Piracy, the hidden cost for users: EUR 1,200 per head between scams and cyber risks
The I-Com study presented at the Chamber turns the spotlight on the underestimated consequences of illegal streaming: digital fraud, data theft and malware are worth over 1.42 billion euros. Also at risk are 34,000 jobs in the audiovisual industry by 2030
Audiovisual piracy is no longer just the film seen without paying or the game found on an illegal platform. It has become a digital trap that opens with a click and closes again, often on users' wallets, personal data and even home networks. This is the heart of the message contained in the I-Com research 'The hidden price of piracy', presented at the Chamber of Deputies by I-Com President Stefano da Empoli in the presence of Ylenja Lucaselli, member of the Budget Commission of the Chamber of Deputies; Alberto Barachini, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for Information and Publishing; Massimiliano Capitanio, Agcom Commissioner and Ivano Gabrielli, Director of the Postal Police and Communications Service. In a flash: behind illegal streaming there is not only copyright infringement, but an opaque ecosystem where phishing, malware, identity theft and economic scams proliferate.
The numbers give the measure of the phenomenon. According to the study, in Italia those who use pirate services and end up victims of personal data theft or digital fraud suffer an average economic loss of around 1,200 euro. For the 45-64 age group, the loss exceeds 1,500 euro per capita. Overall, the bill has risen from 1.24 billion in 2022 to 1.32 billion in 2023, to over 1.42 billion in 2024: a leap of 14.5 per cent in three years. And this is not a marginal audience, since piracy, according to the Fapav-Ipsos data cited in the study, concerns about 40% of the Italian adult population.
The picture becomes even sharper when we look at the mechanisms of risk. Illegal platforms are not simply shortcuts to free or low-cost content: they are often built to capture information, redirect to malicious sites, push to download infected software or steal banking credentials and digital identities.
The material presented by I-Com points out, among other things, that the risk of malware for those using pirate channels can be ten times higher, while among young people between 15 and 25 years old, 62% of 'pirates' have suffered cyber attacks. Illicit IPTVs, then, add a further layer of exposure: not only abusive content, but also apps and software that can open the door to botnets, ransomware and remote control of devices.
"With this study we want to make a concrete contribution to the debate on piracy, bringing attention to an area that is still little explored: the risks to the digital security of users accessing illegal content," comments Stefano da Empoli, president of I-Com. "This is an alarming phenomenon, not least because illegal platforms are one of the main vehicles for spreading malware, phishing attacks and stealing users' sensitive personal data, which are then resold on the dark web. It is therefore crucial to raise awareness about the dangers of piracy, especially among young people who, besides being among those most exposed to digital risks, are also the most penalised by the increasingly significant effects in terms of job losses'.
