The Suicide Squad illegal streaming warning
July 29, 2021
By Colin Mann
In advance of the much-awaited cinema release July 30th of superhero movie The Suicide Squad, Liz Bales, CEO of consumer education body the Industry Trust for IP Awareness, has warned fans tempted to stream the film illegally of the damage it causes the cinema industry and risk of malware and scams.
“Film fans are, understandably, incredibly excited about the cinema release of The Suicide Squad this Friday, especially as our insights show that it is these fantastic new blockbusters that are encouraging audiences to return to the big screen experience,” notes Bales. “But, as cinemas reopen, so too does the business of piracy, and all of the new and emerging risks to consumers that go along with it.”
“This is why it’s so important to ensure audiences and film-fans are aware of the myriad of problems that are now an inherent part of infringement: streaming pirated content puts consumers at huge risk not only of the obvious problems of paying for and viewing incredibly sub-standard content but also the very real threat of exposure to malware and fraud,” she warns.
“For instance, cybersecurity firm Webroot recently found that 92 per cent of illegal streaming sites used for pirating sports content over a single weekend were promoting a range of Bitcoin and mobile app scams, as well as containing malware threats,” she reports.
“Many of us were saddened by cinemas remaining shuttered for large periods of the last 12 months, and the interrupted stream of new content, but we want audiences who are seeking out entertainment online to be safe and able to enjoy the best quality content experience possible. The volume of threat to consumers associated with modern piracy proves without question that it isn’t worth the risk,” she concludes.