Italy: Police block 124 illegal streaming sites after a complaint by Sky Italia

Operation "Match off", carried out in Italy on 25/01/2015 by the police officers of the Special Unit for Technological Fraud ("Nucleo Speciale Frodi Tecnologiche"), helped block 124 illegal football streaming websites in Italy in one day, stated the Guardia di Finanza (Italian financial and customs police).

Operation "Match off" followed a complaint filed by Sky Italia, the largest pay-TV group in Italy and lead broadcaster for football and films in the country. The "obscured" (made inaccessible) websites, all of which were hosted on foreign servers, offered illegal streaming of live content and on-demand programs, mainly Italian football matches, as well as films, television and music.

• The sites generated their revenue from banner ads, some of which are illegal (large advertisers appear on such sites, without even knowing it) and the Italian authorities will now take action against the advertising agencies which put the advertisers' messages on these pirate sites.
• Operation "Match off", led by Gaspare Sturzo, the investigating judge, was carried out as part of a coordinated…