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<span>Cybercrime<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Officials took down three U.S.-registered domains that distributed copyrighted content and received tens of millions of visits a year. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/87634\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg 5000w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> n this photo illustration, the video streaming apps Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, Max and Discovery Plus seen displayed on a smartphone. The Department of Justice took down IPTV sites that were illegally streaming content from the apps. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"27.640293040293\"><body readability=\"56.966131907308\"><\/p>\n<p>A trio of domains that allegedly distributed pirated content, including movies, TV shows, video games and other content was seized by the U.S. government as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/us-law-enforcement-assists-bulgarian-law-enforcement-taking-down-three-largest-piracy-sites\">globally coordinated crackdown<\/a> on copyright infringement, the Justice Department said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The sites \u2014 zamunda.net, arenabg.com and zelka.org \u2014 were among the most popular domains in Bulgaria and likely generated significant revenue from ads, officials said. Seizure notices are currently displayed on all three sites warning visitors that illegal distribution of copyrighted works is a crime.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said the U.S.-registered domains received tens of millions of visits a year, including one that often ranked in the top 10 most visited sites in Bulgaria. Multiple Bulgarian agencies assisted with the investigation alongside Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.<\/p>\n<p>The sites offered visitors thousands of infringed works, resulting in millions of downloads that carry a collective retail value of millions of dollars, prosecutors said. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The seizures were announced just days after similar actions in Italy where police seized three allegedly illegal IPTV services that distributed pirated content to millions of users. The operation, dubbed \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.poliziadistato.it\/articolo\/166979f86bd0846335000880\">Switch off<\/a>,\u201d dismantled IT infrastructure the unnamed sites used to distribute content owned by Sky, Dazn, Mediaset, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Paramount, Disney+ and other media companies, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>Italian police said they found evidence linking the IPTV sites to 31 members of a transnational organized crime group and searched the suspects\u2019 residences in Italy. Authorities identified an additional 14 suspects in the United Kingdom, Spain, Romania and Kosovo. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe suspects adopted advanced anonymization strategies that have materialized in a series of operations, such as investing in cryptocurrencies, the fictitious heading of assets and the establishment of fictitious companies,\u201d Italian State Police said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>The actions in Italy were announced about a week before the country hosts the Winter Olympics in Milan, which gets underway Feb. 6.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.6835051546392\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Matt Kapko\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Matt Kapko<\/h4>\n<p> Matt Kapko is a reporter at CyberScoop. His beat includes cybercrime, ransomware, software defects and vulnerability (mis)management. The lifelong Californian started his journalism career in 2001 with previous stops at Cybersecurity Dive, CIO, SDxCentral and RCR Wireless News. Matt has a degree in journalism and history from Humboldt State University. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest 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{"id":8316,"date":"2026-01-30T12:29:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=87634"},"modified":"2026-01-30T12:29:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:29:50","slug":"doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/doj-seizes-piracy-sites-italian-police-dismantle-illegal-iptv-operation\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ seizes piracy sites, Italian police dismantle illegal IPTV operation"},"content":{"rendered":"