Belgium targets IPTV pirates via crypto wallets and bank data

Belgian authorities are intensifying their crackdown on digital piracy by targeting the financial infrastructure of illegal IPTV operators. Moving beyond traditional domain blocking, the Department for Combating Online Infringement (BAPO) has obtained court orders from the French-speaking Business Court of Brussels requiring domain registrars to disclose sensitive personal and financial data.

The requested information includes full names, physical addresses, telephone numbers, and detailed financial records such as IBANs, credit card information, and cryptocurrency wallet addresses with transaction hashes. Additionally, registrars must provide up to 12 months of connection logs, IP addresses, and device details associated with the targeted accounts.

Three EU-based registrars—Hostinger, Hosting Concepts, and Key Systems—have been identified as entities compelled to comply with these orders. While the specific websites and copyright holders remain redacted, the court cited the necessity of protecting the ‘sports economy,’ suggesting the investigation focuses on illegal sports streaming networks. The strategy aims to bypass the resilience of illegal services by tracing operators through their financial footprints.