‘Operation Redirect’: Brazil cracks down on music piracy sites spreading malware

Brazilian authorities have launched a new initiative called Operation Redirect, targeting illegal online music services that also distribute malware.

The collaborative effort, led by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security‘s Cyber Operations Laboratory (CIBERLAB), is supported by the IFPI, the organization that represents the recorded music industry worldwide, and Pro-Música Brasil, the Brazilian recording industry association.

The first phase of Operation Redirect successfully identified and deactivated eight websites, in partnership with the civil police forces of Bahia, Mato Grosso, and Pernambuco, IFPI said in a statement on Tuesday (August 27).

The sites, which were responsible for sharing unauthorized music while also exposing users to malware and viruses, included among them illegal linking platforms, stream-ripping services, and torrent search engines. They had amassed a total of over 12 million visits in Brazil over the past year.

IFPI says that Operation Redirect is part of a continuous effort in Brazil to safeguard the rights of artists, composers, and music producers, while also ensuring that music fans can access content online both legally and safely.

“Finding and stopping these illegal online services is vital to protecting the careers of Brazilian artists and to the online safety of Brazilian music fans.”

Victoria Oakley, IFPI

The initiative builds on a series of successful actions taken against music piracy services in Brazil and internationally. Notably, in 2023, IFPI and Pro-Música Brasil successfully petitioned Cyber Gaeco, a special cybercrime unit under the São Paulo prosecutor’s office, to shut down FileWarez.tv, a notorious illegal file-sharing website.

Additionally, 2021 saw a combined effort by IFPI, Pro-Música Brasil, and Brazilian anti-piracy body Association for the Protection of Phonographic Intellectual Rights (APDIF) result in the closure of 10 music streaming manipulation services and the suspension of the practice by another 20 sites within Brazil.

“This is another important operation which benefits creators and producers of music, as well as the Brazilian population vulnerable to malware distribution.”

Paulo Rosa, Pro-Música Brasil

In 2020, a coordinated operation involving IFPI, Pro-Música Brasil, APDIF, and the Brazilian police also led to the removal of all music streaming manipulation services by the operator of turbosocial.com.br.

“Operation Redirect is an important step forward in our work to protect music in Brazil from being shared illegally online. It wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of The Ministry of Justice and Public Security and Brazilian law enforcement,” said Victoria Oakley, CEO, IFPI.

“Finding and stopping these illegal online services is vital to protecting the careers of Brazilian artists and to the online safety of Brazilian music fans.”

Paulo Rosa, President, Pro-Música Brasil, added: “This is another important operation which benefits creators and producers of music, as well as the Brazilian population vulnerable to malware distribution. We thank CIBERLAB and all authorities involved for their hard work.”

Music Business Worldwide