Unauthorized viewing can result in a fine of up to 30,000 dollars per infringement, an ISP warning or seizure of equipment, whereas the hosts are prosecuted more frequently than the viewers themselves. Legal sites such as YouTube or Popcornflix are considered safer options to 123Movies since these sites provide free content and remove these risks. Ethical viewing is a good idea in 2025 because it favors creators and does not contain malware in questionable streams.