All About 123Movies & New Sites of It That You Can Try

With the advent of digital streaming services, it has not come as a surprise that cable services are on the decline. More people are getting hooked on to digital streaming services. There is a constant need to find new websites and platforms that cater to the viewers’ entertainment needs. 123Movies is a streaming service that offers TV shows and Movies to watch, for free. Watching movies and shows on 123Movies is absolutely free, all one would require is an internet connection fast enough to stream the movie or show.123Movies was started in Vietnam. At its peak, the site had garnered close to 98 million visitors. 123Movies is extremely popular and while it was functioning with its initial domain name of 123movies.to, it was considered to be the largest and most popular illegal site by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).Today, we look at 123Movies. We go over the various controversies of 123Movies, what it is, and also answer questions such as: Is 123Movies illegal? Is 123Movies safe to use? How 123Movies shut down? What are the various alternatives to 123Movies?

Is 123Movies legal?

123Movies is illegal. No streaming service that offers TV shows and movies for free is considered to be legal. 123Movies is certainly against the law and law enforcement authorities have taken the website down. However, 123Movies does operate with certain mirror sites and different domain names. It does not buy licenses for any of the content on the websites. The content from Netflix, Hulu, and other services are completely illegal and unlicensed. The content is mostly pirated and also includes a lot of content that is recorded using a camera.

Is 123Movies safe?

Using 123Movies or any of its mirror sites is not known to have caused any harm to the user. Although the streaming service is illegal, the users are not considered to be at fault. The various websites under different domain names from 123Movies do tend to have a lot of advertisements, which, might be very bothersome to most users. Furthermore, it is not advisable to use free online streaming services. These services are not legal and can provide a way for hackers to mount a malicious attack on your system. Although there have not been any instances of serious action taken against the users by the authorities, it is advisable to play it safe.

Domain change to GoMovies

123Movies, not too long ago, changed its domain name to GoMovies. GoMovies also functions under a large number of different website domain names and mirror sites. Currently, several clone sites are functioning to provide users the content that they seek. None of the sites are confirmed to be from the original creators of 123Movies.

123Movies content

123Movies offers a wide variety of content spanning different genres. The movies include the latest Hollywood movies. The latest movies in theatres, various new TV shows and movies on streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are available on the websites. On most of these clone sites, you can browse movies, TV shows and other content by genre, year of release, and country. You can even search for your favorite content on the site by simply typing in the movie or TV show that you wish to view. With its large collection of content, it is very likely that you will find what you are looking for.The genres include Action, Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Horror, Musicals and many more. There is no shortage of options on the site. You can explore new content rather easily. An internet connection and a web browser are all you need. There are several options for the quality of the stream. Users can choose to view the content in High Definition (HD) for many TV shows and movies. The quality of the stream can vary from HD and Blu-Ray to camera quality.

123Movies Shutdown

A criminal investigation carried out by Vietnamese officials led to the shutdown of 123Movies. 123Movies was found to be carrying out illegal activities such as piracy. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) labeled it as one of the most notorious piracy sites in the world. It was touted as a major nemesis to Hollywood. The functioning of 123Movies was undoubtedly hindering Hollywood. The movie industry suffered immense losses as a result of 123Movies. The movie studios were more than inclined to ensure that the site and its various clones were shut down.In 2017, The US Ambassador to Vietnam called on the local government to take serious criminal action against 123Movies. In October 2017, the MPAA listed 123Movies on its list of Online Notorious Markets. In March of 2018, the MPAA sent representatives to Vietnam to ensure faster criminal prosecution of the notorious people behind the website. The MPAA was supported by the movie industry. The intensity of the opposition that 123Movies received led to its shutdown a few days after MPAA sent its representatives.123Movies shutdown in March 2018 and the team behind it sent out a message thanking everyone who stuck with the streaming service. The reason for shutting down was never made apparent. However, it is clear that the growing pressure on 123Movies is what led to its downfall.

Alternatives to 123Movies.com

Some of the clone sites and alternatives to the website are:https://www1.gomovies.page/https://www.gomovies.name/https://www3.gomovies.cool/movie/filterhttps://gomovies.land/https://www2.123movies.la/https://123movies.domains/123moviesThere are several other domains and URLs that work. Some of these domains are assumed by many to be run by the original creators of 123Movies, but, most of these sites are clones created by various other people. A lot of domains and URLs work and a simple Google search for the sites will generally do the trick.

Concluding thoughts on 123Movies

123Movies offers a free solution to users’ entertainment needs. None of the content on the various clone sites needs to be paid for. There is generally the option of choosing the different quality of streams. It can significantly make it easier for people to watch their favorite TV shows and movies without the hassles of having to pay for and maintain a subscription on various paid streaming services. The range of content available is also wider than the range you would get on a single streaming service.123Movies was shut down in March 2018 and various clones have come to the fore recently. Weeding out these clones remains a major task for authorities. These sites continue to remain a major threat to the movie and television industry. However, these sites are illegal. There are certain security risks associated with using the sites. Use these illegal sites at your own risk. The safest thing to do would be to stay away from these free online services and instead use reliable services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.