Hackers 'Responsible' for £546m of Illegal Deforestation in the Amazon

by Charlotte Cardingham		comments 20
Published on 15 December 2008

Hackers have accessed Brazilian government computer systems and helped 107 companies obtain permits that enabled them to fell over £546million ($833m) worth of timber illegally.

In what has come as a shocking revelation, it appears that hi-tech hackers have played an instrumental role in the illegal deforestation of 1.7million cubic meters of the Amazon rain forest.

According to reports from environmental organization Greenpeace, the hackers were hired by at least 107 different companies to access and alter timber export records held by the Brazilian government. As a result, it’s estimated that an area of forest the size of 780 Olympic swimming pools has been cleared illegally.

The allegations centre on the Brazilian state of Para which uses a computer-only system to monitor deforestation and issue logging permits to local companies.

At the present time, any logging or charcoal company working in the state is allocated a maximum amount of timber that it is allowed to fell in any one year, details of which are issued in the form of a series of permits. Once a company has fulfilled this annual quota, no further timber transport permits will be issued by the local authorities. However, it is these records that the hackers have accessed and altered, allowing a vast amount of timber to be felled illegally.

Federal prosecutor Daniel Avelino is currently mounting a law suit against the companies involved in the scam, with 202 individuals facing prosecution at this stage.

Working on behalf of the Brazilian government he intends to sue the subversive companies for a total of 2billion reais (£546million), the market value of the illegally felled timber.

Speaking on behalf of Greenpeace, André Muggiati, an environmental campaigner working in Manaus, commented. "We've pointed out before that this method of controlling the transport of timber was subject to fraud. And this is only the tip of the iceberg, because the same computer system is also used in two other Brazilian states.

"By hacking into the permit system, these companies have made their timber shipments appear legal and compliant with the forest management plans. But in reality, they're trading illegal timber which is making the problem of deforestation worse, and a lack of control and policing in the areas they're logging means they think they can get away with it."

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Comments (20)

MPPdotORG

For God's sake why aren't we putting hemp back on the market? 1. Hemp is but one variety of the cannabis plant. 2. Although a cousin to marijuana, it's impossible to get high smoking hemp. 3. Hemp, unlike oil, coal or natural gas, is a renewable source for fuel. 4. Hemp can produce 10 times more methanol than corn. 5. Hemp produces over four times as much paper per acre as trees. 6. Hemp produces two to three times the amount of textiles per acre as cotton. 7. Hemp can also be used in food, textiles, paint, plastics and more. 8. Planting 6% of the continental U.S. with these biomass crops would satisfy all of America's energy needs. Just think, no more foreign oil! 9. Hemp makes the cheapest fuels available, with 90% fewer carcinogens, and only 50 to 60 cents a gallon to produce. Makes you wonder why we're still buying all this foreign oil and supporting these oil sheiks. We CAN become independent, it just takes the truth. Help spread it please

22 Jan 2009 03:34

Patricia F A Edness BERMUDA

Do these people think they are smarter then GOD no he is watching,but I'm very upset that it takes so long to bring them to justice,when they are caught, by LAW if there is any for these type of fools, have them hang by their feet and slice off their heads just like they cut the trees with a saw, saw must be used on them every one in this world will be affected by this alarming CRIME on this Forrest

21 Dec 2008 19:32

Patricia F A Edness BERMUDA

21 Dec 2008 18:56

andrea pernick

There has to be a better way to save the forests and let the people who get the money expect a little less.....comeon guys it's your kid's world too

17 Dec 2008 18:22

Todd

Nooooo! That's where the worlds #1 super food comes from! The acai berry... This is tragic news... Here is a link to find out more on how to save the rainforest. For every 1 acai palm cut down 5 are planted by this company. Go to http://www.thegreatproduct.com/themissinglink

17 Dec 2008 04:00

Jiun Lam

Shocking, simply shocking! What we do to our environment will ultimately affect us! So why destroy the precious rainforest? These scum of the earth are not only greedy but also bloody STUPID & selfish... Strap the violators down in their deforested area and let em bake in the sun.I hope they get what they deserve. Jiun from Singapore

17 Dec 2008 02:28

Dana R.

It is their misfortune that they were not in the U.S. Here, they could have merely gone to Bush and he would have arranged it for them legally.

16 Dec 2008 22:16

STEVEN MCD

I am so glad that we , in America, got the trees under control before eco - problems. Let us stop other 3rd world countries from expanding and owning cars.

16 Dec 2008 19:38

ceboze

the question is, how many cubic meters of oxygen will come from nothing? hello-isn'y this the stuff we breathe?

16 Dec 2008 19:22

bryan

What a joke! 780 Olympic swimming pools! sounds scary doesn't it. That's really big, right? No, It isn't. Wouldn't sound so bad to say less than a thousand acres. We're getting used to the coverage that tells us about fires burning thousands and thousands of acres in California so they need something that sounds big.....but it isn't. 780 olympic size swimming pools is nothing. people are starting to wake up to the eco-fanatics and the bias coverage in the media these issues get.

16 Dec 2008 17:56

Carole

It is unbelievable that there are those individuals that will stop at nothing for the sake of money. This planet is in such peril and with all the awareness and information that is available regarding the importance and preservation of our rainforests, these greedy selfless people continue on no matter what the cost! Seek out and prosecute them all to the highest degree!!

16 Dec 2008 17:10

SY GRU

PROECUTE AND GIVE THEM LIFE SENTANCES IN SUB TANDARD PRIONS/

16 Dec 2008 15:17

IAN

Thanks for the article. It's a beautiful world. We shall all try to keep it environmentally safe. Happy Holidays!

16 Dec 2008 14:54

dsrtdog

they cut down approx 231 acres of trees out of how many million acres of forest? Hang the bastards from the trees they cut down!!! At $833,000,000 that means $3,600,000 per acre. wow what a cash crop.

16 Dec 2008 13:53

Anna

What a shame! Why can't these companies by stopped??? Somebody is getting an awfully big kickback. They should rot in hell.

16 Dec 2008 13:49

D. Keyes

This type of environmental expose article is appreciated, Ms. Cunningham. D. Keyes Bronx, NY

16 Dec 2008 04:04

Teo

Put all the execs and employees of these companies in prison for ten years hard labor if they don't pay the entire fine within thirty days of the date of the judgement. I'll bet the problem will stop until the criminals running these timber companies come up with another work around. Greed is truly one of the mothers of invention. Self preservation though could be a strong deterrent since I'm lead to beleive that Brazil's prisons are notoriously dangerous places where survival is not guaranteed.

16 Dec 2008 03:23

gabe

That part of the rain forest may never regenerate either considering that 90% of the rainforest biomass is tied up within the trees... so, unless the felled trees remain on the low nutrient soil the landscape may never recover without some human induced practices.

16 Dec 2008 01:01

steveO

Who are these parasite companies? Any from the USA? Boycott the scumbags

15 Dec 2008 22:29

bad at math

How many of those cubic metres was actually filled with anything other than air?

15 Dec 2008 20:47