In recent months, Amazon has made a bold move in the fight against online piracy — especially in the world of streaming. The company has gone beyond simply rejecting illegal apps from its Appstore and is now actively blocking them from running on its devices altogether. This new approach marks a significant escalation in how Amazon combats the widespread use of “dodgy” IPTV apps, particularly on its Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Cube devices.

For years, Fire TV devices have been a favourite among users who sideload apps — meaning they install applications from outside Amazon’s official Appstore. Many of these sideloaded apps provide access to premium sports events, movies, and subscription TV content for free or at a fraction of the legitimate price. In the UK alone, law enforcement and broadcasters like Sky have identified “jail-broken Fire Sticks” as one of the main drivers of illegal sports streaming.

Such piracy not only undermines subscription services but also exposes users to risks like malware and data theft. Despite repeated takedowns and warnings, the problem has persisted — until now.

Amazon has now taken a decisive step by partnering with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a powerful global coalition representing major content owners such as Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, and Sky. ACE’s mission is to detect, deter, and dismantle piracy networks worldwide — and Amazon’s cooperation gives it a new level of enforcement power.

ACE aggregates intelligence about unauthorised streaming services and maintains a regularly updated blacklist of known piracy apps and IPTV providers. Under the new partnership, Amazon integrates this list directly into its Fire TV platform. This allows Amazon to identify, block, and even disable apps that have been confirmed by ACE as enabling illegal access to copyrighted material — even if those apps were installed via sideloading and never appeared in Amazon’s Appstore.

In practical terms, when a Fire TV device detects an app on ACE’s blacklist, Amazon can automatically prevent it from running. Some users may receive a notification before the app is disabled, though reports suggest that in many cases, the software will simply stop working. Even the use of VPNs — often employed to disguise a device’s traffic — is unlikely to bypass this system, as the detection happens locally at the device or OS level rather than via network monitoring.

This is a major departure from Amazon’s earlier approach, which relied primarily on removing offending apps from its Appstore. Previously, users could easily bypass restrictions by sideloading apps or purchasing “pre-loaded” Fire Sticks from third-party resellers. Now, Amazon’s partnership with ACE effectively closes that loophole, targeting the apps directly rather than the distribution method.

Alongside this crackdown, Amazon has been rolling out new Fire TV hardware that reinforces its anti-piracy stance. The latest Fire TV Stick 4K Select, for instance, runs on Vega OS — a Linux-based operating system that is not fully compatible with Android apps. That means many sideloaded Android APK files (a common way to install piracy apps) won’t work at all on newer devices.

By redesigning its operating system and integrating ACE’s blacklist, Amazon is creating a controlled ecosystem where only vetted, legitimate apps can function. While this limits flexibility for advanced users, it significantly increases the platform’s resilience against piracy.

Pressure from major content owners has undoubtedly played a role. Companies like Sky and BT Sport have long complained that illegal IPTV streams — often accessed through modified Fire Sticks — are costing them millions in lost revenue. The UK’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has also stepped up enforcement, seizing thousands of devices in coordinated raids.

However, Amazon also frames this crackdown as a security issue. Many pirate apps have been found to contain malicious code, invasive advertising trackers, or hidden subscription scams. By working with ACE to remove these apps, Amazon argues it is protecting not only copyright but also customer safety.

For ordinary users who stick to official streaming apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, or BBC iPlayer, little will change. These legitimate apps continue to work seamlessly. However, for those using sideloaded IPTV apps or unofficial movie streamers, the experience will change dramatically. Once ACE flags an app, it’s likely to stop functioning — or be removed entirely by the system.

While die-hard pirates will probably migrate to other platforms (like Android TV boxes or PCs), Amazon’s new stance makes it far harder for casual users to stumble into piracy. The once-popular “pre-loaded Fire Stick” market is already shrinking as these devices lose functionality.

Amazon’s move is part of a wider trend where major technology platforms — not just content owners or law enforcement — are taking an active role in anti-piracy enforcement. By combining ACE’s intelligence with device-level controls, Amazon has effectively created a self-policing ecosystem where pirated content is much harder to access.

Of course, piracy itself won’t disappear overnight. New workarounds will emerge, and other devices will fill the gap. But Amazon’s integration of ACE’s blacklist sets a powerful precedent: platform-level accountability. It signals a shift from passive compliance to active prevention — where the device maker itself enforces copyright protection in real time.

In short, Amazon’s partnership with ACE represents a significant milestone in the ongoing war on digital piracy. By blocking illicit apps at the device level, Amazon is taking direct responsibility for what runs on its hardware — something few tech giants have attempted before. For the streaming industry, it’s a win. For users who rely on pirated apps, it’s the end of an era.