Month: July 2022

Carbon offsets alone won’t make flying climate-friendly

Exhaust contains a host of polluting particles, from soot to nitrogen oxides.

The evening sun colors the underside of the Boeing 747 and the following contrail red in Berlin in 2021.

Enlarge / The evening sun colors the underside of the Boeing 747 and the following contrail red in Berlin in 2021. (credit: Soeren Stache/Picture Alliance/Getty )

Jet A-1, a straw-colored, kerosene-based fuel used in most big airplanes, is a difficult substance to replace. It’s packed with energy; per unit of weight, at least 60 times as much as the lithium-ion batteries used to propel electric cars. It’s also terrible for the climate. So as the aviation industry has gradually climbed aboard global pledges to get rid of carbon emissions, it has mostly promised to make up for its damage elsewhere—through offsets that might involve planting trees, restoring wetlands, or paying people to preserve ecosystems that otherwise would have been razed. But according to a growing body of research, those efforts leave something out: Most of the planet-warming effects of flying aren’t from carbon dioxide.

Burning jet fuel at 35,000 feet sparks a molecular cascade in the troposphere. The initial combustion releases a shower of particles—sulfur, nitrogen oxides, soot, and water vapor. At those frigid heights, some of the particles become nuclei around which condensation gathers and then quickly freezes, helping to produce puffy contrails that either vanish or persist as wispy, high-altitude cirrus clouds. In the presence of the Sun’s rays, nitrogen molecules set off a chain of reactions that produce ozone and destroy free-floating atmospheric methane. It's tough to pin down the meaning of all this chemistry. Some of these reactions, like the methane destruction, help cool the Earth. Others warm it. It all depends on the atmospheric conditions for each flight, multiplied across tens of thousands of planes streaking across the sky each day.

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Hyundais Elektrostrategie: Pure Hochspannung

Hyundais Elektrostrategie unterscheidet sich stark von der Konkurrenz. Vor allem setzt der Autokonzern auf 800-Volt-Technik. Ein Bericht von Stefan Grundhoff (Hyundai, Technologie)

Hyundais Elektrostrategie unterscheidet sich stark von der Konkurrenz. Vor allem setzt der Autokonzern auf 800-Volt-Technik. Ein Bericht von Stefan Grundhoff (Hyundai, Technologie)

Lieferengpässe bei Medikamenten: Wenn die "Einschläge" näher kommen

Bundesgesundheitsminister Lauterbach glaubt Herstellern nicht und verweist auf gestiegene Gewinne – Firmenvertreter sagen, sie seien unsicher, auf welcher Grundlage sie planen sollen.

Bundesgesundheitsminister Lauterbach glaubt Herstellern nicht und verweist auf gestiegene Gewinne – Firmenvertreter sagen, sie seien unsicher, auf welcher Grundlage sie planen sollen.

Pirate IPTV: Five Charged Following RCMP Cybercrime Investigation

Following an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, five people have been charged with distributing pirate IPTV services. RCMP officers raided GaloTV (Soltv) in 2021, seizing hundreds of set-top boxes, receivers and broadcasting devices. One of the men was previously sued by DISH and agreed to settle a civil suit for more than half a billion dollars.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

canada-pirateThe world of pirate streaming and IPTV services is one of intrigue. Like the internet itself, it’s a web of interconnected networks populated by devices, ad hoc groups, and individuals who can appear in one place, only to pop up in another.

The case of pirate IPTV entrepreneur Carlos Rocha certainly fits the profile. In December 2020, US broadcaster DISH Network and tech partner Nagrastar filed a civil suit under seal in the United States, naming Carlos Rocha plus SolTV and Stream Solutions, a pair of known IPTV brands operated by the Toronto resident.

Rocha also had connections to SET TV, a supplier that collapsed under the weight of a $90 million judgment in the US. He sold subscriptions to several other IPTV services too, some of which have since gone down or are close to a service that has.

Despite having a civil lawsuit to contemplate over Christmas lunch in 2020, what Rocha probably didn’t know is that he was also the subject of a criminal investigation in Canada.

RCMP Cybercrime Team Launch ‘Project OLoki’

In January 2020, the Cybercrime Team of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police launched ‘Project OLoki’, an investigation targeting a group of individuals running what police describe as a “large-scale” unlawful IPTV distribution service.

With the separate civil lawsuit in the US just six months old, on June 29, 2021, the RCMP Cybercrime Team executed a search warrant on a retail location of GaloTV, also known as Soltv – the IPTV brand referenced in the DISH complaint.

“The search warrant resulted in the seizure of a large number of set top boxes (used to decode and decrypt video signals) and hundreds of TV receivers and equipment used to re-broadcast video signals,” a new statement from RCMP reads.

Local business directories and the DISH complaint show that GaloTV/Soltv had an unassuming retail unit at 455 Rogers Road, Toronto.

galotv-soltv-canada

RCMP believes that the group targeted in ‘Project OLoki’ bought legitimate access to TV content from several companies and then redistributed it to the public at a “considerable discount.”

It’s taken more than a year but police say that several people have now been charged for offenses relating to the unlawful obtaining and distribution of unlicensed content.

Five Individuals From Toronto

A statement from RCMP O Division (Ontario) reveals that five individuals, all from Toronto, have been charged with the same offenses, albeit to varying degrees, under Canada’s Criminal Code.

Manuel Da Rocha (age 67): Fraud over C$5,000 X 2 – Section 380(1)(a); Theft of Telecommunication Services – Section 326. Sell or distribute a device to obtain Telecommunication service without payment of a lawful charge – Section 327(1)

Carlos Da Rocha (age 29): Fraud over C$5,000 X 2 – Section 380(1)(a); Theft of Telecommunication Services – Section 326. Sell or distribute a device to obtain Telecommunication service without payment of a lawful charge – Section 327(1)

Carla Da Rocha (age 29): Fraud over C$5,000 – Section 380(1)(a); Theft of Telecommunication Services – Section 326. Sell or distribute a device to obtain Telecommunication service without payment of a lawful charge – Section 327(1)

Carlos Lopes (age 48): Fraud over C$5,000 X 2 – Section 380(1)(a); Theft of Telecommunication Services – Section 326. Sell or distribute a device to obtain Telecommunication service without payment of a lawful charge – Section 327(1)

Elvis Da Rocha (age 37): Fraud over C$5,000 – Section 380(1)(a); Theft of Telecommunication Services – Section 326. Sell or distribute a device to obtain Telecommunication service without payment of a lawful charge – Section 327(1)

Under Canada’s Criminal Code, Section 380(1)(a) carries a term of imprisonment not exceeding 14 years. Section 327 carries a term of imprisonment of not more than two years.

“This investigation is a great example of the RCMP’s commitment to keeping our communities safe by effectively disrupting cyber and economic crime,” says Inspector Lina Dabit, Officer in Charge, O Division Cybercrime Investigative Team.

The five individuals will appear at the Toronto North Ontario Court of Justice later today.

In May 2022, Carlos Rocha and DISH agreed to settle their differences after the Toronto man signed a settlement judgment of US$585 million.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.