Between “mining” and “helium”
At the time of the collapse of the national currency, the attention of the Lebanese is directed towards the digital currency and how to take advantage of it to obtain hard currency, which remains the desired goal for every oppressed citizen. Lebanon is always ready to go along with the latest and strangest global trends. New phenomena such as mining and helium have begun to spread, and fear has begun to escalate from the impact of these two phenomena on its digital security, the fragile Internet situation in it, and the electrical network, which suffers from what it suffers from. Has Lebanon entered the stage of digital risks, or is it a new door for financial benefit? Warnings began to appear from here and there, met with objections and criticism in the process of conflicting interests and analyzes. The whole story is still new in Lebanon, and its good from its evil has not yet emerged, despite the intimidation of some and the reassurance of others. “
Since the emergence of Bitcoin, the most prominent digital currency, the world has been divided between supporters and opponents, but this did not prevent the rocketing rise of trading in this currency and its transformation into a major currency in a number of countries along with local currencies. Based on this fact, it is possible to understand the mining process that is being talked about today in Lebanon, as any process of transferring a Bitcoin transaction from one team to another is carried out through a technology known as the blockchain, and each process that needs authentication or verification is in turn carried out through a complex process and by means of related devices. Sophisticated technologies require fast internet and uninterrupted high electric power. This process is called mining and it is carried out by people called miners or “miners” who own one or more of the mentioned devices to be able to solve complex algorithmic operations and check more and more conversion operations so that it is possible to talk about mining farms that include many devices and are able to Meet larger numbers of conversions.
"Mining" Farms
As for why the name mining was given to this process, the matter is simple and requires a little imagination, as in the mines, raw minerals are converted into valuable pieces or coins. Then to mining this digital currency, that is, converting it into a real currency (in dollars) through specialized institutions that are now present on Lebanese soil. Despite the high price of the device that the miner buys, which may reach 1500 dollars, he will be able to recover its price within six months through the profits he earns daily, and then the work turns into a net profit that returns to its owners with a good return of hard currency at this time. Difficult. This is what prompted many Lebanese youth to invest in these devices and carry out mining operations to collect hard currency easily and quickly without making any effort at a time when unemployment has become the dominant position and large numbers of the new generation are without work looking for any source of livelihood.
But this mining process, which has become widespread in Lebanon, poses more than one problem. The mining devices used require huge and uninterrupted electric energy and a high consumption of the Internet. From here the question arises, how do mining farms and miners secure this electrical energy? Some of them worked to provide their headquarters with solar panels to ensure continuous access to electricity, while many, which has become almost certain, illegally theft of electricity and this was reflected on the network in some areas that could no longer bear the increased pressure on them, especially as the networks sag. In Lebanon, it is known and taken for granted. Some areas and villages where mining farms abound began complaining about the power cuts and the failure of the networks to bear the increasing pressure on them, which forced the Electricity Company to separate some villages in which electricity consumption increased significantly from other villages to ensure the continuity of current access to all villages. It appeared in the Jezzine region in particular and some villages in the south.
And to confirm the ferocity of this energy monster, many countries have banned the mining process. It is mentioned that China was one of the first countries to prevent Bitcoin mining and destroyed all the devices used in it and prevented its sale in China and through major Chinese companies such as Alibaba. For more confirmation, a frightening figure is being traded, which is that the consumption of energy by mining equipment in the world is equal to the electricity consumed by the Netherlands. How about in Lebanon, which already suffers from a described weakness in the production and distribution of electric energy?
As for the second problem posed, is it possible for Lebanon to bear, in light of the deteriorating internet conditions in it and the problems that this sector suffers from, a huge increase in internet consumption? Does the increase in consumption have a negative impact on the capacity of the networks and negatively affect all users?
Helium is a new concern?
The second issue that has begun to raise whispers and questions recently is the helium network, which reminded the Lebanese in one way or another of a previous communications network that, on a fateful day, caused them a major security and political problem. Should the helium network and its dangers be feared, or is it still limited in problems and does not rise to the level of risks?
First of all, it is necessary to define what is called helium. It is a different concept from the concept of Bitcoin mining and is linked to what is known as the Internet of things (IOT), meaning that the world today uses many devices and tools that need to be connected to the Internet in order to work, such as surveillance cameras, for example, and therefore it must be available These things have routers that allow them to connect to the Internet or a 3G line. But sometimes the Internet coverage may not be available for these things due to its distance from the Internet source, so it was necessary to use an alternative network known as helium. Through this technology, individuals can cut off part of their internet at home or on their phone and send it to these things to secure coverage for them. This is done through a device that distributes the cut internet power to the nearby surroundings. So far, nothing is illegal, because whoever shares his energy via helium is originally paying the phone or Internet operators for what he consumes.
And if we want to simplify this concept, we can say that it is somewhat close to the concept of a neighborhood generator that distributes alternative energy to electric current, and thus thanks to helium it is possible to secure local Internet coverage for any place that needs it. On the other hand, it looks like a win-win process because the helium device can also be used to mine another type of digital currency called HNT, with which other digital currencies can be purchased or converted into dollars. The mentioned digital currency that is exchanged for hard currency. In this way, the Lebanese “Harbuk” had hit two birds with one stone and was able to earn easy money while serving those around him and perhaps getting caught from them as well (but it is still uncertain).
The internet is choking
After the publication of a map of the sites where helium networks are frequently used, it was found that most of them are located in the south and that some of them are planted near the airport road, which raised a major problem because it endangers the security of Rafic Hariri International Airport and exposes the surveillance cameras in it or its surroundings, perhaps to breach or surveillance, as it makes the devices That need internet is under the grip of the anonymous helium networks that provide it with coverage.
The use of helium, like mining devices, poses more than a real problem, the first of which is, is the entire Internet used legitimate, or do some resort to illegal sources of the Internet that are far from state control?
There is reason to wonder: Is the internet, which suffers mainly in Lebanon and complains of slowness and interruption, and whose administration today, through Ogero, complains about its inability to operate the centers due to the loss of diesel fuel, able to withstand the additional pressure generated by the use of helium? In the world, where high-speed Internet and the ability to use helium does not constitute any problem, but could be a solution for some remote areas, but in Lebanon, it poses a real danger to a network that suffers under a myriad of problems and difficulties.
And if we want to talk about the legal reality, we must ask what laws take care of these matters today? And where are the licenses given to people who deal in helium or mining machines, and who collects taxes on profits or monitors their businesses?
On the other hand, do you pay customs taxes on devices that enter Lebanon via the port or the airport, and why are there devices that are entered without supervision or customs, while other devices are stopped and their entry prevented? These are all questions drawn up by the competent official authorities, from the Ministry of Communications to the Ministry of the Interior, Finance and others, which are still dealing with this matter as if it does not exist, ignoring the financial benefits or security risks that may accrue to the state from it.
After that, can we blame the young men and women who seek through knowledge technologies to try to earn their livelihood in a country that hardly secures anything for them and in the shadow of a failed state that kills their dreams and ambitions?
