Major change coming to Fire Sticks that will block all illegal streaming

Users of dodgy boxes beware, as major changes which could spell the end of illegal streaming are on the horizon.

The past couple of years has seen Brits up and down the country resort to using jailbroken Amazon Fire Sticks and 'dodgy boxes' to watch TV without paying for it, as a backlash against the rising cost of streaming services.

A jailbroken or 'dodgy' Fire Stick of course being an Amazon Fire TV Stick or similar device which has been modified to allow users the ability to download third party applications which the manufacturer did not intend.

Despite countless raids, arrests and warnings by anti-piracy group Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), Brits are continuing to stream live sporting events and Premier League matches without paying, prompting Amazon to clamp down on the practice once and for all.

Amazon is clamping down on illegal streaming (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Last week, Amazon unveiled its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select to consumers – and it didn't take long for illegal streamers to notice a key detail which could bring down their illicit enterprise once and for all.

The new streaming devices will operate on in-house Amazon system named Vega, in a major breakaway from the previous Android operating systems.

And the change will prevent hackers from adding dodgy 'sideloaded' apps onto the devices.

Sideloading apps is when a person uploads software onto a device outside of the official app store, which is how users are able to access films, TV shows and sporting events without forking out for them.

But under the new technology unveiled by Amazon, it will simply no longer be possible.

"It’s going to cause a problem for the people who create these apps," cybersecurity expert James Bore explained to Metro.

The change follows increased pressure on the company to clamp down on illegal streamers using Fire Sticks.

However, it's not likely to stop illegal streaming altogether (Getty Stock Images)

"There are football fans who literally have shirts printed out that say Fire Sticks on them," Sky chief operating officer Nick Herm told the Financial Times Business of Football summit back in March.

"With some of the tech giants, Amazon in particular, we do not get enough engagement to address some of those problems, where people are buying these devices in bulk."

However, this is unlikely to spell the end of illegal streaming forever, as it's likely that hackers will develop other methods to continue profiting from people watching content illegally.

"There is no way this is actually going to stop illegal streaming," Bore added.

"People are just going to switch to non-Amazon devices, as this will only prevent those specific devices from being used for illegal streaming."