A cybercrime unit conducted a raid on the administrators of the Digital Television IPTV service following allegations of piracy from DirecTV.
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DirecTV, headquartered in Argentina, launched a legal complaint leading to law enforcement action against the alleged operators of Digital TV, an unauthorized IPTV platform, reported to have around 85,000 subscribers.
A local cybercrime unit, accompanied by a local prosecutor, executed the operation, uncovering a 22-year-old IT professional as the mastermind of the operation.
The suspect, now publicly identified by the authorities, was featured on Canal26, reaching an audience of 4.5 million viewers.
Jorge Bacaloni, Regional Anti-Piracy Manager of Vrio Corp, has been appointed as the new president of the Alliance Against Pay Television Piracy (Allianz) since January 2023.
Upon assuming the role, Bacaloni emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships in the battle against piracy, stressing the need for joint responsibility and coordinated action across the industry.
Bacaloni acknowledged the significant contribution of Alianza but underlined that it cannot singularly combat the escalating criminal network driven by technological advances, urging governments to actively support the private sector and take decisive measures to ensure legal protection.
While the timing of DirecTV’s anti-piracy team filing a complaint with Argentine authorities remains unclear, the collaboration advocated by Bacaloni in June appears to have yielded results.
Specialist prosecutor Alejandro Musso in Buenos Aires led the investigation against Digital TV.
According to preliminary investigations by DirecTV, this pirated IPTV service provided approximately 900 live TV channels, including some exclusive to DirecTV in Latin America.
Moreover, it boasted an extensive VOD platform with 8,000 movies and 400 TV series. Digital TV offered an affordable subscription with access to live soccer and adult channels.
Following court authorization, law enforcement carried out raids in Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires Province, as well as in Arrecifes and Chivilcoy.
An IT technician, aged 22, was apprehended in Ramos Mejía, accused of being the mastermind behind ‘Digital TV.’
According to DirecTV’s preliminary investigations, the service had about 85,000 subscribers, and the associated app, available for download from a major virtual store, had been downloaded over 100,000 times.
DirecTV further added that the court promptly ordered the app’s blocking due to substantial financial losses incurred by rights holders due to piracy.
Local media outlet La Nacion identified the suspect as Martin Coll, who allegedly belongs to a larger piracy network operating across Latin America.
The police traced Coll by tracking his online IP addresses. In addition to the valuable IP evidence, the Digital TV Android app, available on Google Play, revealed the perpetrator’s identity within minutes of downloading.
Upon Coll’s arrest, the media expediently disclosed his full name and published photographs of him, including images of him in handcuffs after the arrest.
Local TV channel Canal26 broadcasted images of the suspect to its nationwide audience of 4.5 million viewers.
Once the genie is out of the bottle, it cannot be put back. In the meantime, reports indicate that the accused is remaining silent and refusing to answer any questions.
Authorities have reportedly identified two more individuals believed to be involved in reselling the service.
This is not the first time we have seen notable IPTV services encounter legal trouble or even shut down.
- Flawless IPTV Operators Arrested
- Massive IPTV Service in Europe Shut Down by Dutch Police
- Pirate IPTV Reseller Sentenced to 5 Years in Jail
- Top Piracy Threats Reported to US Government
For more information on this story, you can view the report on TorrentFreak and the original press release on Canal 26 News.
You can also refer to the video below.
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