Amazon’s Fire TV Crackdown: Sideloading Piracy Apps to Be Blocked, Even with VPN

Amazon will completely seal off its Fire TV sticks from apps that users could use to access content that was previously offered illegally. It should also become impossible to install corresponding apps on cracked systems.

Neither sideloading nor VPN

At the heart of Amazon’s new strategy is so-called sideloading, i.e. manually installing applications outside of the official Amazon app store, reports the US magazine TechRadar. In recent years, this possibility has led to many users being able to access piracy services that offer copyrighted material for free. Now Amazon is pulling the ripcord: in the future, all Fire TV devices, including older models, will be configured via software updates so that such applications are recognized and automatically blocked.

The technical implementation is carried out in close cooperation with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), an international coalition of film studios and streaming providers that is committed to the fight against copyright infringements. According to Amazon, the measure is intended not only to protect the rights of creators, but also to protect customers from the security risks that come with illegal content.

Amazon points out that popular workaround strategies should also remain ineffective in the future. Until now, users could often still hope that concealing data traffic through the use of a VPN would ensure that the unwanted streaming apps continued to work. This should no longer be possible.

New OS will be stricter

At the same time, Amazon is equipping newer models such as the Fire TV Stick 4K Select with its own operating system called Vega OS. This replaces the previously Android-based Fire OS and is designed to be much more restrictive, so that only officially approved apps can be installed.

While some users may perceive the measure as a restriction, Amazon makes it clear: Nothing will change for legal streaming customers. Anyone who uses Netflix, Disney+ or Prime Video can continue to do so without restrictions. But for everyone who previously used manipulated devices to access illegal streaming services, this route is now likely to be closed.