Twitter's Periscope Threatens to Ban Accounts Streaming Illegal Broadcasts of 'Game of Thrones'
Periscope has warned it will suspend accounts of users using the live streaming app to illegally broadcast 'Game of Thrones' online.
Twitter's live streaming app, Periscope, has threatened to ban accounts of users pirating season five of "Game of Thrones" via its mobile video streaming app.
Periscope is a new Twitter-owned live streaming video app that allows users to broadcast and watch live video from around the world using their smartphones, PCs or laptops via the app itself, or on Twitter.
Enterprising users and impatient show fans have been discovered sending out their own personal broadcasts of HBO's 'Game of Thrones' premiere Sunday, recording the show via their smartphones pointed at televisions or computers, while live streaming "GoT" via Periscope. In response, Periscope has threatened to ban the accounts of offenders.
Mashable published a statement from Twitter's spokesperson who said they strongly condemn media piracy, and Periscope's terms of service prohibits users from streaming copyrighted material. Violating the terms of service gives Periscope the right to terminate accounts of users found to be repeat violators of copyright infringement.
The spokesperson added that they take the violation of Periscope's terms seriously and continue to work together with the online community to make certain content rules are complied with. The spokesperson also enjoined Twitter and Periscope users to report those who stream content that violates Community Guidelines.
"GoT" has gained the reputation of the most illegally downloaded show in television history, and fans were content to view even the low-quality streams of other people's Periscope videos live streaming online as the show premiered April 12.
Despite the existence of other torrent sites on the Internet that offered leaked downloads of the popular HBO show's first four episodes of season five, Periscope, an app quietly acquired by Twitter in February this year, has presented users with another possible tool to stream live copyrighted content online.