this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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[–] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 160 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

To be frank it's not Amazon's problem.

Its the content publishers problem.

And Amazon isn't enabling this, they're just making an Android device.

The users are putting software onto the device.

This article sets a dangerous precedent. That if Amazon doesn't lock the firestick down like Apple that they're enabling piracy.

Its not Googles nor Microsoft's responsibilities either. They helped, probably solely for money, but they're not obligated to continue to update their DRM.

This article should have framed how DRM repeatedly hasn't worked.

[–] melroy@kbin.melroy.org 48 points 2 weeks ago

The more piracy the better imo. And I don't need to explain why anymore, that is obvious

[–] gabelstapler@feddit.org 23 points 2 weeks ago

Amazon is already locking down the fire stick. A few years ago you could easily modify the software via adb, deactivate the updater, uninstall the menu. In the meantime they made it much harder, luckily I modified mine in time.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 2 weeks ago

They should just remove the DRM from all streaming services. The fact that new TV shows can be downloaded within minutes of airing is a good indicator that it doesn't work for its intended purpose. It just makes me find another source since I can't watch them using my preferred browser and operating system.

[–] chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de 66 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Piracy is morally correct, copying from greedy companies that spy on their customers for shady purposes and take advantage of their position to impose unfair terms. If buying no longer means owning something then pirating cannot be considered theft

[–] Ohmmy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Piracy has never been theft because nothing is missing. It's not stealing or theft if someone takes a picture of my shoes and makes their own because I still have shoes.

[–] LavaPlanet@lemm.ee 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, not only that, people who pirate wouldn't have consumed the product, if pirating weren't available as an option. They've priced cost of living so high, and reduced access to content availability. When Netflix first came out, especially the streaming version, I bet there was a noticible drop in piracy, now they've made content access to hard, more piracy. They control the levels of piracy. It's not a choice to pay for everything we want to watch, or pirate. It's pirate or don't watch. And they created that situation, and then try and brainwash / gaslight us into feeling guilty and feeling like it's our fault. And then add in the moral clause, these companies are committing or contributing to atrocities. Some piracy is an attempt to avoid supporting companies that cause harm to people. If "wrong" is condemned, what about the wrongs that have caused them to be listed on boycott lists. Underpaying employees and writers, who should own the content. I think writers should be as famous, and focused on as the actors. The content being created currently has a heaping of "conform, don't think" built in, too, I could rant about that, annoyingly, for a bit, too! So many things.

[–] miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

If Big Media is losing all this money, why aren't they claiming these losses on their taxes?

Is it because they haven't lost a dime?

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[–] artocode404@lemmy.dbzer0.com 42 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Why is it ALWAYS the sports companies? Who cares about somebody illegally watching grown men try to prove they're better than other grown men that much 🙄

[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Quite a reductive view of sport.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 19 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] PattyP@lemm.ee 7 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

I guess, but at the highest level it is a well paying job. You wouldn’t say that actors show up to work to prove that they’re the best. They’re doing something they are good at and getting paid for their time, and so are high level athletes. They’re both part of productions that entertain people. Yes, sports are a competition, but by and large people are watching for the drama.

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[–] sugarfoot00@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 weeks ago

Why is it ALWAYS the sports companies?

Because that's the biggest broadcast rights moneymaker. Cable would be full and truly dead without sports.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 5 points 2 weeks ago

It's one half of 'bread and circuses'.

[–] magic_smoke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago

I mean if I'm at already someone's house who's got the game on I'll watch the sweaty dudes in tights, just not for the game.

[–] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 39 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Lately Ars Technica seems quite intent on losing any quality they had.

What kind of boot licking, inaccurate, non-news shit is this?

The only potential reason for this article is farming engagement bait clicks from people who don't know shit about fire sticks, and from people like us stunned at the stupidity.

[–] pineapplepizza@lemm.ee 5 points 2 weeks ago

Or because they are a media company with a media owner/parent company that has an interest in directing public opinion that piracy bad mkay.

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 38 points 2 weeks ago

Yes focus on Amazon, the only known way to pirate..

[–] themoonisacheese@sh.itjust.works 37 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Publishers under the impression that they somehow deserve "billion of dollars" more money than they already get for checks notes being a middleman.

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[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Same way as an HDMI cable enables piracy?

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[–] albert180@piefed.social 22 points 2 weeks ago
Over twenty years since launch, the DRM solutions provided by Google and Microsoft are in steep decline. A complete overhaul of the technology architecture, licensing, and support model is needed. **Lack of engagement with content owners indicates this a low priority.**  

It's funny that even the techbros don't like them

[–] bigfoot@lemm.ee 19 points 2 weeks ago

You gotta pump those numbers up those are rookie numbers

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 2 weeks ago

Well my Fire TV has a Jellyfin app that's letting me watch shows not in streaming services or is impossible to get in my home country due to copyright.

Anyone else know the other apps that help make Amazon the ire of copyright?

[–] Goten@piefed.social 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

common android win [i edited my comment. i wont tell you, user, what i wrote. trololo]

[–] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 2 weeks ago

This is just "android sticks allow sideloading apps". Nothing Amazon specific to any of this.

[–] jabjoe@feddit.uk 13 points 2 weeks ago

Just leaving this here : https://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/lockdown.html

This is battle they can't win and it just makes everything stupid trying.

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 weeks ago

Old tech is holding the world together

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

yeah it's the one good thing amazon does.

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[–] ToadOfHypnosis@lemm.ee 10 points 2 weeks ago

Because the content industry is do destitute. They aren’t making billions?

[–] elvis_depresley@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 weeks ago

following this argument this article is also enabling piracy by giving people good ideas 💡

[–] Vanilla_PuddinFudge@infosec.pub 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

There is a difference.

Say you buy a used PC or android stick and want to use it for piracy, ok, doable, but you'll be doing most of the work. Kodi builds can get you there easily.

but compared to firesticks?

Firesticks have a piracy singularity going on. The entire secondary phase of cracking the OS and installing is intended for piracy. It's an open and shut, easy, one-two punch to get into the ecosystem. All of the hardware is easy to track and maintain. My cousin has a hacked firestick and he can't even open Microsoft Word. You can buy them pre-hacked with no real input or work needed on your part.

[–] albert180@piefed.social 7 points 2 weeks ago

Oh no! Anyway...

[–] r00ty@kbin.life 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah, but asking film/tv producers for permission would kill my content collection!

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 weeks ago

Ask by writing a letter that says if you don't reply it means it's okay, then the tricky part happens, you need to fold the letter into an airplane and throw it in the direction of Hollywood, ideally into a trash bin, or paper shredder.

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 5 points 2 weeks ago

Shut up ars you grass

[–] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I still don’t understand what’s going on with the fire stick though. What are people actually doing to it?

[–] fluxx1@lemm.ee 13 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Nothing. What people think and say is jail breaking is actually side loading custom android apps, which is actually already part of android. Amazon IMO made it more difficult than it's supposed to be. I installed vlc and stremio and use it alongside all the other apps. Nothing groundbreaking nor illegal. That's not jailbreaking, it's using Android the way it's designed to be used.

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[–] Mac@mander.xyz 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Just finished watching Legend of Korra :)

[–] Goten@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

its very cool when you are in a european country but dont speak the nations language like example, hungars in romania, and netflix has either It or english...

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