If you have a streaming device with unlimited “free” apps, you could get in trouble. Like, jail-time trouble.
In a viral video with more than 5 million views, Floridian Lillie (@lilliebabby21) shared a PSA on the use of Amazon Fire Sticks.
Hide your kids, hide your wives, and hide your Fire Sticks
“People are being arrested for having [Amazon] Fire Sticks,” Lillie says with a screenshot of a Florida Sheriff at a press conference in the background. “They gone come and get y’all at y’all house.”
Lillie points out that officials are primarily targeting those that sell jailbroken streaming devices like Fire Sticks and Rokus.
A streaming device being “jailbroken” means it was modified to allow users to stream content—like TV shows, movies, and sports—without paying a service subscription (like if you got Amazon or ESPN for free).
“Essentially, the devices allow people to steal internet communications services,” a press release from the sheriff’s office read.
Lillie says she suspects a “Karen” is the one that tipped the officers off just because she was mad she had to pay for certain channels while others got it free. (This is an unverified claim.)
“Karen, mind yo’ business. Cuz that’s not fair that you worried about what other people getting,” Lillie says.
Old news making the rounds
We’re not sure why the Florida Sheriff’s video is making the rounds now, when the video came out way back in 2020, as reported by a local news channel.
The incident involved four people who were arrested by undercover cops for selling “jail-broken” Amazon Fire TV Sticks at the flea market. The devices were usually sold to the undercover cops for $80 to $107. (The device alone cost $20-$40, so they were making about a $40 to $80 profit per device.)
All four sellers involved face felony charges and consumers who are caught with a jail broken device would face a misdemeanor.
“The businesses have got to make their profit margins so they’re going to charge enough to cover this shrinkage or this loss. At the end of the day, we all pay for the few people that steal,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who’s in the green-screened video, said.
@lilliebabby21 #greenscreen People are being arrested for fire stick !My people it’s not worth it! #viralvideo #viral #tik_tok #fypシ゚viral #fypシ゚viral #tampa #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #firestick #creatorsearchinsights #jail ♬ original sound – Lillie Babby
Is there really a crackdown?
While police do seem to be more vigilant of this crime, the crackdown seems to be a flight away in the United Kingdom.
Just last year, they arrested a group of five men running a $7 million streaming network. They got more than 30 years in prison. And police have been knocking on the doors of jail-broken device owners, too, the Daily Mail reported.
The U.K. Film Council reports that jail-broken devices lead to a revenue loss of up to $400 million each year.
“This is not a ‘victimless crime,’” intellectual property lawyer Samuel O’Toole of Briffa told the publisher.
He compared it to a person walking into a local convenience store and stealing a candy bar. On top of the potential legal issues, if you have a jailbroken device, you’re more at risk of data theft and hacks.
Commenter reactions
“Girl they been tryna come get me since Limewire and Frostwire. Ain’t paid for a song in my entire life,” a person said.
“With cable costing $200 a month and being full of ads, I’ll take my chances with the Fire Stick,” another wrote.
“I remember back in 2019 my local police department called me about my fire sticks and warned me to delete the apps I had downloaded. I just left it alone after that, copyright laws are real!” a commenter shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lillie for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Amazon via email.
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