An argument frequently used by rights holders as they attempt to persuade consumers not to view illegally obtained content has been given new backing.
A new study released by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), has found consumers are up to 65 times more likely to be infected with malware when using piracy sites as compared to legitimate websites.
The report, Consumer Risk from Piracy in Southeast Asia explored activity in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“As this study makes clear, the risks and ramifications substantially increase for those in Southeast Asia who visit piracy sites,” said Study author Dr Paul Watters. a cybersecurity researcher and thought leader at Cyberstronomy. “Though efforts to curb digital piracy are ongoing, these stark results require additional action – such as smart tools and proven measures – to mitigate the relevant digital threats in each country.”
Overall, the study concluded that piracy sites – including streaming piracy platforms, P2P networks, IPTV services, scam portals, anime piracy sites, and manga repositories – carry a cyber threat risk more than 22 times higher than that of mainstream legitimate sites.
“The research findings reaffirm the extensive harms piracy networks inflict upon consumers and the economy in Southeast Asia,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the Motion Picture Association. “We applaud Dr. Watters and his team for their work in revealing the dangers of using these illicit sources, and we look forward to further collaboration with law enforcement throughout the region to detect these bad actors, deter future misdeeds, and dismantle unlawful operations that endanger a thriving creative marketplace.”
Peer-to-peer networks, scam portals, and streaming piracy sites carry the highest relative risks of cyber threat, while consumers in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia have the highest average relative risk of encountering a cyber threat from a piracy service – each approaching or exceeding a 34-fold increase over legitimate sites.
