The United States has seized nearly 400 internet domains that were being used to illegally stream the World Cup, officials said on Friday. The U.S. Justice Department said the domains were identified with the assistance of soccer governing body FIFA and others, including NBC Universal and Warner Brothers.

International Cooperation

The domains were used to illegally offer users copyright-protected content in the form of real-time streams of the World Cup matches as they were being played and first broadcast, the department said. Servers and domains linked to the unauthorized streaming of the tournament’s matches were targeted in Peru and Bulgaria, the DOJ said, adding that additional disruptions took place in Croatia, Romania, Poland and Colombia.

Eric Weindorf, a special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations, said in a statement that these streamers not only violate copyright laws but also expose viewers to potential threats — including malware attacks and unsecure connections that can compromise personal and financial data.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.