Learn more about the Most Frequented Illegal Streaming Sources for Movies, Shows, Music, Games, and More.
What is Content Piracy?
Content Piracy is the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted content that is then either offered to you for free or sold to you at a considerably lower price than you would expect to pay. Content “pirates” – yes, the name comes from the criminals who steal and loot at sea – offer TV shows, sports and movies without the permission of the owner of the content.
Is piracy legal?
Piracy is NOT legal. Content pirates circumvent legal copy protection and distribute material without the authorization or permission of the content owner. Those who upload these stolen copyrighted files risk civil or criminal prosecution.
Learn more in the article, “Is Piracy Legal?”
Is it safe to watch pirated content?
The short answer: NO. When you pay for a service that offers unauthorized or stolen content, you’re providing your financial information to a thief. Additionally, downloading, streaming or torrenting pirated content can put your devices and your personal information at risk from malware.
Learn more in the article, “Watching Pirated Content Is Not Safe.”
Is streaming copyrighted content illegal?
Streaming copyrighted content is not illegal if it’s done so through a legitimate and legal site such as Tubi, Hulu, Peacock, Netflix, Max, etc. It is illegal to stream copyrighted content via streaming sites and platforms that do not have a legal right to share that content.
What is Malware?
‘Malware’ is a combination of two words – MALicious and softWARE. Viruses, ransomware and spyware are examples of malware, and the name covers any software written with intent to damage devices or steal data.
Learn more in the article, “What is Malware?”
How do pirates deliver content?
Pirates use one or more of these distribution methods:
- Subscription-based apps and web services, offered for free or at “too good to be true” prices
- Hardware-based devices which have been altered to enable access to stolen material
- Ad-supported services utilizing unknown or risky advertising sources
Learn more in the article, “What Pirate Streaming Sites Use to Lure Consumers.”
What is Torrenting?
Torrenting is a method of sharing content. Unlike streaming, which involves a single file provided to you from one server, a torrent breaks up one large file and splits it up into many smaller files. Torrenting can be a legal way to get larger files, but downloading unauthorized, stolen copyrighted material via torrenting is illegal. It’s not always obvious which content is legal to torrent and which isn’t. Additionally, accessing unauthorized content via torrenting may expose your device to malware.
What are the risks of viewing unauthorized, stolen, or pirated content?
Here are four big ones:
- Your home network or devices could get infested with malware.
- When the pirate service gets shut down, devices you’ve been paying for to access their content will become useless hardware.
- Pirate sites don’t usually offer parental controls, which legitimate services provide to protect children from inappropriate or harmful material.
- Torrenting sites can engage your computer in the active sharing of content, putting you at risk of not just viewing but also distributing pirated content.
Learn more in the article, “Risks of Viewing Pirated Content.”
How can I avoid pirated content?
Learn more in the article, “Look for These Red Flags to Avoid Pirate Sites.”
