Nairobi — Partners Against Piracy (PAP) Association of Kenya, a creative industry group, has lauded the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) for cracking down on sites distributing pirated contents.
This comes after KECOBO, together with Irdeto and the Kenyan Police, busted individuals selling premium streaming content in Kaplombe Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, illegally.
According to KECOBO and Irdeto, the suspects, led by the alleged mastermind Engineer Kelvin Kiplangat Sing'oei, were arrested during the raid, which was conducted by the Kenyan Police's Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), a unit within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
During the raid, equipment such as computers, phones, and bank cards were seized. The items will be forwarded to the CID Cyber Crime Unit for further analysis.
Irdeto (https://irdeto.com/), which offers digital platform security, played a big role in the netting of the individuals after providing crucial intelligence and assistance.
"Where producing African content for African audiences stops being profitable or worthwhile, production stops. So, the creative industries of Kenya and Africa will be the biggest losers," said Mike Strano, Chair of PAP.
"Also, if piracy succeeds, consumers will be reduced to making do with poor quality entertainment, old content and content that does not fulfil the needs of their community or their culture."
According to PAP, content piracy globally is at an all-time high.
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High-quality content and advanced streaming technology have made it easier for pirates to illegally acquire and redistribute content for illicit profits that are documented to also fund other crimes, including identity theft and trafficking.
"Internet streaming piracy is not only a criminal offence, but also poses serious risks to consumers who may have their personal data, including banking information, compromised by pirate operations," Strano added.
"PAP Kenya would like to emphasise that engaging in internet streaming piracy is illegal, and like-minded stakeholders will continue to fight against this form of theft, leaving no stone unturned."
At the same time, PAP urged consumers to be cautious and vigilant when accessing online content and to only use legitimate sources.
Such sites, it said, expose consumers to the risk of having their personal data and devices used illegally and even ransomed by pirate operations.
