Largest ever regional investigation shuts down a smartcard sharing piracy network in Egypt

Joint action by Irdeto, pay-TV operators and law enforcement agencies in Egypt have led to arrests and the shut down of a major smartcard sharing piracy network. 

The arrests mark the culmination of one of the largest investigations into such an operation.

Members of the Egyptian Cybercrimes Unit and several other enforcement agencies raided the Cairo premises of a pirate operation suspected of controlling and managing a major smartcard-sharing network, operating throughout Africa. All equipment confiscated during the raids will be analysed by the Egyptian Cybercrimes Unit and more arrests are forthcoming.

Rory O’Connor, VP of services at Irdeto, said: “As long as there are consumers who are prepared to pay for illegal content, pirates will continue to try to hack encryption systems and turn a profit. Irdeto remains dedicated to identifying and countering organised criminal enterprises who wish to circumvent our customers’ security measures and financially profit from pirated content. Together with the pay-TV operators and local authorities, we will relentlessly fight these illegal operations on the African continent, using technology and the law to its fullest extent.”

“Piracy has negative economic consequences for all involved. Pay TV operators commit valuable resources to provide compelling content using the revenue generated through subscriptions. When people pirate content, less revenue is generated, and that results in lower quality programs – and in some cases even the withdrawal of content or higher subscription costs for legitimate subscribers. The Egyptian government has taken the right proactive steps to mitigate this and protect operators,” he added.