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Peekabooty, Camera/Shy Released

Posted by michael on from the carnivore-go-home dept.

An anonymous (how appropriate) writer sends "Peek-a-Booty, a program designed to circumvent mechanisms (such as China's Great Firewall) limiting access to websites, has been open-sourced. It's listed as a "Beta" on SourceForge, but the Peek-a-booty website seems to encourage people to start using it." And Doug writes "PC World reports about a new tool to encrypt text with a click of the mouse and bury the text in an image. After posting an embedded image on a Web site, someone can notify intended recipients by e-mail with code words such as 'Go to this URL to see pictures from my birthday party.'"

3 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Am I missing something? by FreeLinux · · Score: 5, Interesting

    From the description at the Peek-a-Booty site it seems to me that it is nothing more than open proxies running SSL. While I understand their stated goals, the whole project seems redundant.

    First, the project assumes that the governments are using a NOT list. This is a big assumtion. I would think that control freaks like the Chinese government would more likely use an ALLOW list. A small list of governmet sanctioned sites. This would, of course, negate Peek-A-Booty.

    If the government is in fact, using a NOT list, there are already countless open proxies continually popping up all over the place. This makes me think that the whole project is redundant.

  2. I propose a new form of steganography by phaxkolumbo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How about putting hidden messages in spam? Nobody bothers with those anymore, anyway.

    Here's an example:
    ***SNORING KEEPING YOU FROM A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP ?***
    tHIs proDuct has been featureD on national tv.doEs sNoring keep you up at night?
    tired of having to sleep in separate rooMs bEcauSe of Snoring?
    just tired of being tired becAuse of someone's snorinG?
    tired of hEaring how your snoring kept someone up all night?
    There is a safe, natural solution to your snoring problem...

    And so on...

    The steganographic schema could be a bit more advanced in the production version, but i think the basic idea is good enuff for a start.

  3. As usual... everyone is missing the point. by GuNgA-DiN · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Sure the Peekabooty website talks about free speech in China, blah, blah, blah.... Everyone here is arguing about whether the Chinese will block Peekabooty and whether it will be an effective tool for freedom of speech. But, the REAL point of this software isn't to help the Chinese -- it's to help us poor saps in the Good Ole US of A! Think about it: since 9/11 our Government has gotten more and more oppressive. They have taken away freedoms that we used to take for granted. But, if the developers of Peekabooty came right out and said: "this is used to circumvent the assholes in Homeland Security" they would get a visit from the NSA/FBI/CIA etc.. They picked an oppressive regime (like China) to talk about this tool. But, substitute the letters USA for CHINA and you will begin to see the truth.

    Another nice benefit of this tool will be the developement of secure, anonymous P2P networks. Look at all the shit in the news lately about how ISP's are cutting off KaZaa. And, how Ranger Online is tracking down Gnutella users. The RIAA/MPAA Gestapo is out to get us and take us down. New tools like Peekabooty and FreeNet will help to insure that these organizations will never, EVER shut down the free-flow of information on the Net. Peekabooty is a dagger that is aimed right at the heart of corporate America! It says: "You think you can take over the Net? Ha! Fuck you and the horse you rode in on!". This just proves to them that we can always defeat them with technology regardless of how much money they have!