Europol's Operation Kratos 2 dismantles nine major illegal IPTV networks

Additional Context

The international sweep aligns with a surge in domestic enforcement within Ireland. Per the Irish Examiner (February 2026), Gardai successfully shut down nearly 200 illegal accounts primarily focused on Sky TV content following a raid in Galway. A subsequent operation in Tipperary in March 2026 resulted in the termination of over 500 additional 'dodgy box' accounts, highlighting a intensified focus on money laundering and copyright violations under the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000. Beyond technical takedowns, rightsholders are increasingly utilizing financial records to target the consumer base. Per SatAndPCGuy (March 2026), the Irish High Court granted Sky a landmark Norwich Pharmacal Order compelling Revolut to disclose the personal details of 304 subscribers and 10 resellers linked to the 'IPTV is Easy' platform. This strategy represents a significant shift toward holding individual users accountable by following the digital payment trail left on fintech platforms. The scale of the problem remains substantial for the Irish market. According to RTE reporting on Muso data (January 2026), Ireland sees over one million daily visits to piracy websites, with 12% of those visits dedicated specifically to live sports. Industry groups such as the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) continue to lobby for more aggressive cross-border intervention, particularly as piracy services become more sophisticated in mimicking the user interface of legitimate streaming apps.