Hundreds of illegal TV decoders seized: StarHub
PUBLISHED ONSeptember 20, 2013 6:39 AM
SINGAPORE - Hundreds of illegal television decoders were seized in a storage facility raid earlier this week, StarHub said on Friday. By using these decoders, consumers can watch certain TV programs without paying for them. These boxes are illegal in Singapore.
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Here is the official media release issued by StarHub:
Singapore, 20 September 2013 - StarHub, the largest pay TV operator in Singapore, announced today that it has successfully raided a storage facility of illegal set-top boxes and uncovered a few hundred illegal set-top boxes. The raid, conducted with help from the Police, was carried out earlier this week.
Since early 2013, StarHub has been tracking a syndicate that was distributing sales flyers for the sale of illegal set-top boxes that claim to be able to unscramble StarHub TV content. After months of investigation, the importer of these boxes was identified. StarHub will follow up with criminal prosecution against the illegal importer.
It is a criminal offence to sell, import or manufacture illegal set-top boxes. It is also against the law for consumers to tap into StarHub's network using illegal boxes, with the intention to intercept and receive the content signals without authorisation.
In addition to legal action, StarHub has been deploying technological means to prevent illegal boxes from accessing StarHub's content. StarHub is currently migrating pay TV customers to a new encryption standard that cannot be unscrambled by existing illegal boxes.
"StarHub takes a very serious view of content piracy and the sale of illegal boxes. As these illegal boxes are not made available through StarHub, consumers who purchase these decoders are doing so at their own risk. We strongly encourage consumers not to purchase these illegal set-top boxes. We will continue to employ both legal and technological means to safeguard our content," said Ms Jeannie Ong, Chief Marketing Officer, StarHub.