PaaS: Piracy as a Service

“PaaS” stands for “Piracy as a Service.” This is a play on the more common term “Platform as a Service” in the technology industry, which refers to providing a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app.

“Piracy as a Service” refers to services or platforms that facilitate or enable piracy by providing the necessary infrastructure, technology, and often a vast library of unauthorized digital content like movies, TV shows, or software. These platforms make it easy for other websites or end users to access and distribute copyrighted content without authorization.

According to the 2024 annual Special Report 301 by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), assessing the actual situation of copyright infringement in Vietnam, 2embed.to is described as a PaaS because it provides a large library of movies and TV shows to numerous illicit streaming sites, thus acting as a backbone for widespread digital piracy.