Italian law enforcement has successfully dismantled a large-scale piracy ecosystem centered around the **CINEMAGOAL** application. This app provided unauthorized access to a range of streaming platforms, including **Netflix**, **Disney+**, and **Spotify**, causing an estimated €300 million ($347M) in damages. ### CINEMAGOAL's Stealthy Approach Unlike typical IPTV service providers that openly advertise their offerings, **CINEMAGOAL** operated discreetly. Customers installed a dedicated app on their devices, masking the illicit nature of the service. During the “Tutto Chiaro” operation, Italian law enforcement executed 100 searches across the country, seizing materials crucial for identifying involved individuals and quantifying illegal profits. The **Guardia di Finanza**, the law enforcement agency overseeing the operation, estimates that **CINEMAGOAL** operators generated millions of euros through audiovisual piracy, unauthorized computer access, and computer fraud. ### Technical Details of the Piracy Operation The **CINEMAGOAL app** bypassed security measures by directly connecting to legitimate streaming platforms. It utilized valid decryption codes obtained from foreign servers. According to the **Guardia di Finanza**, the system employed virtual machines within Italy to capture valid authentication/decryption codes from legitimate subscriptions every 3 minutes. These subscriptions were fraudulently obtained using false identification data on **Sky**, **DAZN**, **Netflix**, **Disney+**, and **Spotify**. Authorities emphasized that **CINEMAGOAL** not only circumvented blocks but also delivered superior streaming quality. Users streamed content directly from the legitimate services, rather than relying on pirate streams, and the app masked customer IP addresses, providing an added layer of anonymity. "A highly advanced and previously unseen system that not only bypassed the security blocks implemented by the platforms, but also increased viewing quality, reducing the possibility that end users could be ‘intercepted’ by the control system," the **Guardia di Finanza** explained. “Access to the aforementioned application, in fact, did not involve the use of a connection directly attributable to a specific IP address, thereby providing greater shielding for the end user.” ### International Cooperation and Server Seizures Coordinated by **Eurojust**, police forces seized **CINEMAGOAL** servers in France and Germany. These servers contained the app’s source code and functions for decoding protected streams. The operation involved 200 financial police officers. ### Resellers and Financial Transactions The illegal streaming business relied on more than 70 resellers, who sold annual subscriptions ranging from €40 to €130 ($46-$150). Payments were processed using cryptocurrency or directed to foreign bank accounts and accounts registered under fake names. ### Investigation and Penalties Authorities are currently analyzing seized material to identify all involved parties, including end users, and to determine the total profits generated by the scheme. Many subscribers have already been identified, with the first 1,000 receiving penalties ranging from €154 to €5,000 ($179-$5,800). The investigation into **CINEMAGOAL** is ongoing, as specified by the **Guardia di Finanza**. During the same law enforcement action, another IPTV service known as “pezzotto” was also identified and dismantled.