Game of Thrones season 7 pirates are being tracked – and viewers’ details are being stored by HBO
GAME of Thrones fans who have been illegally watching free episodes on their laptops or phones are being tracked, tech experts have warned.
Free streams of the raunchy medieval fantasy series are easy to find on Google.
But many are downloading episodes using torrent websites - which allow people to easily share large files anonymously.
But visiting these websites leaves a trace because a person's Internet Provider (IP) address remains - an identifier which HBO appears to be tracking.
The network has yet to take any legal action but is reportedly sending cease and desist-style notices to those who click on the links and their internet service providers.
One read: "We have information leading us to believe that the IP address xx.xxx.xxx.xx was used to download or share Game of Thrones without authorisation," according to .
"HBO owns the copyright or exclusive rights to Game of Thrones, and the unauthorised download or distribution constitutes copyright infringement.
"Downloading unauthorised or unknown content is also a security risk for computers, devices, and networks."
HBO issued similar warnings when season six - the most pirated TV show of the year - aired in 2016.
What is a torrent file?
Using torrents is not illegal, but it is often used to share files that may have been pirated.
A torrent file contains tiny snippets of information including a navigation system to find other computers - so you can form a distribution group to share or receive a file you desire.
If you're using a torrent site, you'll be presented with a library to search for a particular film or piece of music.
The torrent file does not actually contain the film (or piece of music) but directs your computer to people who do hold it.
No one person holds the entire file, but instead, a "swarm" of distributed seeders hold small chunks of it.
Using a "magnet" link you can download this mash-up of files. and then
Using pre-installed software on your computer allows you to sew the bits of metadata back together, creating a full file which you can watch (or listen to) on your device.
It comes as several British visitors to torrent sites say "educational alerts" have landed in their inbox from their internet service provider - warning them that they know what they're up to.
Sky and Virgin said they will issue a 20-day warning to customers who illegally download music, films and TV programmes, too.
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There's also been a massive crackdown on Kodi boxes, which allow people to stream pirated shows, films and sport to their TVs.
Those selling Kodi boxes are being heavily fined.
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