A hacker from Luton who made £42,000 by selling unreleased music from popular artists on the dark web has dodged a jail sentence. Skylar Dalziel, 22, was given a 21-month suspended sentence for 14 charges related to the unauthorized trading of copyrighted music belonging to artists like Coldplay, Shawn Mendes, Melanie Martinez, Taylor Upsahl, and Bebe Rexha.
During a police raid at Dalziel’s residence in January last year, officers uncovered hard drives containing an extensive collection of 291,941 music tracks, including unreleased songs from various artists. It was revealed that Dalziel had acquired this music by hacking into cloud storage accounts belonging to the artists. Furthermore, investigators found a spreadsheet indicating that she had sold the tracks to multiple buyers.
The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) of the City of London Police launched an inquiry after the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry raised concerns regarding Dalziel’s activities. Evidence provided by the Recording Industry Association of America showed that she had purchased six unreleased music tracks on the dark web using Bitcoin. Transactions in her PayPal and bank accounts revealed payments totaling £42,049 over a span of 21 months.
Dalziel admitted to nine copyright offenses and four computer misuse offenses in court. In addition to the suspended sentence, she was ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid work and attend 10 rehabilitative activity days. The court also decreed the forfeiture and destruction of the equipment connected to her criminal actions.
Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, speaking on behalf of the PIPCU, emphasized the detrimental impact of stealing copyrighted material for personal profit. He highlighted the repercussions on artists and industry professionals, stating that such criminal activities could lead to significant job losses. Fryatt underscored the PIPCU’s commitment to identifying cybercriminals and holding them accountable, suggesting that Dalziel may have collaborated with accomplices abroad.
Richard Partridge of the Crown Prosecution Service condemned Dalziel’s actions, noting her disregard for the artists’ creative efforts and potential financial losses. He pointed out the broader implications of her behavior on employees of record labels, accusing her of exploiting musicians’ work for personal gain through illicit sales on the dark web.
The sentencing of Skylar Dalziel serves as a warning to individuals engaging in cybercrime and copyright infringement, signaling the authorities’ resolve to address such offenses and protect the interests of artists and the music industry as a whole. The case underscores the ongoing challenges posed by digital piracy and unauthorized distribution of creative content, highlighting the need for robust enforcement measures to safeguard intellectual property rights in the digital age.