Sure, many things are a 'big deal' in some parts of the world - malaria, corrupt governments, famine, domestic violence, ebola, contaminated drinking water, etc etc.

Why did I presume he meant data sharing 'piracy'? Well he didn't choose to mention organised crime, of which naval piracy is a small part. It would probably be a more relevant target for sigint than e.g. Somalis in speedboats, and also more relevant to US security.

The author is, imo, casting around for buzzwords/bogeymen, and he thought data sharing 'piracy' hit the right buttons.