BBS: TELESC.NET.BR
Assunto: Smuggling Internet via TV signals
De: Mike Powell
Data: Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:30:02 -0500
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'They cant block the sky': Inside an ingenious satellite TV hack bypassing
Irans internet blackout when the web goes dark, activists are smuggling
gigabytes of data through ordinary television signals to keep the Iranian
people connected to the world
Date:
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:20:00 +0000
Description:
During Irans internet shutdown, Toosheh used satellite TV signals to deliver
data, bypassing restrictions and maintaining access to vital information.
FULL STORY
Jamming efforts fail to fully block satellite-based data delivery. In January
2026, the Iranian government shut down internet services across all provinces
for weeks and also throttled VPNs , messaging, and phone services.
To regain connectivity, a nonprofit organization called NetFreedom Pioneers
turned to an unlikely solution: ordinary satellite television signals. The
technology, dubbed Toosheh, delivers curated data through free-to-air TV
satellite broadcasts that the government cannot easily block.
Free-to-air satellite broadcasts are unencrypted and can
be received by anyone with a dish and receiver, with no subscription required
- tech enthusiasts found that they could use a DVB card to transform a
personal computer into a satellite receiver.
With this, the device will do more than simply watch live TV; it will also
capture and store data.
Toosheh works by using the MPEG transport stream that satellite TV uses, but
slips in documents, videos, and software in such a way that a receiver treats
them like regular audio or video.
Users receive 1 to 5 gigabytes of prepackaged content in a magazine-like
format, without ever sending requests or revealing their activity, as the
system leaves no traceable logs, making it entirely private and undetectable.
Why traditional jamming is not so effective
Terrestrial jamming has been used to block the network, using antennas
installed at higher elevations to beam strong noise over specific areas.
But this method is short-range and requires considerable power, making it
impossible to implement nationwide.
NetFreedom Pioneers added redundancy to its transmissions, similar to a data
storage technique called RAID.
Under normal conditions, it uses about 5% of its bandwidth for redundancy.
During active jamming, it increases that to as much as 30%.
This allows users to reconstruct complete files even when some packets are
corrupted.
During the internet shutdown, Toosheh distributed official statements from
Iranian opposition leaders and the US government.
The system delivered first aid tutorials for medics and injured protesters,
along with uncensored news reports from BBC Persian, Iran International, and
VOA Farsi.
It also delivered critical software packages, including anti-censorship tools
and guides for securely connecting to Starlink satellite terminals.
However, the system is not without its challenges. Operating Toosheh costs
tens of thousands of dollars per month for satellite bandwidth.
With the US State Department ending its funding in August 2025, the cost
burden falls entirely on the nonprofit organizations, which can only keep it
running temporarily with private donations.
Also, unlike two-way systems like Starlink, Toosheh provides only downloads,
not uploads, meaning users cannot send messages or communicate back.
Still, Toosheh offers a lifeline, delivering data through the sky in a way
that censors cannot easily block.
Via IEEE Spectrum
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/they-cant-block-the-sky-ingenious-satellite-tv-h
ack-bypassing-irans-internet-blackout-while-the-web-goes-dark-activists-are-sm
uggling-gigabytes-of-data-through-ordinary-television-signals-to-keep-the-iran
ian-people-connected-to-the-world
$$
--- MultiMail/DOS
* Origin: Capitol City Hub (1:2320/105)
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