Amazon is intensifying its efforts to combat piracy on its Fire TV Stick platform. The giant company is rolling out several technical and policy-focused changes designed to tackle widespread unauthorised streaming.
Particularly, the updates focus on live sports while safeguarding customers from security risks.
Their firm’s spokesperson told the BBC, “Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers.”
“The company has made changes to its Fire devices to make it harder for people to stream pirated content,” the spokesperson added.
Specifically, the tech giant is adapting the following measures to curb this:
1. Locking down sideloading and the “Unknown Sources” toggle
Amazon has quietly reconfigured Fire OS to make it harder to install apps from outside its Appstore.
The “Unknown Sources” option, which is essential for loading third-party APKs, has been buried deeper within menus. This is expected to raise the bar for average users.
These two changes stem from growing concern about “industrial-scale” piracy. It is facilitated via pre-configured devices sold on platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, targeting sports fans looking to stream premium content at no cost.
2. Transition from Android‑based Fire OS to Vega OS
Perhaps the most radical shift is Amazon’s move away from Android. The company plans to introduce Vega OS, a proprietary Linux-based platform that wipes out support for APKs.
According to sources, Vega OS will require developers to rewrite their apps in a web-based framework. This effectively eliminates the ability to install unauthorised software from outside the App Store.
The Vega OS rollout is expected later this year, starting with newly manufactured sticks.
3. Enhanced Appstore vetting and policy enforcement
Amazon has also increased its oversight of the Appstore. The company has been systematically removing apps tied to known pirated streams and imposing stricter vetting standards during the submission process.
While they haven’t disclosed exact figures, this effort aligns with their commitments to the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and mirrors industry-wide anti-piracy norms.
4. In‑device user warnings
Fire TV devices now deliver stronger, more prominent warnings when users attempt to install apps from unknown sources. Amazon flags both copyright risks and potential malware or financial exposure.
The company said these warnings “inform customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources”.
Several cybersecurity experts have confirmed that many sideloaded IPTV apps pose significant security risks. They have malware, identity theft, and persistent tracking, and this move aims to inform consumers about these issues.
5. Collaboration with stakeholders and authorities
Amazon is building partnerships with content owners, anti-piracy organisations, and law enforcement.
The company supports operations through the UK’s Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and participates in ACE, while the U.K.’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) actively pursues distributors of “fully loaded” sticks.
As part of this effort, courts in the UK have sentenced individuals for selling such pre-configured devices.
Beyond regulatory measures, Amazon’s crackdown stems from growing pressure from rights holders:
- Sky Group, which estimates that up to half of pirate streams during UK Premier League matches occur via jailbroken Fire Sticks, is demanding more audible action. Sky COO Nick Herm warned at a media conference:
“Piracy costs the industry hundreds of millions of dollars. There are football fans who have shirts printed with ‘Fire Sticks’ on them … With some of the tech giants, Amazon in particular, we do not get enough engagement.” - DAZN’s global rights head, Tom Burrows, called piracy “almost a crisis for the sports industry,” adding that ongoing infringement undermines the economics of broadcasting.
- Analysts from Enders Analysis have criticised the role of Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft in enabling “industrial-scale theft” of video services, specifically pointing to Fire TV Sticks as a primary vector for sports piracy.
Their report highlights that 59% of UK users accessing pirated streams admit to using Fire TV devices. Many of them are sold preloaded with piracy apps.
But significant questions remain
There are several unresolved issues:
- Legacy device loophole: Existing Fire TV devices using Android remain vulnerable. What mechanisms will Amazon use to extend protections via updates?
- Workarounds are still possible: The Android-based Fire OS ecosystem continues to support ADB, and sideloading can be resurrected via USB or network tools.
- DRM weaknesses beyond Amazon: Enders Analysis criticises declining DRM approaches, like Google’s Widevine and Microsoft’s PlayReady, as further lowering the bar for piracy.
- Meta’s role: Pirate sticks are marketed through Facebook and WhatsApp with minimal policing from Meta.