We notice you've been using iPlayer

Marvel1

My email address is used for my parents to use I player at their home.

My first instinct would be is the email genuine or a scam and look for clues.

Tulip256

Firstly, the BBC cannot detect the location you are watching iPlayer from.  All they are doing is a database lookup between your 'no licence required' declaration and the same email address you use to login into iPlayer, then they are assuming you are watching at the addess you did the declaration for.  They are using some misleading laungauge in their email which suggest they can do detection.  Not true.  Pretty poor behaviour by the TV Licence people.  Best way to remove the uncertainty here is to create a new BBC account, using a different email address.  You can verify your BBC on line usage by requesting a report on BBC website.  That much i do give BBC credit for.  Probably the licencee fee people at fault here.

ladruid

Tulip256 said:

Firstly, the BBC cannot detect the location you are watching iPlayer from.

Not strictly true, the IP address you use to connect to iPlayer is tracked and logged by iPlayer. If BBC really wanted to, they could track you down using the same legal pathways that music and movie companies used with copyright infringement/torrent-pirating debacle many years back. ISP's have to keep logs by law (Investigatory Powers Act 2016) on all the IP addresses, associated customer data and what usage they have (and I bet a hell of a lot more for GCHQ) of each and every customer for at least 12 months.

Do I think BBC will ever do it? no, too expensive, and its a minefield legally... but it is technically possible.

If you were using a VPN then you are pretty safe (but a lot of VPN IP addresses are blocked by iPlayer).

brewerdave

ladruid said:

Tulip256 said:

Firstly, the BBC cannot detect the location you are watching iPlayer from.

Not strictly true, the IP address you use to connect to iPlayer is tracked and logged by iPlayer. If BBC really wanted to, they could track you down using the same legal pathways that music and movie companies used with copyright infringement/torrent-pirating debacle many years back. ISP's have to keep logs by law (Investigatory Powers Act 2016) on all the IP addresses, associated customer data and what usage they have (and I bet a hell of a lot more for GCHQ) of each and every customer for at least 12 months.

Do I think BBC will ever do it? no, too expensive, and its a minefield legally... but it is technically possible.

Did any of those publicised cases actually result in successful prosecutions ?? One "law" firm certainly went kaput over attempts to extort money from users.

ladruid

brewerdave said:

Did any of those publicised cases actually result in successful prosecutions ?? One "law" firm certainly went kaput over attempts to extort money from users.

No idea about court prosecutions, but not all cases get to court. Even last year I know Virgin sent out a bunch of automated fine letters for illegally downloading Ava. I would take a bet that some of those people just paid it to get rid of the possible ramifications. But the point of my post was to put right a wrongful idea that BBC cant track your location, which they can unless you take precautions.

oldagetraveller1

Some months ago I did see a Youtube video, posted by one of the people who explain TV Licensing threatograms etc.. Somebody with no TV Licence (legally) but still had an iPlayer account, and didn't access iPlayer, received one of these e-mails to the registered iPlayer account e-mail.

The advice was/is to delete the iPlayer account. I did that anyway after declaring no licence needed.

Found it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxbAJ0bsiFE

onomatopoeia99

ladruid said:

Tulip256 said:

Firstly, the BBC cannot detect the location you are watching iPlayer from.

Not strictly true, the IP address you use to connect to iPlayer is tracked and logged by iPlayer. If BBC really wanted to, they could track you down using the same legal pathways that music and movie companies used with copyright infringement/torrent-pirating debacle many years back. ISP's have to keep logs by law (Investigatory Powers Act 2016) on all the IP addresses, associated customer data and what usage they have (and I bet a hell of a lot more for GCHQ) of each and every customer for at least 12 months.

"Norwich Pharmacal order" is the legal pathway you are looking for.  In this context they are a legitimate means of obtaining subscriber information, but the information ISPs will be able to provide is far from conclusive on its own.