The UK Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit recently caught my attention: an accountant jailed for running an illegal pay-TV operation.

Anyone who eats and breathes anti-piracy loves these headlines. They give us purpose. And yes, sometimes we might take them out of proportion. But do we, really?

Looking deeper into the police findings, there are clear links with organized crime. This was not a hacker hiding in a dark room. This was a finance-savvy individual who knew how to move money, exploit systems, and profit from them.

That’s why not acting against piracy has deeper social repercussions than we often realize. These are not isolated tech issues; they are part of a wider ecosystem that fuels illegal business models and undermines legitimate ones.

How outdated systems invite organized crime

When a vulnerable system exists and money can be made, organized crime will find its way in. Outdated security solutions are easy targets. Technology has evolved exponentially for both companies and hackers.

So when legacy Conditional Access systems keep running without real updates, they become silent enablers of piracy. They may still bring in revenue and be seen as “cash cows,” but over time they turn into weak points, exposing operators to illegal redistribution, lost subscriptions, and even the funding of organized crime.

Keeping old systems alive without investing in security is not saving money; it’s hurting someone else.

Modern solutions for a safer, smarter future

Is it all bad? I see light when there is darkness. The European Union made a great step with the EU Cybersecurity Act (CSA), effective in December 2027. This kind of regulation pushes organizations to maintain, certify, and update in-field systems, not just new ones but also legacy deployments.

This also connects directly to ESG principles. Maintaining secure, up-to-date CA systems is not only good security practice; it is good governance. It has a social dimension too: outdated systems that enable piracy indirectly support illegal networks and undermine legitimate creative industries.

It is not too late. Modern approaches now allow operators to upgrade or even replace their CA with an updateable solution without touching a single set-top box. This reduces costs, extends device life, and brings protection up to current standards.

If securing systems helps society, what’s stopping us from acting now?