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ZeroKnowledge's Freedom Server Code Available

Posted by michael on from the happy-valentine's-day dept.

hey writes: "The Register reports that Zero Knowledge's Freedom Network source code is now available." This seems to be part of CodeCon, which is now underway in San Francisco. You can't use the code for commercial gain, but I could see a non-profit network springing up...

33 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. from the happy-valentine's-day dept. ??? by cperciva · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is someone a couple days late?

    Or is the idea that people would use ZKS to send anonymous and untraceable Valentines?

    --
    Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
  2. More hysteria kills software by coupland · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sorry, but despite the article it appears terrorism is once again eliminating freedoms internally. I used this service for a long time to dodge predatory advertisers and to avoid unsolicited contact. While Sep. 11th needs to be remembered vividly, people also need to remember that the basis of the American Constitution is that no external threat can strip one of their freedoms. This has been sadly missing of late but please don't forget that the precepts of democracy are Freedom, Tolerance, and and Equality. None can be abandoned due to an attack, in fact they are more sacred than ever...

    1. Re:More hysteria kills software by Chiasmus_ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Dude... the point here is that they've open-sourced the software.

      Though the *company* may be unable to continue its anonymizing service in the wake of Sep. 11th, the people involved understood that their ideal could be fully realized simply by dumping the code on whoever wants to maintain it.

      They may not make a pile of money this way, but, hey, did anyone really expect that this idea would rake in the cash in the first place? Anyone trying something like this must have some ulterior motive (see Neal Stevenson's Avi for a fictional counterpart).

      --
      "Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he deems himself your master."
    2. Re:More hysteria kills software by srichman · · Score: 2
      Sorry, but despite the article it appears terrorism is once again eliminating freedoms internally.
      What is this "despite the article" business? "Despite what the facts are, I'm going to pretend something of my own design and write a post about it..."

      Their Chief Scientist said: "...support for the Freedom network offering was removed from the client code base well before the recent tragedies of September 11..."

    3. Re:More hysteria kills software by base3 · · Score: 2

      What would you have said if you had cypherpunk cred and were shutting down due to government pressure? "Due to the polite request of the RCMP, and their generous offer not to raid our offices, confiscate our equipment, and put us out of business, in addition to the fact that the independent Freedom server operators are all scared, the Freedom network will shut down on October 1?" Please.

      --
      One CPU cycle wasted on digital restrictions management is ONE TOO MANY.
  3. Open Services? by ocip · · Score: 2, Insightful

    While I'm glad to see the source is out for download now, it would have been nice to see it a long time ago. It would be really neat if online services shared their code with a "you can look, and play for yourself, but don't try to make money" sort of license. Not only would it improve the service (because of feedback) but also help others to implement a similar service as a custom solution.

    I wish I had some examples.

    1. Re:Open Services? by Chiasmus_ · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think one of the reasons that open source works so well is that people *can* make money under most licenses.

      Really, how many venture capitalists would even *glance* at Linux if the GPL included a provision saying "Don't even think about redistributing this code in some hardware you're trying to sell. This is educational stuff only."

      Remember: something can't exactly be considered free (as in speech) if it tells you exactly how you're required to use it. From a law-abiding corporation's perspective, what's the difference between something you can't use and something you're not allowed to use?

      --
      "Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he deems himself your master."
    2. Re:Open Services? by spt · · Score: 2, Funny

      #include "google.h"

      void google(char *searchstring)
      {
      int i;

      for(i=0;i<NumPages;i++)
      {
      if(strstr(Page[i].data,searchstring))
      {
      printf("%s\n",Page[i].URL);
      }
      }
      }

  4. Proposal by Guido69 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Perfect. Now if I can just get this up and running, I can anonymously ask Kathleen to marry me. 'Taco won't have a clue who's stealing his girl! Bwaahahahah.

    --
    - If we aren't supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out of meat? - Steven Wright
  5. The article saith... by polymath69 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The article saith,
    The main tarballs is a 12.5MB download, PGP encrypted with the "traditional magic words" (one of which is a big bird).

    OK, it is cool that Zero Knowledge is making this available. But what are the "traditional magic words"? And how would that work, anyway, with PGP? A passphrase usually unlocks only a private key, which, erm, we don't have, as far as I know.

    River Phoenix? Open Sesame Street?

    --

    --
    I don't want to rule the world... I just want to be in charge of mayonnaise.
    1. Re:The article saith... by ekrout · · Score: 2

      Gee, um, just a wild guess, but how about:

      opensesame

      --

      If you celebrate Xmas, befriend me (538
    2. Re:The article saith... by Toodles · · Score: 2

      Im not sure ( I haven't tried yet, still downloading ) but I have a hunch the magic words are the same ones I tell my 3 year old:

      Please and Thank You.

      I can only guess the 'big bird' reference is someone mixing up 'Ewe' and 'You'. Shame a ewe isn't a bird thou.

      Toodles

      --
      Toodles D. Clown
    3. Re:The article saith... by glitch! · · Score: 2

      ut what are the "traditional magic words"?

      Doesn't anyone remember "THE WORDS ARE SQUEAMISH OSSIFRAGE"?

      Maybe not... Well, it was worth a try :-)

      --
      A dingo ate my sig...
    4. Re:The article saith... by karlm · · Score: 3, Informative
      And how would that work, anyway, with PGP? A passphrase usually unlocks only a private key, which, erm, we don't have, as far as I know.

      Symetrically encrypted messages. An md5 sum of the passphrase is ussed to encrypt the session key and this is symetrically encrypted session key is sent just like an asymetricically encrypted session key at the beginning of the message.(Hopefully the session key encryption uses the same cipher as the message. Failing that 3DES. but it's been a little while since I've read the OpenPGP spec.)

      --
      Copyright Violation:"theft, piracy"::Anti-Trust Violation:"thermonuclear price terrorism"<-Overly dramatic language.
    5. Re:The article saith... by lcracker · · Score: 4, Informative

      "squeamish ossifrage", sans quotes

    6. Re:The article saith... by Jose · · Score: 2

      why it is Klaatu Varata Niktu obviously...

      --
      The basic sleazeware produced in a drunken fury by a bunch of UCBerkeley grad students was still the core of BIND. --PV
    7. Re:The article saith... by glitch! · · Score: 2

      They're famous, as are "Many hands make light work."

      Hey, that's pretty good! That project had large numbers involved, and the final product was really big news :-) (I'll stop now.)

      --
      A dingo ate my sig...
    8. Re:The article saith... by KlomDark · · Score: 2

      Try DogPenis

  6. Something else like this by oasamostexianu · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.jmarshall.com/tools/cgiproxy/ A free, fast, anonymous web proxy. Pretty neat.

  7. Re:Waitaminute... by base3 · · Score: 2, Informative
    It was available when ZKS shutdown freedom in the aftermath of 9/11, uh, excuse me, because there was "no market" for it.

    AFAIK, the source was never removed, though I grabbed it immediately in case it had been.

    --
    One CPU cycle wasted on digital restrictions management is ONE TOO MANY.
  8. Uh, yeah, right. by base3 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    but I could see a non-profit network springing up...

    Because I'm certain there are lots of volunteers out there that want to donate their bandwidth to the cause of having their door kicked down and family forced face down on the floor at gunpoint because someone used their Freedom server to threaten the POTUS, exchange kiddie porn with an FBI agent, or (horror of horrors) download a non-rights-managed piece of music and that person was the lucky person to be the exit server for the traffic.

    These servers simply cannot be run successfully by individuals with the potential legal problems of relatively honest use, much less malicious use. And after 9/11, I doubt very many ISPs would be able to weather the storm, either.

    --
    One CPU cycle wasted on digital restrictions management is ONE TOO MANY.
    1. Re:Uh, yeah, right. by wurp · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Uh, yeah, right. I mean, really, right. There are people out there who want to donate their bandwidth to the cause of free anonymous speech, and if that means someone might see some ugliness that could result in us testing some of the more oppressive aspects of recent turns of law in court, so be it.

      If you're not willing to stand up for your beliefs, at least don't mock those who are.

    2. Re:Uh, yeah, right. by base3 · · Score: 2

      I'll be expecting you to post the IP address of your Freedom server, then. I'm not mocking anybody, just pointing out what should be obvious risks of providing such a service.

      --
      One CPU cycle wasted on digital restrictions management is ONE TOO MANY.
    3. Re:Uh, yeah, right. by jbrw · · Score: 2

      didn't zk base themselves in canada because of more favourable laws?

      what's the situation like up there?

    4. Re:Uh, yeah, right. by Graymalkin · · Score: 2

      While I believe that anonymity is the backbone of democracy, anonymity provides security for the minority from the majority when the minority disagrees with the majority. Saying someone ought to put their necks on the chopping block so somebody else can preserve their anonymity sort of invalidates your point. You're asking someone to take one for the team which in itself mocks the concept of pursuing life, liberty, and happiness. I would even say that getting your ass thown in jail because you let people download pictures of naked kids would be the antithesis of pursuing happiness and liberty. Prisons are notorious for their drab colours and lack of personal liberty, unless that is the libery to get anally raped by bigger inmates. Don't mock people's unwillingness to risk the structure integrity of their assholes because you don't want anyone knowing you voted for the other guy.

      --
      I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
    5. Re:Uh, yeah, right. by Python · · Score: 2

      You mean like how there are no anonymous remailers or proxy servers now run by volunteers?

      --

      Python

  9. -1 Evil Genius Rules Violation on the MQR standard by MarkusQ · · Score: 2

    Guido69: Perfect. Now if I can just get this up and running, I can anonymously ask Kathleen to marry me. 'Taco won't have a clue who's stealing his girl! Bwaahahahah.

    Perfect? Hardly. In the unlikely event that she decides to accept she won't know who to accept.

    Unless of course she saw your post...unless of course he also saw your post...

    Anonymity is tricky, yes?

    -- MarkusQ

  10. Usability... by Bonker · · Score: 2

    Downloading the code now... at a whopping .8 k/s.

    'sokay. I'll just let the download run all night and maybe I'll have a whole tarball in the morning. If not, I'll try again and grab it off one of the mirrors that will inevitably spring up.

    What I'd really like to see come out of this, however, are 'userland' Win32 and MacOS implimentations ala 'Triangle Boy'.

    I'm simply not much of a coder, or I would spend time on this, since I think it's such an important project.

    Make this usuable for both experienced and inexperienced admins, and you have done a great deal for privacy and freedom.

    --
    The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
  11. Files deleted by rdl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Either Bram or Len abused the hosting which was provided to codecon on the basis of "information about CodeCon, text-only" to host large files of non-open-source software. I have removed the files, please get them from a mirror.

    Anyone who gets free service and then abuses the terms of service under which that service is provided really has little right to complain when their access is permanently deleted.

    Paying customers are certainly welcome to use their full available bandwidth. CodeCon is hosted for free, as it was originally an idea a few of us on OPN were discussing and originally organizing.

  12. Non-profit my ass by KlomDark · · Score: 2

    Those things are generally the scummiest things out there. Some fuck gets a government grant to "help people" with some thing, say $500,000 for a three year project, the main scurve pays himself $100,000 a year out of that money leaving $200,000 left. Enough for office rent, pseudo-advertising (aka CYA money), a couple computers, and probably a bunch of coke in the meantime.

    If I ever license anything like that, it's going to exclude both corporate and little scum-sucking "legally" not for profit "organizations" as well. Only truly for "no gain usage"

    Maybe if they share the coke... :)

  13. Re:The article saith...it's an adventure! by farrellj · · Score: 3, Funny

    The obvious magic word to me is:

    XYZZY

    (The world spins around, and you find ourself in front of small house, there are pgp keys and a lantern on the ground by your feet)

    ttyl
    Farrell

    --
    CAN-CON 2019 - Ottawa's only book oriented Science Fiction Convention! October 18-20, Sheraton Hotel, Ottawa, Canada h
  14. Freedom Source Mirror and New CodeCon URL! by lowy · · Score: 4, Informative

    CodeCon is being broadcast live from the DNA Lounge over streaming video.

    They just announced Ryan at HavenCo has changed the password to the codecon.org server and conference organizers can no longer log in. They have setup a New Server for CodeCon which has updated info on the conference.

    The source to the Freedom Network servers linked from this new server is now at Linux Fund. Yeah!

  15. Re:great use of cut and paste by kzinti · · Score: 2

    ha ha, nice going losing karma, FAG!

    I've got SHITLOADS. Bring on the modders!