Going to the cinema nowadays seems to be a complete waste of time for most people, and instead, they would rather stream free movies online. On the other hand, these streaming websites are not always legal, because some of them may regularly show pirated movies. Giving appreciation to the dedicated original movie and video creator is always a better thing to do, and that is why using only legal movie streaming websites instead of pirated movie sites at all times is the most recommended way to go.
Once you find a free streaming movie website you may wonder if they are legally streaming their movies, therefore there are some things on which you should pay attention. Below we will provide a list of the most common signs that you can use to determine whether the streaming website you are using is not legitimate.
Keep in mind the potential risks
Source: avast.com
According to majordroid.com, the time has proven that the Internet is not a very safe place at all. In case you want to stream or watch some films and shows, you should make sure that you know in advance if the site is illegal. Secondly, you need to keep in mind the potential risks to which you are exposing yourself. You are at risk of malware, frauds, and hacking whenever you watch free movie or a show online. One further issue is that many of the ads that appear on the screen are considered age-inappropriate, as they are visible to the younger users.
Lastly, always dedicate a lot of time searching for a safe website where you will be able to watch your movies and TV shows.
There are no new movies provided
If the streaming site keeps updating with the newest movies on a regular basis, this may signifies that you have come to an illegal movie-streaming website containing pirated movies. In fact, with a legitimate movie-streaming site, you probably have to pay some low amount of subscription fees to watch new movies, or you should be able to watch old movies that were released by the production houses for free.
If you find movies that are still showing in cinemas and those that have just been published, these movies are the warning signs. Being able to get someone’s permission to stream those movies online is very rare. Therefore, if you happen to spot them, it is very likely that they are not legal.
There are a lots of ads displayed on the website
Source: foregon.com
Many illegal websites usually ask users to pay nothing at all for watching their movies. The reason is the fact they are not earning on their streaming service. There are advertisements that they use to make their money instead.
Some websites made no effort by any means to cover up their obvious ads-based income model. For example, they keep many pop-up and pop-under ads stacked on top of each other, plus they distribute huge, blinking banner advertisements throughout the site. Whenever a website visitor clicks on any of these ads, then the website owner gets a small amount of revenue.
You will find out that some websites offering free new releases and other movies contain plenty of ads, generally implemented as surveys, pop-ups preventing you from exiting, as well as other evident click me ads. Legitimate movie streaming websites typically include in-video commercials as well as occasional ads on the site.
Their contact information is not provided on the website
The legitimate streaming website would not ever feel the slightest doubt to provide their contact information on their website. In case you are unable to view contact details about the website owner, then it is possible that you have not found a legal streaming website.
Movie and TV show source reveal
Any legitimate free movie-streaming website discloses the source of the movie to the audience. It is because there is no need to cover anything up. The legitimate free movie streaming websites have the authorization to stream movies available in their collection, or those movies are already allowed for free public watching.
In some cases, a movie studio and any content company may allow a streaming movie website to display their movies. Therefore, they may be associated with the website, or the website may compensate the studio so they can show their movies.
They have a mobile app
Source: myrepublic.net
Not all legal movie streaming websites offer a mobile app for people to watch their movies while on the go. However, when they have it, you can enjoy watching movies on the go without worrying about infringing copyright. The reason for this is that the App Store, which publishes the app, will not allow any of its users to download or stream illegal content. For example, before an app is published on the iOS App Store, it undergoes a review process to ensure that it does not go against the regulations determined by the App Store.
They hide their traces
Websites streaming illegal movies, which are protected by copyrights are often advertising VPN services, proxies, and using other options to cover up your IP address from governments as well as Internet service providers. This warning sign indicates that they are not compliant with the law. Whenever a movie-streaming website requests you to download the VPN software or choose to subscribe to a third-party VPN service, we recommend that you discontinue it immediately. You can find so many opportunities on the Internet to get movies for free with no need to pay them to stay protected from streaming new movies.
Website design
Source: time.com
Illegitimate websites generally may not have enough time to develop a suitable interface and user-friendly design. Their main purpose is to provide and share pirated material and generate income through illegal methods. Therefore, if you navigate to a streaming website with a very amateur web interface, all you have to do is pass on.
Research from 2018 revealed that you are 20% more likely to get malware if you visit piracy websites or illegal streaming websites. Besides, there is also adware and the chance to download ransomware onto your computers when you use piracy websites. Additionally, from a creator’s perspective, stealing someone’s work only to avoid paying him or her money is completely wrong.
Therefore, legal streaming is the preferred option. With the legal streaming site, you will have the benefit of clean, fully-featured apps that are free of malware as well as adware threats. There is the option to download and later watch the contents on your devices. Moreover, you get family-sharing features and watching parties, and all of them come with legal streaming of high quality.
