Is 123Movies Safe for Your Computer and Data?
Maybe you have heard of or used 123Movies, a site to free watch movies, TV shows online with sign up. Although the original website has been shut down in 2018, there are still various sites under the name of 123Movies, 123Movies Hub, etc. available.
But is the site legal? And is 123 movies safe to your device and data? Today, we are going to explain how 123Movie works and the legal issues of the website. And if it concerns you, you may get free movies from legal free streaming sites like Porpcornflix, Crackle.
1. How Does 123Movies Work?
Sites like 123Movies don’t upload movies or videos files, instead, it normally collects popular videos and movies from cyberlockers around the web, which host content from popular and legal streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime as well as some piracy sites.
In this way, it allows users to access numerous movie & TV show resources for free and without registration, which make it one of the most popular videos streaming sites.
2. Is 123movies Legal?
The answer is definitely NO.
123Movies was targeted as the most popular illegal streaming by the Motion Picture Association of America. And that’s why its original website shut off.
Streaming copyright-protected content without permission, the site is piracy. So it is not legal to visit and use sites like 123Movies in many countries, including the United State.
However, as there are huge needs for free movies streaming and piracy is a gray zone in the developing countries, free video streaming sites under the name of 123movie keep showing up based in 3rd world countries.
3. Is 123Movies Safe to Your Computer?
Your computer is facing great potential risks when you are watching free movies on 123Movies.
Firstly, since it is an illegal site, there is a great possibility that the site has malware or virus. You could click a link that brings malware or virus to your computer or directs to an unsecured site.
Secondly, sites like 123Movies can do actual damage to your computer or mobile device. You may notice that your computer or device runs unusually slow or heats up when you are visiting 123Movies site. That’s because it occupies more GPU to connect and stream the video that you need. Your processor could be permanently damaged after long-term use of sites like 123Movies.
Since 123Movies is essentially a pirate site, you can get into legal trouble because the server records your visit to a pirate site.
4. 123movies Legal Alternatives
With a lot of legal and safe issues, it is highly not recommended to watch a movie on 123Movie. In fact, there are many movies streaming sites that provide free content with ads. Porpcornflix and Crackle are two of them.
Porpcornflix
Porpcornflix is an ideal alternative for 123Movies streaming service. It is a site where you can get access to thousands of movies, action, romance, comedy, etc., without spending money. It also updates the database daily with the latest and freshly released movies.
It is totally legal, although you have to watch some ads. But I think it is quite reasonable for supporting a free streaming site with ads.
also there are many 123movies alternatives sites like gomovies, soaptoday, fmovies to watch free movies online
Crackle
Crackle is a free streaming website of Sony Pictures Entertainment. It is also safe and legal to watch. Not only it provides popular movies that you can find in other streaming sites, but it also has original long-form contents.
Besides watching Crackle videos on a computer, you can also access it from its iOS or Android app, smart TVs(Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, etc.) or gaming consoles.
Crackle is also ad-supported, and so you may find the advertisement sometimes during watching.
Despite the advertising woes, it’s also a legitimate way to access free movies or TV shows. At least compared to 123Movies, the site is legal and doesn’t make your computer unsafe.
Now you already know how 123Movies works and what’s harm to you or your computer if you keep using the site. It’s not late that you change another channel and get free movies from a legal website from today.
