Streameast Domains Seized by Feds!

The Feds seized Streameast’s main domains in what the site operators termed a targeted takedown. On the other hand, the US government’s Homeland Security Investigations accuses the site of reproducing and distributing copyrighted material.

Despite the takedown, Streameast is back online via alternative domains, assuring users that a backup plan is always in place. It also plans to appeal against the seizures.

Streameast is inarguably one of the best free sports streaming sites, with at least 15 million monthly visitors. Sports fans across the US and beyond know and regularly use the site to watch their favorite sports, including football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and combat sports.

The site’s popularity reached its height a while back when one of the greatest sports legends, Lebron James, was recorded using the site to stream the Mavs-Wolves playoffs match. Users on social media reposted the “Lebron James Uses Streameast” video, expressing worry that he might have revealed the site to the Feds.

Piracy and illegal streaming are serious issues in the United States, and for over a decade, the authorities have used various legal actions to curb the practice. These legal actions include ISP blocking and seizing domains.

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Several Streameast Domains Seized

The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)) appears to have seized a few of Streameast’s domains. When you try to access these sites, you encounter a large banner from the Feds stating they have taken over the domain for legal reasons.

The banner reads,

This domain name has been seized by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) under a warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under the authority of, inter alia, Title 18, United States Code, Section 2323.

Piracy is highly frowned upon in many countries, including the United States. In the banner, HSI threatens Streameast with legal action, including prison time, fines, restitution, or forfeiture. The banner further states,

It is unlawful to reproduce or distribute copyrighted material including sporting events, television shows, movies, music, software, or games without authorization. Individuals who do so risk criminal prosecution under Title 18, United States Code, Section 2319. First-time offenders convicted of a criminal felony copyright violation face up to five years in prison, fines, restitution, and forfeiture.

Only some domains were seized, and users have reported that Streameast services are back online like they never left. Some of the domains that are still under the Fed’s seizure include thestreameast.to, streameast.live, streameast.io, and streameast.xyz.

Streameast Back Online, Says Won’t Go Down Without a Fight

The Feds might have taken down a few of their domains, but Streameast operators are having none of it. The operators have communicated with the users via their Discord and X pages, providing an update on the takedown and alternative site URLs.

Quick, the StreamEast admin writes:

As you may know, many of our domains were seized by the US government last night.

Streameast insists this was a targeted takedown because many fraudulent domains and copycats were spared during the operation. Quick added further:

Despite countless fake, fraudulent, infected, and misleading streaming sites this attack was solely targeted at the real addresses of Streameast.

The sentiments are true because, despite the seizure of some of the domains, unsuspecting users could still access Streameast. However, most of these sites that remained online are copycats, and some contain adware, malware, and scams.

Streameast had a backup plan. After the initial takedown, the operators rolled out new alternative URLs and a few mirror sites to meet users’ streaming needs. They also assured users that the takedown by authorities is not a problem because they are in it for the long run.

Quick announced the following via Discord:

As you already know, we’ve shared our new address with you. They need to see that they can’t stop us this way. We own over 400 domains in total and we will be activating and sharing most of these with you throughout the week.

As promised, Streameast is now accessible via various URLs. The alternative URLs and mirror sites that are back online include streameast.co (main), streameast.ph, streameast.sh, streameast.ms, streameast.ec, and streameast.fi.

Is This the Beginning of the End of Streameast?

Is this the end of Streameast as we know it? It’s too early to tell because such legal actions take time. Streameast maintains that the platform hasn’t been seized and that “all their prioritized domains are up and running, fully intact.”

Speaking via X (formerly Twitter), the operators assured users the fight would continue. The site has established itself as the savior meant to deliver sports enthusiasts from the shackles of subscription packages that have become so expensive.

Streameast News Network shared via X:

Our streams will never go offline. We have more decoy streams than you could imagine. We have self-replicating private servers in storage. We have more domains than Apple and Google combined. Follow along on our journey to live sports heaven.

The X message echoes what they said via Discord- they won’t stop until sports streaming becomes affordable for the regular sports fan. The discord message reads:

Our fight will continue until sports become affordable for everyone. We promise that once this is achieved we will permanently shut down all Streameast services.

What Now?

Piracy has posed a significant challenge for content creators and rights holders for over two decades. The US government enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to combat the practice, and the fight hasn’t been easy. New data shows that visits to piracy sites have increased by 12% since 2020.

Users and sites like Streameast defend piracy as a way to resist the growing cost of subscription-based streaming. However, both parties can get into legal trouble, including jail time and fines.

We don’t recommend using piracy sites like Streameast. However, if you decide to use them anyway, we encourage you to use a reliable VPN when streaming on the sites. The VPN will hide your online activity from third parties. It will also protect your data from phishing, adware attacks, etc, which are common on free streaming sites. I use and recommend ExpressVPN.

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Alternatively, you can use free sports streaming sites that don’t fall under a legal gray area. Check out our updated list of the best free sports streaming sites. It includes legal sites that offer free sports content and premium services that offer free trials.

Wrapping Up

The Streameast fight with the Feds might be far from over. One is adamant about their wrongdoing, and the other insists this is a court-warranted operation to curb a criminal enterprise. For more information about this issue, read the initial report from TorrentFreak.

What do you think about the Feds seizing Streameast’s domains? Share your thoughts below in the comments.

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