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From Slaying Dragons To Dictators

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the thats-a-lotta-xp dept.

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."

4 of 233 comments (clear)

  1. For all that Iran is... by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 5, Informative

    It is not a dictatorship.

    Misguided, dangerous, theocratic, abusive, yes. But not a dictatorship.

    1. Re:For all that Iran is... by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 5, Informative

      That would be a theocracy. Not a dictatorship.

      "Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the state's supreme civil ruler, or in a higher sense, a form of government in which a state is governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided."

      "Iran's government is described as a "theocratic republic".Iran's head of state, or Supreme Leader, is an Islamic cleric appointed for life by an elected body called Assembly of Experts. The Council of Guardians, considered part of the executive branch of government, is responsible for determining if legislation is in line with Islamic law and customs (the Sharia), and can bar candidates from elections, and greenlight or ban investigations into the election process."

      A dictatorship is ruled by an individual. So like Iraq before Operation Iraqi Freedom kicked him out of power.

  2. But how does it work? by by+(1706743) · · Score: 5, Funny

    It must be tricky to hide sensitive data in innocuous data streams. Of course, I'm sure it's possible...

  3. I guess I'll come out and say it... by scribblej · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Bullshit.

    Less than a month and many all-nighters later, Heap and a friend had created Haystack. The anti-censorship software is built on a sophisticated mathematical formula that 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.

    This doesn't make sense. It still has to connect to and load the BAD website, too...

    Other anti-censorship programs--such as Tor, Psiphon, or Freegate--can successfully hide someone's identity, but censors are able to detect that these programs are being run and then work to disable the communication. With Haystack, the censors aren't even aware the software is in use. "Haystack captures all outgoing connections, encrypts them, and then masquerades the data as something else," explains Heap. "If you want to block Haystack, you are gonna block yourself."

    OK, this makes so little sense I can't even figure out how to respond to it.

    Heap intends to gradually develop Haystack's presence in the country. He has started to share it with select activists and trusted individuals on an invitation-only basis. They will then be asked to share it with their friends. It is the same model that was originally followed by Google's Gmail. The targeted approach is smarter from a security standpoint. Also, he doesn't want the software to collapse from low-value demand.

    SAY WHAT?

    Yeah, there's one word for this whole article. BULLSHIT. It stinks.