Sky Ireland is set to use private investigators to monitor WhatsApp chats to detect who is buying dodgy boxes. And in a significant escalation, the broadcaster is now considering civil action against individual users for the first time.

However, the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) will meet the broadcaster to discuss whether such methods are legal according to GDPR privacy law.

About one in five Irish households use a dodgy box, according to a ­Sunday Independent poll.

The streaming services are commonly sold through WhatsApp groups and other online discussion forums, where details of local dealers are provided.

Tech Editor at the Irish Independent, Adrian Weckler, spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this.

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