(Kenya) – A crackdown on online piracy in Kenya led to the shutdown of a popular pirated sports streaming site, “score808.US.” The operation, which took place on October 29 in Makadara Subcounty, was the result of a joint effort by the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) and the National Police Service. The site had been illegally streaming premium sports content, including English Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A matches, without proper authorization.
The site had attracted a large following, with over 21,000 active users at any given time and 27.6 million unique visitors globally in the past year. Kenya was one of the top contributors to this traffic, accounting for over 32 percent of the site’s users. The pirated content posed a threat not only to the legitimate broadcasting of sports events but also to Kenya’s tax revenue and the local creative industry.
During the raid, officials from KECOBO seized several key items, including the site’s backend database, a laptop, and a mobile phone, all of which are currently under forensic investigation by the Police Cyber Crime Unit. Authorities expect more arrests as the investigation progresses. The closure of the site is seen as a clear indication of Kenya’s increasing commitment to protecting intellectual property rights.
George Nyakweba, the Acting Executive Director of KECOBO, underlined the importance of safeguarding intellectual property to ensure the growth of Kenya’s creative industry and preserve tax revenues. He pointed out that piracy not only undermines content creators but also affects the country’s economic development.
Frikkie Jonker, a representative from Irdeto, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in digital content protection, commended the operation, calling it a major victory in the fight against piracy in Africa. According to Jonker, such actions support legitimate content owners and contribute to the broader efforts to eliminate digital piracy across the continent.