Italian Deputy Prosecutors directed a collaborative operation by the country’s Special Unit for Protection of Privacy and Technology Fraud of the Guardia di Finanza, the Postal Police and Telecommunications Service of the State Police, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor; against a huge international piracy operation.
“The Perfect Storm” operation was carried out in 19 countries, and led to the shutdown of more than 5,500 illegal streaming sites and Telegram channels. It was estimated that its total audience was more than 50 Million users worldwide, with more than 5 million in Italy. More than €10 Million in assets were confiscated from 23 suspects that ran the business.
Read the details via FAPAV (translated from Italian to English via Google Translate)
Why it matters
“We cannot be caught unprepared but we must raise the bar more and more in the fight against piracy, especially in a moment like the present one in which the Italian economy is in great difficulty due to the consequences linked to the health emergency,” said Federico Bagnoli Rossi, Secretary General of FAPAV, Italy’s Federation for the Protection of Audiovisual and Multimedia Content.
He continued: “The tools available are there and must be strengthened in order also to support the restart of the sector in such a delicate moment. Among the priorities identified, it is necessary to strengthen the powers of the Authority for Guarantees in Communications, to implement the Copyright Directive in Italy, to make international collaborations more timely, without neglecting educational and awareness-raising activities.”
