{"id":34367,"date":"2026-05-04T08:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T07:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intelligence.ensider.de\/?p=34367"},"modified":"2026-05-04T08:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T07:28:09","slug":"study-warns-digital-piracy-is-developing-into-organised-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intelligence.ensider.de\/en\/2026\/05\/04\/studie-warnt-digitale-piraterie-entwickelt-sich-zu-organisierter-kriminal\/","title":{"rendered":"Study warns: Digital piracy is developing into organised crime"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new joint study by IP House<\/strong> and the Digital Citizens Alliance (DCA)<\/strong> shows a clear change in the global piracy ecosystem: Digital piracy networks are increasingly acting like professionally organised criminal enterprises<\/strong> and are sometimes closely linked to other illegal markets.<\/p>

The study \u201eOrganised. Piracy. Crime.<\/em>\u201c is based on six months of analysis, including interviews with international law enforcement agencies and the evaluation of investigative cases and global data sets.<\/p>

Piracy as a criminal business model<\/h3>

According to the study, modern piracy networks have evolved from simple illegal streaming or download sites to complex, profit-driven structures<\/strong> developed. Revenue is generated through advertising, subscriptions and so-called \u201ePiracy-as-a-Service\u201c models, in which complete infrastructure is rented out to third parties.<\/p>

The operators are globally distributed, digitally networked and often operate outside of effective national law enforcement.<\/p>

Links to organised crime<\/h3>

The increasing overlap with other criminal activities described in the study is particularly explosive. These include money laundering, fraud, illegal gambling and, in individual cases, links to drug and arms trafficking.<\/p>

A case study from Europe describes a network that generates an estimated 3.5 billion US dollars<\/strong> through a combination of piracy and other illegal activities.<\/p>

\u201eCriminal companies instead of piracy sites\u201c<\/h3>

The authors of the study emphasise that traditional terms such as \u201epiracy site\u201c no longer reflect reality. Jan van Voorn (IP House) speaks of \u201ediversified criminal enterprises\u201c that are deeply embedded in global illegal economies.<\/p>

The Digital Citizens Alliance also warns of a growing threat to consumers and the economy. Tom Galvin describes the networks as highly developed criminal structures in which roles between piracy, drug trafficking and money laundering are increasingly overlapping.<\/p>

Demand: tougher regulation and international cooperation<\/h3>

The study calls for greater international coordination in the fight against digital piracy. This includes:<\/p>