Last Updated on 2 months by Amelia Johansson
When we purchase Firestick for the first time we may hear or read some terms like Jailbreak, 3rd-party apps installation, Unknown Source, Kodi, and many more. So, after hearing such terms people might be thinking is it illegal to jailbreak Firestick? or use any third-party apps or even use Kodi?
Well! if you also have some questions like that then you came to the right place. As in today’s guide, I am going to completely describe whether is it legit to use a jailbroken device or not. Because when I purchase it for the first time, I hear this term after some weeks and I was a little bit confused.
After this, I tried to ask regarding this issue from Amazon and various other experts who already using FireTV. Now I completely understand this term and after reading this guide you will also understand if jailbreaking a Firestick is illegal or not as I do. This is why make sure to read it till the end so you don’t miss any helpful information.
What Does It Mean to Jailbreak a Firestick?
The term Jailbreak is basically used to sideload third-party applications downloaded from different sources other than Amazon Store itself. Whenever a user downloads any app from the internet He/She will face Install Failed issue, as Amazon has disabled this feature. Jailbreaking Installing 3rd-party apps or even allowing Unknown Sources are different names that have the same purpose.
The reason why Amazon has disabled this feature is to keep our devices secure from theft or hackers. Because when a user downloads the app from the internet they don’t know it may contain a virus or malicious code. However, these apps are not owned by Amazon so this means there could be a chance that it could hack your personal data which is a very good thing.
Similarly, there are some apps like TeaTV, Cinema HD, Live NetTV, and RedBox TV which are banned in Amazon Store. However these apps are completely safe and free from the virus but the reason why Amazon banned them is that they offer some free content like Live TV, Movies, TV Shows, Kid Shows, Web-Series, and many more. So, having a device that is not jailbroken could avoid us from installing these sorts of apps.
So, there is both a good thing and a bad thing about not having a jailbroken Amazon device. A good thing is we can keep our data safe and secure while the bad thing is that there is no free TV, Movies, or other apps.
Is It Illegal to Jailbreak Amazon Fire Stick
The simple answer is Yes, Jailbreaking the Amazon Firestick is completely legal and safe to use. Because this now belongs to us and we can do anything we want with this device. However, the reason why most people say it’s illegal is that some people install apps that are completely illegal in their countries.
Since we know with the help of jailbroken devices we can install any app we want and in this way, some people use illegal things in it. We can easily avoid this thing and install only apps that are legal, safe, and secure on our device, and in this way, we can never get in trouble with it.
However, there are some apps that offer to watch free Live TV, Movies, TV Shows, or other content that is copyright protected. In this way, we need to use a VPN service to stream content by hiding our IP address because while surfing the internet our Government and ISP providers have a record of apps or web browser history that we are using on Fire TV or other devices. Best Free VPNs For Firestick
In this way, if you stream copyright-protected content you can get into legal trouble as the government can take action against you. If you don’t know which VPN you should use then I have written a completely separate guide on it which you can read and get a suitable VPN for you. Cheapest VPN For Firestick
How To Install VPN on Firestick
Risk Of Jailbreaking Firestick
Now as I have mentioned everything about the legal and the illegal side of having a jailbroken device. So, it is up to you how you are using it and which content you are streaming as well. Overall you can check out this guide to understand what risk you are getting while Jailbreaking Firestick.
Risk 1: Data Leakage
The common risk which I already mentioned in the above paragraph is that using a third-party app that is not tested by some experts could leak your personal data. Because these types of apps ask you to allow some permission that doesn’t belong to them for example they will ask permission to Access Files, Photos, Contact Information, Email, Location, etc.
Risk 2: Copyrighted Content
This is a common thing that almost everyone knows as streaming content that is not purchased is totally illegal and considered piracy. However, the Government and your ISP provider have the log of what you are streaming and what you are browsing on the internet. If you live in a country with a strict copyright policy could lead you to some legal issues as you are pirating content.
Risk 3: Hackers or Keyloggers
While we use any of the apps that are not available on the Amazon App Store or it was available before but now have been removed could be because it has some malicious codes. So, after using such apps could inject some code into your device that can hack some personal information. However, some websites may also download keyloggers in the form of a pic or an app so when you open it He/She can access everything that you are typing.
Conclusion
I have been using a jailbroken Fire TV Stick for the last two years and till now I haven’t faced any type of problem. However, the majority of people who get caught while streaming Movies or TV shows on this device are those who don’t use any security. Like when I jailbreak Firestick I start using Express VPN along with any third-party app that I download from other sources.
In this way, I can easily hide my IP address from online thieves and from hackers and protect my personal information from them. However, it also helps me to avoid ISP throttling and hide browsing logs from ISP as well as from the government.
Although please make sure to read the legal notice regarding the use of a VPN in your country as some countries have banned its access. If your country doesn’t ban it then you are lucky and can use the Jailbroken device to access unlimited content from various apps.
