Information about more than 300 “dangerous Firestick” users will be released to Sky following a ruling by the Irish High Court. Judge Brian Cregan approved an order requiring Revolut Bank UAB to hand over the names and addresses of 304 subscribers, along with 10 resellers.
The judgment follows civil action brought by Sky against Revolut over allegations that subscribers used banking applications to pay resellers of pirated material. Sky had initially sought an order from Norwich Pharmaceuticals allowing it to obtain information about individuals “mixed up” with the fraud.
Sky representative Theo Donnelly informed the High Court that the details secured would be used to pursue legal proceedings against the reseller and certain users.
Revolut lawyer John Freeman said his client remained neutral regarding Sky’s application. The company’s latest move follows a civil complaint against David Dunbar from the University of Wexford.
He was found guilty of running an illegal streaming business and was ordered to pay Sky €480,000 (about £415,000) in damages and €100,000 (about £86,000) in costs. Mr Dunbar was fined an additional €30,000 (£26,000) for contempt after breaching a court order to preserve the data.
In addition, it was discovered that 12 resellers and 304 users had transferred funds to Dunbar via Revolut, and Sky requested further information from the bank. The court heard proceedings had already been commenced against two of the 12 resellers.
Details about the 304 users will be delivered to Sky in an encrypted spreadsheet within the next 28 days.
The use of so-called “danger boxes” or illegal Fire Stick devices is considered a “serious crime” and police in the UK and Ireland, working with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), are working tirelessly to crack down on their use.
A man from Merseyside was recently sentenced to prison for personal use.
Sergeant Adam Dagnall, from Merseyside Police’s Cyber Crime Unit, said at the time: “Merseyside Police takes illegal streaming very seriously because it often funds organized crime and puts users at real risk.”
“Not only is this a crime, but unauthorized streaming services frequently contain malware that can compromise personal devices, causing loss of information such as bank account information, or be used for identity fraud.
“Legitimate providers have security measures in place to protect you from these threats. Don’t be tempted by cheap, so-called ‘fully-featured’ or ‘jailbroken’ devices, even as Christmas presents. You may end up getting more than you bargained for.”
