Pirate IPTV Data Center Raid Affects Innocent Websites

 

In a major crackdown on illegal IPTV services, the Dutch fiscal police raided a data center that hosted one of Europe’s largest pirate IPTV operations. The operation supplied over a million subscribers with access to thousands of live TV channels and on-demand content. However, the raid also affected several innocent websites that were hosted on the same network.

 

The data center, known as GLOBE Datacenter, was located in Den Helder City and had about 1,200 servers that were used to facilitate the illicit streaming activities. The police arrested four individuals who were allegedly involved in the operation and seized the servers and other equipment¹.

 

According to Europol, which assisted the Dutch authorities in the investigation, the pirate IPTV service offered over 10,000 live TV channels and 15,000 films and TV shows for a monthly fee of €10 to €15. The service also provided reseller packages to smaller IPTV sellers, who could then offer their own branded services to customers².

 

The raid was part of a wider effort to combat illegal streaming, which causes significant financial losses to the entertainment industry and legitimate content providers. Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre provided analytical support to identify the key targets and their activities across Europe².

 

However, the raid also had unintended consequences for some legitimate businesses that were hosted on GLOBE’s autonomous system number (AS212708). These businesses, which ranged from vacation rentals to dental clinics, found their websites offline and unreachable for two days. They had no connection to the illegal IPTV operation but happened to share an IP address with some of the illicit domains¹.

 

This incident highlights the risks of using shared hosting services that may host illegal or malicious content alongside legitimate ones. It also shows the prevalence of pirate IPTV services that lure users with attractive offers but often result in legal troubles or poor quality streams.

 

Users who are looking for reliable and legal IPTV services should do their research and avoid suspicious or unknown providers. They should also use reputable hosting companies that have strict policies against hosting illegal or harmful content.