The Piracy Problem Streaming Platforms Can’t Solve

For most of the world, streaming services promise smooth access: click, pay and watch. In parts of the Middle East and North Africa, however, the reality is far more complicated. While global platforms such as Netflix and Spotify have expanded their reach, access across the region remains uneven.

In countries such as Syria and Lebanon, sanctions, financial crises and fragile banking systems make even basic digital payments difficult. For many young people in these regions, piracy, VPNs, Telegram channels, and shared drives are not seen as fringe systems operating outside the law, but as the default way of accessing culture.

In the Middle East, piracy is illegal in countries with established intellectual property (IP) and copyright laws, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar. In the UAE, it is also illegal to use a VPN to commit a crime, such as the unauthorized downloading or reproduction of copyrighted ...