One unfortunate byproduct of this enthusiasm is that illegal pirating of soccer content is still happening in Indonesia. But those who access illegal streams not only miss out on the best possible viewing experience, they also face significant cyber risks.

The vast majority of fans do not pirate, but those who do often get more than they bargained for. By accessing illegal streams or using illegal streaming devices, people make themselves vulnerable to cybercriminals, who use an array of methods to compromise the devices of those pirating soccer.

In 2021, Indonesia’s National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) recorded over 1.6 billion cyberattacks. Those who watch illegal content are at increased risk. Research by intellectual property and data analytics company White Bullet Solutions shows that 41 percent of Indonesia’s most popular pirate websites for illegally watching the Premier League carry content that puts fans at risk of fraud, contains malware or promotes adult or gambling services.

It takes less than one minute for a device to be hacked by malware from a pirate site, according to Prof. Paul Watters, a leading cybersecurity consultant at La Trobe University in Australia.  

The Indonesian government, however, is fighting back hard against piracy by taking criminal and civil legal actions against suppliers of pirated content and launching large-scale education campaigns. In the span of a few years, law enforcement authorities here have taken down almost 5,000 illegal sites and blocked over 600 IP addresses, leading to a tripling of traffic to legitimate sites. None of this would have been possible if law enforcement did not take copyright infringement seriously.

The Premier League works with local authorities and legislators to detect and monitor piracy and provide greater visibility around illegal streaming operations in Indonesia. This helps to provide local authorities with crucial information and evidence, empowering them to shut down website operators and suppliers of illicit streaming devices in Indonesia and across the region.

One instance of such coordination would be rolling site blocking and IP address blocking activities that we conducted periodically with the Communication and Information Ministry to prevent pirates from illegally profiting off IP theft while endangering consumers.

Hunting down pirates is a complicated and time-consuming process. Working with an engaged and vigilant enforcement authority makes a huge difference.

In February this year, the Premier League – operating from their first international office, in Singapore – coordinated enforcement against one of the largest and most popular sports piracy sites globally, 4stream.gg, which was operating out of West Java. Now, all domains belonging to 4stream.gg redirect to Premier League landing pages.

Police in Indonesia have been active in supporting rights holders. In March this year, streaming service Vidio worked with the Lampung Police Cyber Crime Subdirectorate V team to secure the arrest of two suspects accused of running the pirate streaming application SBO TV, which illegally broadcasts soccer content while featuring adverts for sports gambling.

As law enforcement authorities continue to tackle piracy, soccer leagues have also collaborated with broadcasting partners to raise awareness of cybersecurity risks. In 2021, the Premier League launched the “Boot Out Piracy” campaign across broadcast and digital channels in Indonesia.

Last season, the campaign featured Premier League footballer – including Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan, Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy and Leeds United’s Jack Harrison – raising awareness of the security risks of viewing Premier League soccer on illegal websites and devices, while also drawing attention to the disrupted viewing experience on these services. 

Although considerable progress has been made against piracy and illegal streaming, the Premier League argues that continued vigilance is required. All stakeholders, including soccer leagues, local authorities, lawmakers, and key broadcasting partners, must rise to the challenge.

After all, pirates will never stop exploring new ways to avoid detection and evade enforcement. Hence, the Premier League must be equally flexible in how it responds to piracy by sharing best practices, working with its partners and incorporating the latest technology into anti-piracy efforts to ensure long-term success.

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The writer is general counsel of the Premier League.