Simon Wade
AN ILLEGAL TV app that was streaming European football, other TV channels and videos has been taken down in Spain.
Policia Nacional and Europol dismantled the group after investigations involving law enforcement authorities from France’s Andorra region and Portugal, too.
Investigations started in October 2018 when Spanish Police received complaints from the Motion Pictures Associations, Football Association Pretoria, the Premier League and the Spanish Football League about a mobile app illegally distributing video streams.
Downloaded by more than 100 million users, it offered the streaming of videos, sport and dozens of TV channels.
Investigations connected websites and platforms in Spain and Portugal to servers in Czechia.
The Spanish company behind the illegal activity earned its profits through online and on-screen advertisements.
They were also able to sell users’ information to other companies related to online crimes and cyber-attacks.
Combined profits are believed to be in excess of €5 million.
In total, combined law agencies carried out three house searches (two in Spain, one just over the French border in Andorra), four court orders to take down various websites, 20 web domains and servers were blocked and four arrests (three in Spain, one in Andorra).
Bank accounts were also frozen and a server was taken down in Portugal, with another under investigation in Czechia.
