Latest from Irish Times
Irish Times
17 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Dodgy boxes: Could I get in trouble for owning one after recent court cases?
Dodgy boxes are back in the news are they? They are, for a couple of reasons. A man appeared before Trim District Court on Wednesday charged with selling the boxes and other technical equipment that had the potential to deprive Sky Television of almost €750,000 in revenue, the court was told. He was jailed for 3½ years. Separately, and almost simultaneously, the same broadcaster alleged during a High Court hearing that another man may have earned up to €450,000 a year from operating a different dodgy service. So these dodgy boxes are definitely illegal are they? They are and they aren't. The dodgy boxes – or Android boxes, which is what they are properly called – are not at all illegal. What do you mean? Android is an entirely legitimate operating system that runs on multiple technologies including phones, tablets and Fire Sticks. READ MORE But if Android boxes are legit, why are all these people coming before the courts? The boxes are fine, but they can allow people to do illegal things. Apps can be easily installed that allow people to stream copyrighted content from the internet on to their televisions, tablets or phones. The people who are ending up in court are the ones selling the boxes preloaded with the dodgy apps and selling codes that give access to the platforms where copyrighted content can be found. Could a humble dodgy box owner get into trouble? I am asking for a friend. Well, Sky Ireland chief executive JD Buckley said this week that the company 'continuously evolves our investigative strategies to crack down on illegal streaming and protect consumers from risks including malware, fraud and identity theft. Further action will follow with consequences for those identified as operating illegal services and for those who watch them.' Consequence? Those who watch them? Sounds worrying. It does seem to suggest Sky would target end users of the boxes, but that may be a stretch. Knowingly circumventing restrictions and accessing copyrighted content could leave people exposed to prosecution for sure, but there are hundreds of thousands of dodgy box owners out there. Ireland's courts service, already groaning under the strain of its caseload, would probably not be delighted by moves against all of those watching copyrighted content for free. Garda sources have even expressed doubt the force would have jurisdiction when it comes to the use of such boxes, suggesting it would be a civil, rather than criminal, matter. [ Dodgy boxes and suspect streaming: can Irish viewers be persuaded away from illegal services? Opens in new window ] And this is all a Sky thing is it? No, not at all. Sky is a key player in Irish broadcast and is the pre-eminent broadcaster of many hugely popular sports, including the English Premier League. Many, many people unwilling to pay the monthly subscription costs or pay-per-view charges use the dodgy boxes to access the content for free, which is why Sky is often found front and centre in the war on illegal streamers. But there is a broader umbrella group also fighting against the tide of streamers. And who are they? They are called the Federation Against Copyright Theft ( Fact ) and they have taken multiple actions against dodgy box operators in recent years. It says many consumers are unaware that piracy networks are often linked to organised crime, with their profits potentially funding other illegal activities. The London -based group, has said they have been successful in shutting down thousands of prohibited streams, and have brought about the demise of services for those using the illegal operations. Social media profiles selling dodgy boxes have also disappeared while subscriptions have been terminated and paid settlements agreed. So that is the end of streamers is it? Hmm, it seems unlikely that the thousands of Irish homes that access movies, TV programmes and sport are just going to stop. The war on pirated content appears to be a long way from over.
Irish Times
32 minutes ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the riots in Ballymena: unequivocal political response essential
The recent rioting in Ballymena and surrounding areas is troubling on a number of levels, not least that it is unlikely to be an isolated event. What started out as a peaceful protest following an alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in Ballymena on June 7th quickly descended into race riots when it then emerged that the alleged perpetrators, two 14-year old boys, needed the services of a Romanian interpreter during their court appearance. Studies of what happened show that Ballymena became the locus of far-right social media activity. At the most acute phase of the rioting, Ballymena was mentioned nearly 80,000 times across different platforms. Crucially, most of these accounts were from outside Northern Ireland. An analysis of these posts shows that many of them fall within the legal definition of incitement to hatred. It also became clear that many of the rioters were not from Ballymena and were intent on exploiting local tensions. Sporadic violence spread elsewhere in Northern Ireland as well. READ MORE This is similar to what happened in Southport in southern England last year. Far-right activists are opportunistically co-ordinating through social media to stoke tensions and foment race riots. There are some lessons to be learned. One is the need for ongoing improvement in social media controls. Elon Musk, the owner of X, has dismantled most of the guardrails on his platform on the basis that they undermine free speech. The reality is that X has become an unmediated platform for hateful content that has very real consequences for the more vulnerable in society, such as the migrant community in Ballymena. Against this backdrop, the EU has no choice but to resist any pressure from the Trump administration to lessen controls on social media as a quid pro quo for a US-EU trade deal. A key goal of the EU rules is to place responsibility on social media companies to ensure online content is safe, fair and secure. However, local factors were also at play in Ballymena. The town has become an unemployment blackspot in recent decades. Meanwhile, the 2021 census shows the arrival of non-English speaking migrants into the town and surrounding areas in recent years. While some tensions have been reported, the recent riots are a dramatic and worrying escalation. In responding to this, political leadership is important. Wrapping criticism of thuggish, racist violence with suggestions that shortcomings in managing immigration in some way provide a rationale – as at least some politicians seem to have done – is not acceptable. Condemnation of what happened must be unequivocal.
Irish Times
32 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Creeslough families denied opportunity to speak during appeal against plans to rebuild petrol station
Families of those killed and injured in the Creeslough tragedy in Co Donegal have been refused an opportunity to speak during an appeal against an application to rebuild the petrol station at the centre of the explosion. It follows a decision by An Bord Pleanála to rule out a request for an oral hearing in the case. The request was made to An Bord Pleanála by a number of objectors who were bereaved by the October 2022 tragedy. Ten people died following a huge explosion at the service station. The objectors include Áine Flanagan, who lost her partner Robert Garwe and five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Shauna Gallagher, sister of the late Jessica Gallagher; Derek Martin, husband of the late Martina Martin; and Caroline Lauder and MarieLouise Macleod, sisters of the late Martin McGill. READ MORE The group, represented by human rights lawyers Phoenix Law, had argued that the level of national interest and the complexities of legal issues raised against the development warranted a full public hearing. However, An Bord Pleanála decided to proceed with a written determination for the appeal and contacted Donegal County Council to inform it of the decision. The council then informed members of the bereaved families. Donegal County Council said An Bord Pleanála decided an oral hearing is not necessary as the appeal can be adequately handled through written procedures. Reacting to the decision, one bereaved family member said the voices of those left behind after the tragedy had once again been silenced. The woman, who asked not to be named, said, 'This is a disgrace. We are not being given a chance to outline our concerns in a proper manner. [ Creeslough: 'I can't get my head around how a site can be built on when there's a criminal investigation' Opens in new window ] 'Ten people have died and yet An Bord Pleanála do not think their lives or our hurt are important enough so we can be heard.' In an update provided to Donegal County Council, the board confirmed that the processing of the appeal will now continue, and the Donegal County Council Planning Department will be notified of the decision once it is made. The signatories of the Phoenix Law appeal claimed that the Donegal Planning Authority, by approving the application, breached human rights obligations by failing to allow families to participate fully in the decision. The Planning Authority maintained it followed all statutory requirements in its decision-making process and urged An Bord Pleanála to uphold the original grant of permission. The development will involve demolishing the existing building and erecting a new building which will include a shop, post office, beauty salon, fuel pumps and memorial features, including space for a memorial garden. Planning permission was granted in February. [ Families of Creeslough victims object to 'cruel, callous' plans for service station and memorial Opens in new window ] A number of families impacted by the tragedy have strongly objected to the building of a new business on the site where their loved ones lost their lives. In a separate appeal, objectors have argued that it is against public policy to rebuild a development where a mass tragedy has occurred. They stated that inquests into the deaths of the 10 victims have not yet been held, and that if the development proceeds it will result in the destruction of crucial evidence. 'Both the Stardust Nightclub and the Grenfell Tower were never rebuilt, and the explosion in Creeslough is akin to those tragedies,' the appeal said.
Irish Times
35 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Rory McIlroy gets back on an upswing with opening 64 at Travelers Championship
Rory McIlroy was more like his old self, the club twirl, the club drop. The eyes squinting and, then, the power walk. The Masters champion – so out-of-sorts since scaling the heights with his green jacket win back in April to seal the career Grand Slam – walked the walk in the opening round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands with a bogey-free 64, to jump right into contention. American Austin Eckroat claimed the clubhouse lead with a superbly crafted 62, but McIlroy – the galleries drawn to him like a magnet to iron having missed the past two years of the tournament in Cromwell, Connecticut – lived up to his star appeal with an impressive round, which will finish his competitive outings stateside until after next month's 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. McIlroy is headed to Europe next week – getting the keys to his new mansion in Wentworth, taking in Wimbledon and then moving on to competing in the Scottish Open and, then, the big one at Portrush. And he continued the momentum of that final round of the US Open which had pushed him into a top-20 finish at Oakmont. On the more birdie-friendly course at TPC River Highlands, McIlroy – playing alongside US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley – claimed six birdies without dropping a shot. READ MORE 'This is a nice tonic compared to last week [at Oakmont] in terms of it's a slightly more benign golf course and the penalty for missing isn't quite as severe. You can give yourself plenty of chances for birdies, which Keegan and I did. Overall it was a good start to the tournament, and I think when you're in a two-ball like that and we can sort of feed off one another a little bit, too, that's nice, as well,' said McIlroy. 'I just want to see some good golf and see some better shots. I think if you concentrate on that and you're concentrating on your quality of golf and concentrating on just trying to play to the best of your ability, the result will take care of itself. 'There's no point in thinking about the result right now. I'm just trying to play as good as I can and make good swings, and if I do that enough, more than likely I'll find myself in a position to have a chance to win.' Ireland's Leona Maguire of Ireland drives on the first hole during the first round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas. Photograph:In the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Frisco in Texas, Leona Maguire made a very solid start to the third Major of the season with a level-par 72, a round which featured two birdies and two bogeys on the tough Gil Hanse-codesigned course. Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul claimed the early clubhouse lead with a 68, while world number one Nelly Korda opened with a 72. On the hotelplanner Tour (formerly the Challenge Tour), Royal Dublin's Max Kennedy shot a magnificent course record 60, 10 under par, to assume the first-round lead in the Blot Play9 tournament in Pleneuf, France, to take a four-shots lead over England's James Morrison. Kennedy, a 23-year-old Dubliner and alumni of the University of Louisville, featured two eagles in a blemish-free round. In the Amateur Championship at Royal St George's in Kent, Co Louth's Gavin Tiernan – the only Irish player remaining in the championship – impressively claimed a 3 and 2 win over Frenchman Gaspar Glaudas to move into the quarter-final of the matchplay, where he will face Estonia's Richard Teder.
Irish Times
36 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kirsty Coventry vows to stay humble as the first female president of the IOC
Kirsty Coventry has promised to not let power go to her head when she becomes the first woman president of the International Olympic Committee next week. Her predecessor, Thomas Bach, would always stay in a suite paid for by the IOC at the five-star Lausanne Palace hotel, costing over €2,000 a night, whenever he was in the city. However, the Zimbabwean confirmed her family would not be following suit. 'We won't be staying in the Palace,' she said. 'I really want my kids to grow up doing the same thing that I did, making beds and doing our chores and being kids.' Coventry, who won seven Olympic medals during her swimming career, said the significance of being the first woman IOC president had hit her only when she started reading the messages of support from other women. Asked for more details, Coventry said: 'I think I will start crying, so might have to do that another time. But the sentiments were really just around: 'Thank you;' 'You're such an inspiration;' 'This is so incredible.' READ MORE 'I had a coworker of mine come up to me. His mom had called him and said: 'Never in my lifetime did I ever think I'd get to see a woman leading the movement that you're working for,' and that was really special. There's been a lot of moments like that. Those are things I will hold on to in the future, when the road gets bumpy.' Coventry also made it clear she wanted IOC members to feel free to speak their minds and had invited them to stay two extra nights in Lausanne next week to have a 'pause and reflect workshop' to hear their ideas. 'The way I like to lead is with collaboration,' she said. 'I like people to say: 'Yes, I had a say and this was the direction that we went.' That way you get a really authentic buy-in.' The 41-year-old made it clear she campaigned for the IOC job to change people's lives for the better and not for the prestige involved. 'After I was elected my husband started giggling at the breakfast table and he looked at me and he goes: 'Do you realise you're the most powerful person in sport?'' she said. 'And I was like: 'What are you talking about?' For me, it's not about the title. It wasn't about power. Sometimes those things get in the way and they make you focus on maybe the wrong things. It's just not who I am. 'But I'm very proud we have elected our first female president. And I'm going to do my best to ensure that it's a successful journey.' – Guardian
