Kerala producers’ body deploys ethical hackers to track down film pirates -OxBig News Network

A still from ‘L2: Empuraan’

The Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) has deployed ethical hackers to check the growing threat of movie piracy.

The hackers engaged by the association are involved in tracking down those behind the suspected leak of an online version of L2: Empuraan, a few hours after its release on March 27, said B. Rakesh, KFPA secretary, on Friday.

He said that Aashirvad Cinemas, the co-producer of the movie, had filed a complaint before the cyber wing of the Kerala Police after the suspected pirated version of the movie appeared online.

Mr. Rakesh said that the ethical hackers have been told to deploy digital tracking tools to monitor and identify video piracy. They use technologies to track the sharing and downloading of copyrighted content on file-sharing networks, he said.

The KFPA stated that stringent legal measures would be initiated against those involved in piracy. Such steps will also be taken against those involved in downloading and sharing of the pirated versions of movies, it said.

Mr. Rakesh urged the government to step up its action against video piracy. “The menace can be regulated, if the authorities initiate strong action against the violators. We have requested the government to set up a dedicated team of police personnel to track those behind such illegal acts,” he said.