Vietnam Cracks Down on Massive Anime Piracy Service, Arresting Seven Suspects Behind HiAnime
In a significant blow to online piracy, Vietnamese authorities have arrested and are prosecuting seven individuals suspected of running HiAnime, one of the largest anime piracy streaming services in the world. The platform, which offered a vast library of English-subbed and dubbed anime without subscription fees, attracted hundreds of millions of visitors each month, briefly surpassing legal streaming giants like Disney+ and Crunchyroll in web traffic.
HiAnime’s rise to prominence was meteoric, with the platform launching on various domains throughout 2023 and 2024. Its popularity caught the attention of law enforcement agencies worldwide, including the European Commission and the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which placed HiAnime on their respective lists of notorious piracy markets. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a coalition of over 50 media and entertainment companies, also played a key role in shutting down the platform.
According to reports, the seven defendants have been charged with copyright infringement and money laundering, with four of them detained and three placed under house arrest. Investigators claim that the suspects operated more than 100 websites, uploading over 26,000 pirated anime films and generating approximately $12.85 million in illegal advertising revenue between 2020 and April 2026.
The shutdown of HiAnime is a major victory for anti-piracy efforts, which have been gaining momentum in recent years. Earlier this year, ACE announced the shutdown of AnimePlay, another major anime streaming platform that hosted over 60 terabytes of pirated content and had millions of registered users. The coalition’s multi-year investigation into HiAnime involved collaboration with U.S. authorities, including Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Justice.
The success of these anti-piracy efforts highlights the importance of international cooperation in combating online piracy. As streaming services continue to grow in popularity, it is clear that more needs to be done to protect intellectual property rights and prevent the spread of pirated content.
In practical terms, this means that consumers must remain vigilant when accessing streaming services, particularly those that offer free or low-cost anime content without subscription fees. While platforms like HiAnime may have seemed appealing due to their vast libraries and lack of costs, they often come with significant risks to users’ security and data privacy.
To stay safe online, it’s essential to only use reputable streaming services and be cautious when accessing pirated content. This can help prevent exposure to malware, phishing scams, and other cyber threats that often accompany piracy websites.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-07-06