In the 2019 survey of Statista, 34% of the Gen Z population admitted to stream-ripping. Stream-ripping is the process of creating a downloadable file from online content. Among those surveyed, only 23% claimed they didn't encounter a problem installing pirated software. Those unlicensed or improperly licensed programs will likely contain Trojan horses, spyware, ransomware, etc., that can infect users' devices. Pirate downloads lead to 36 percent of malware infections.Ī Microsoft-funded study found that downloading pirated software often leads to malware infections. These numbers indicate that piracy has been so normalized that it happens at an alarming rate. The study by NBCUniversal also showed that over 300 million had infringed copyright at least once in their lifetime. Uploading and downloading of infringed content are done so much across the world that it amounts to about 24% of total internet bandwidth. Pirated content takes up nearly 24% of the bandwidth in Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe. Here are the statistics that are common across continents: 1.
The economic downfall exacerbated by the pandemic also became a huge contributing factor to the rise in piracy numbers. Despite the broader scope of legal streaming sites, billions of consumers still opt for pirated content. In this section, we'll look at online piracy statistics in contemporary internet culture. Journal of Consumer Affairs published a study in 2022 that confirmed this claim: Millennials rank higher than Generation Z in music piracy. As a result, millennials gained the top spot among consumer groups that pirate content.
Those who grew up witnessing the rapid shift to digitalization tend to have a pro-sharing attitude. Film piracy increased by more than 40% across the world.US residents visited piracy websites the most in 2020.Publishers lose about $300 million annually due to e-book piracy.There's a 13.9% increase in visits to music piracy sites in 2022.Malware attacks due to unlicensed software packages can cost up to $359 billion annually.Digital video piracy reduces annual revenue in the US by at least $29.2 billion.Pirate downloads lead to 36 percent of malware infections.Editor's Choice ( How common is internet piracy) In this article, we'll look at online piracy statistics and their effects on the global market. Loss of jobs, loss of revenue, and increased susceptibility to malware infections are just a few of the negative consequences of piracy. Whatever the circumstances, piracy remains to be unethical and problematic.
Studies show that the pandemic aggravated piracy by increasing the rate to 21.9% in 2021. It's no wonder the traffic on piracy websites keeps skyrocketing throughout the years.
"Free access" to entertainment media would seem like the smart choice as we experience worldwide global economic recession.