No Cautions, Fines or Arrests Say GM Police * TorrentFreak
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After two UK regional police forces refused to produce data on the variety of folks cautioned, fined or arrested for merely watching unlawful streams, this weekend it emerged that Larger Manchester Police acquired the identical request and truly responded. For the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the variety of folks cautioned, fined and/or arrested for merely watching unlawful streams was…..zero.
Final Friday, we reported on two Freedom of Data Act requests directed at two regional police forces within the UK.
In nearly an identical requests, which seem to have been filed by the identical individual, Wiltshire Police and West Yorkshire Police have been requested eight questions referring to enforcement measures taken towards suppliers, distributors, and customers of unlawful streaming companies.
Each police forces mentioned that no data was readily accessible, including that it could take so lengthy to retrieve data manually that the estimated prices rendered each requests ineligible for disclosure underneath the Freedom of Data Act. That was disappointing.
A key element of an ongoing anti-piracy marketing campaign within the UK consists of sensitizing the general public to the chance of being convicted for fraud offenses carrying jail sentences of as much as 10 years. Not for getting concerned within the provide or sale of pirate streams, however for merely watching them.
Actually, authorized idea doesn’t rule out the likelihood, however in a marketing campaign that depends nearly solely on concern, arduous unbiased information would’ve been a welcome addition.
Data Accessible, Moderately Priced
In the course of the weekend, we realized that the eight questions overlaying the five-year interval 2019-2023, rejected by Wiltshire Police and West Yorkshire Police for being too expensive to reply, have been additionally despatched to Larger Manchester Police (GMP). With only one exception (query 7 referring to the provision of unlawful streams, see earlier article) GMP answered each query.
GMP stories that two folks acquired a police warning for distributing or supplying unlawful streaming companies in 2021. Throughout the identical yr, a complete of two folks have been arrested for distributing or supplying unlawful streaming companies.
There’s inadequate data within the response to find out whether or not the 2 folks arrested in 2021 have been the identical individuals who acquired cautions in 2021. In 2022, one individual was arrested for distributing or supplying unlawful streaming companies.
Distribution, Provide, & Viewing
Since GMP declined to reply query seven (which relates completely to the provision of unlawful streams) however have been blissful reply to query six (which mentions each distribution and provide) it appears seemingly that every one figures launched right here relate to distribution.
Total then, a most of three arrests and two cautions in a five-year interval doesn’t sound like rather a lot, even accounting for the opportunity of further arrests/cautions/fines referring to motion underneath query 7.
Based mostly on what number of members of the general public might be affected by the purported fraud prosecutions publicized within the media, we now flip to a very powerful disclosures by GMP with authorities figures for context.
The newest knowledge revealed by the Mental Property Workplace estimates that in 2022 alone, 3.9 million people within the UK watched dwell sports activities by way of unlawful streams.
How most of the 3.9 million dwell in GMP’s space is unknown however, with nearly 500 sq. miles of principally city conurbation and a inhabitants of two.8 million, it accounts for five% of the general UK inhabitants.
In its response to the FOIA request, Larger Manchester Police reveal that the variety of folks cautioned, fined and/or arrested for merely watching unlawful streams in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 mixed, was…..zero.
Inconvenient Details Are Nonetheless Details
GMP’s disclosure doesn’t come as a shock however seeing the zero determine in black and white confirms our suspicions. Had there been a single arrest anyplace within the UK, purely for watching unlawful streams, no effort would’ve been spared to make sure everybody heard about it.
Whether or not related disclosures will seem within the days and weeks forward is unknown however because of GMP’s capability to precisely retrieve data, at the least some information have entered the general public area. If West Midlands Police or Leicestershire Police obtain related requests, their file retrieval expertise shouldn’t disappoint.
For a six-week interval early 2023, West Midlands Police have been in a position to report that 4 crimes have been linked to Prime Power drink, (pdf) together with assault, harassment, legal injury, and theft from a machine. Not one of the offenses associated to the extortionate value of the drink, nonetheless.
In response to a FOIA request to reveal caller logs that featured phrases together with ‘UFO’, ‘Alien’, ‘UAP’ and ‘spaceship’, Leicestershire Police went to appreciable lengths to guard caller privateness (pdf).
After being supplied with an instance of acceptable redaction (“Male caller named (REDACTED) stories seeing 4 flashing lights hovering above his property in (REDACTED) avenue earlier than a feminine was beamed into the sky”) the drive revealed a spreadsheet. It lists 65 calls however no data that would establish any explicit caller.
West Yorkshire Police acquired the identical request (pdf) and was in a position to verify that the phrases ‘UFO’, ‘UAP’, ‘ALIEN’ or ‘SPACESHIP’ appeared in log textual content 1805 instances.
GMP’s response to the FOIA request associated to streaming is accessible here (pdf)