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From Slaying Dragons To Dictators

tcd004 writes "In a weekend, programmer Austin Heap transformed from an apathetic MMO player to a world class regime-slayer. When word for Iran's rigged election broke over Twitter, Heap decided to dedicate himself to building a better proxy system for people behind Iran's firewall. Heap's creation, Haystack, conceals someone's real online destinations inside a stream of innocuous traffic. You may be browsing an opposition Web site, but to the censors it will appear you are visiting, say, weather.com. Heap tends to hide users in content that is popular in Tehran, sometimes the regime's own government mouthpieces."

2 of 233 comments (clear)

  1. Re:LOL! "Iran's rigged election broke over Twitter by Fnkmaster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As opposed to the laughably juvenile attempts by Iranian intelligence agencies to spam twitter with pro-Iranian-government messages?

    Also, please include citations when you make accusations like that. I pulled up a bunch of articles on the Iranian twitspam with no problem but found it harder to dig up reports of US Agencies doing the same (though I wouldn't be shocked if they had, this seems to go both ways).

  2. Re:Learn something, daily by commodore64_love · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I hate moral dictatorship. It doesn't matter if it's coming from a Muslim government, the Church of Rome, or politicians. Ya know... it's my life. If I want to be an asshole that looks at porn, doesn't go to church, and keeps to himself, I have that right. Stop trying to force me to adopt your moral beliefs.

    So this HAYSTACK program. Would it work in the US and EU? It appears the answer is "no" since it was specifically designed for Iraq.

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall