Singapore: More site-blocking orders
April 15, 2024
By Colin Mann
The Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) has welcomed the Singapore High Court’s latest order to block another 26 illegal streaming sites and more than 100 associated domains responsible for the distribution of illegally streamed content in Singapore.
The Court’s order follows on from a similar order obtained in Singapore by the Premier League in March 2024 and continues the push by the applicants BBC Studios, LaLiga, the Premier League and TVB International, that in recent years has seen the blocking of hundreds of illegal streaming sites and hundreds more associated domains that were offering access to some of the most sought-after content including premium sports, drama and entertainment. The order is also part of a comprehensive campaign by CAP and its members against online piracy in the region.
“Blocking access to pirate sites also brings wide benefits, not least of which include protecting consumers from the demonstrable harm such as viruses, malware and data theft that many pirate sites are specifically designed for,” stated CAP’s General Manager, Matt Cheetham. “Such pirate sites are honey pots, designed to attract consumers with offers of ‘free’ content when in fact the consumers are the products, targeted by the criminals running the sites for cyber scams and other cyber threats. A recent study by Cyberstronomy has highlighted these dangers in particular to Singapore consumers, in finding an average 48 per cent chance of encountering a cyber threat on the top 25 pirate sports streaming sites in Singapore. Furthermore, there was a 3.5 times greater chance of consumers being scammed when visiting these sites compared to when visiting mainstream sites.”