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Equipment seized in anti-piracy actions gained a new function in schools, social projects, and public units, after undergoing technical decharacterization and installation of a free system by students and teachers from IFSP.
The Federal Revenue donated, on November 17, 2025, approximately 6,000 minicomputers produced from seized and decharacterized TV Boxes.
The delivery was carried out by the Federal Revenue Office in Sorocaba, in the interior of São Paulo, and included 73 municipalities, 17 entities with social projects, two prison units, and one quilombo, according to the agency.
The devices, previously associated with illegal access to paid channels, were reconfigured for educational use.
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According to the Federal Revenue, the equipment now operates with Linux system, basic office package, internet access, and applications aimed at digital literacy activities, mainly for elementary school students.
The ceremony took place at the Teotônio Vilela Municipal Theater in Sorocaba, with the presence of municipal representatives, social organizations, public servants, teachers, and students involved in the project.
The initiative allocates irregular goods seized to schools, laboratories, technology workshops, and community actions after removing functions associated with piracy.
The work involved the participation of 12 higher education institutions.
Among them are the campuses of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo in Salto, Boituva, Sorocaba, and Itapetininga, as well as units of Fatec, the Federal University of São Carlos, and Unesp.
How the TV Boxes were converted into minicomputers
The seized TV Boxes underwent a process of technical decharacterization before donation.
In this stage, the software used for illegal access to subscription TV content was removed, and the devices received a free operating system to allow educational and administrative use.
The conversion is not limited to the replacement of programs.
The teams need to identify hardware variations, adjust compatibilities, and test each unit before allocation.
In some cases, equipment with a similar appearance has different internal components, requiring specific adaptations during the process.
Felipe Gobo, from IFSP Boituva, reported to Jornal Cruzeiro do Sul that the team found up to four types of hardware within the same model of TV Box.
“We had to recompile kernels, adjust systems, test compatibilities. Out of 1,300 units, about 150 did not withstand the process,” he stated.
According to Gobo, the units that cannot be converted are also repurposed.
The material can be allocated to robotics projects or transformed into raw material for 3D printer filament, as he explained to the newspaper.
The activity combines teaching, extension, and repurposing of seized equipment.
For the students involved, the process allows contact with reverse engineering, maintenance, open-source software, component analysis, and troubleshooting in real devices.
The institutions benefiting from this receive equipment that can be used for basic computing tasks.
Digital Inclusion Project Started at IFSP Salto
The Federal Revenue Service reports that the initiative began in 2022, with IFSP Salto, when 420 units were decharacterized.
In 2023, the number of donated equipment reached 1,500.
In 2025, the delivery reached about 6,000 minicomputers, with the expansion of the partnership to other educational institutions in the region.
At IFSP Salto, the project is part of the extension curricularization of the Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and is linked to Professor Luís Henrique Sacchi.
The experience was also recorded at the Customs Museum of Santos in video format, as an example of sustainable destination for seized products.
In the annals of the IFSP 2025 Extension Congress and Art and Culture Exhibition, the project is described as an action aimed at the removal of illegal software and the installation of open-source Linux.
The document also mentions the use of free programs, such as text editors, spreadsheets, and browsers, in addition to the initiative’s relation to digital inclusion and electronic waste reduction.
Aline Santos, a Bachelor in Computer Science, stated to Jornal Cruzeiro do Sul that the IFSP Salto team had already converted 3,000 TV Boxes.
According to her, the proposal advanced after a professor learned, through a relative working at the Federal Revenue Service, about the possibility of repurposing the devices in extension activities aimed at schools with little technological infrastructure.
Irregular Equipment Gains Educational Use
The decharacterization of TV Boxes occurs within a policy for the allocation of seized goods that cannot return to the market in their original form.
Instead of immediate destruction, some of the equipment can be repurposed when there is a technical and legal possibility to remove the irregular functions.
In the case of TV Boxes, reuse only occurs after the devices stop operating as piracy-linked devices.
The Federal Revenue states that the illegal software is replaced with a Linux system and educational applications, allowing them to be allocated to municipalities, social entities, and public units.
Anatel also warns of risks associated with irregular TV Boxes.
In a campaign released in July 2025, the agency stated that non-certified equipment can overload the electrical network, expose personal data, and cause interference.
The agency’s guidance is that non-certified products do not undergo the required safety, quality, and reliability tests.
In the schools and projects served, the minicomputers can be used for internet browsing, text editing, spreadsheets, pedagogical activities, and introductory technology courses.
The application depends on the structure of each location, such as the availability of screens, keyboards, connection, and technical support.
Federal Revenue expands sustainable allocation of seizures
In addition to TV Boxes, groups linked to the project also work with the decharacterization of vapes, electronic cigarettes, and counterfeit cups, according to information published by Jornal Cruzeiro do Sul.
The text also mentions studies for the development of a low-cost notebook and the use of seized tobacco in the production of biofertilizer.
Another initiative presented at the event was “IFSP Presente,” a digital attendance system created to support the monitoring of dropout rates in higher education.
Aline Santos told the newspaper that about 51% of students are prone to drop out and that digital data collection can help cross-reference data on transportation, infrastructure, and other factors related to student retention.
During the program, combat robots built with parts from illegal hoverboards were also demonstrated.
Professor Heiton Gomes, from IFSP Sorocaba, explained to Jornal Cruzeiro do Sul that wheels, batteries, and boards were repurposed to reduce assembly costs.
“A robot of this category costs between 10 to 15 thousand reais. With repurposing, we spent between 500 and 1,000,” said Heiton.
The statement was made in the context of the presentation of robotics projects developed from seized items.
The donation of the minicomputers is part of an allocation front that combines inspection, repurposing of irregular products, and educational use.
The removal of the devices from circulation addresses the fight against piracy, while the conversion allows part of the material to be directed to schools, social projects, and public units.
In educational institutions, student participation transforms the allocation of seized goods into practical activity.
The work involves technical analysis, system adaptation, component recovery, and preparation of equipment for collective use.
For the municipalities and entities served, the arrival of the devices represents an expansion of access to basic IT resources.
The impact, however, depends on the conditions of installation, maintenance, and use in each school or project benefited.
From this experience, the Federal Revenue Service and partner institutions began to treat part of the seized products as material eligible for reuse, provided that the irregularities are eliminated and the allocation follows technical and legal criteria.
