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US Funding Stealth Internets to Circumvent Repressive Regimes

Posted by samzenpus on from the under-the-radar dept.

snydeq writes "The Obama administration is leading a global effort to deploy 'shadow' Internet and mobile phone systems that dissidents can use to undermine repressive governments that seek to silence them by censoring or shutting down telecommunications networks. According to a report from CBS News: '...by the end of the year the State Department will have spent $70 million on efforts to provide alternate pathways for dissidents to access the Internet and telecommunications services. One group received $2 million to develop an "Internet in a suitcase" that could be easily carried and set up in a foreign country.'"

16 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. Is it just me... by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...or doesn't this seem a little hypocritical in light of how the whole Wikileaks thing has been handled?

    --
    .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    1. Re:Is it just me... by gilbert644 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Every government limits freedom, its inherent to its role.

    2. Re:Is it just me... by ArhcAngel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      At first blush yes. But what they don't tell you is they have a back door into this system so it won't work in the US.

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    3. Re:Is it just me... by amiga3D · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Indeed. Government is a necessary evil. That government is best which governs least. The kind of thing you don't hear much anymore as it's gone out of style.

    4. Re:Is it just me... by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It hasn't gone out of style, it's just plain wrong. The world is a different place then when Thoreau wrote that (and it wasn't too close to the mark then). Do you honestly think there is anything else besides a strong central government that can stand up to mega-corps? Do you honestly want those few mega-corps (and their oligarch CEOs, kings of the new millennium) running things. Power is going to concentrate whether you like it or not. I'll take my chances with Obama over the Koch brothers any day.

      --
      Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    5. Re:Is it just me... by hitmark · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think the inherent issue here is approaching government as a "us vs them" issue, rather then considering that government, at least in a representative democracy (take the "it is a republic" somewhere else), is by the people for the people. As such, it is there to uphold the rules that the majority of the nation agrees upon (you anarchists and libertarians can keep quiet for now). The last couple of decades however it appears that corporations and other special interest groups have managed to co-opt this system. As such we are seeing laws being written that will make the majority of the people criminals. Did we not learn a thing from the failed attempt at prohibition?

      --
      comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
  2. No it's not just you.. by Finallyjoined!!! · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What would happen if there were, just for arguments sake, dissident Americans........
    Pause..

    --
    If I had an Ass, I'd call it Fanny Bottom, then I could slap my Ass; Fanny Bottom, on the Arse.
    1. Re:No it's not just you.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They're not supplying freedom, they're supplying a means of communication that makes monitoring/shaping/manipulating events abroad easier and safer.

    2. Re:No it's not just you.. by obarthelemy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      we'd call those terrorists, and patriot-act them.

      --
      The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
  3. how about we in the USA? by rubycodez · · Score: 2, Insightful

    is someone making a package for us to circumvent our ever-repressive government in the Demokratik Polize State of Amerika ?

    1. Re:how about we in the USA? by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The sad thing is recent behaviour of both democrats and republicans show that it doesn't make a difference which party rules. They just screw their population in slightly different ways, unless you have the cash to pay to screw.

      The recent problem has been the heavy handed shutting down of sites without due process. Given the number of problem sites I can understand why they want to do this, but at the same time shouldn't there be some sort of transparency. Also, it would be nice if the US crack down of sites only affected sites in the USA and didn't impact what other countries see.

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      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
  4. What's good for the goose by Omnifarious · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've read that parts of Anonymous also work on projects in this same vein. And that same facet of Anonymous is who carries out the DDoS attacks and other various distressing things. I wonder if the irony of sharing goals with Anonymous is completely lost on the US government. I expect probably so. Freedom abroad, a slow slide towards facism at home, that'll be the way of it.

    --
    Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
  5. America the Land of Liberty! by Haedrian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    America the Land of Liberty*. Freeing the people from oppression**

    *Note: Liberty is only available other countries.

    **Does not count for people living in America

    1. Re:America the Land of Liberty! by atriusofbricia · · Score: 5, Insightful

      America the Land of Liberty*. Freeing the people from oppression**

      *Note: Liberty is only available other countries.

      **Does not count for people living in America

      I'll bite.. Will I get thrown in jail for saying Obama is a dick? No? Oh, so I suppose I'll get sent to GITMO for saying that the government is crap? Won't happen?

      I know, I'll get thrown in jail for traveling to another state without permission.. oh.. not happening either?

      Prevented by the government from visiting or moving to another country? Damn, nope.. not that either..

      Disallowed from owning guns, property, practicing my religion or protesting peacefully?

      I'll find random politically objectionable websites filtered on a national scale? Well damn, not that either.

      So what exactly is this oppression you're speaking of? I'm not saying it's perfect, but where is better and more free?

      --
      I was raised on the command line, bitch

      "Nemo me impune lacesset"

    2. Re:America the Land of Liberty! by MoonBuggy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I agree that the GP post was unreasonable, and that many countries are of course much worse, but the US does still have legitimate problems which need to be faced. The government is making consistent efforts to increase their powers both to act in secret and without warrant or oversight - we've seen where this leads both on a small scale (violent and corrupt police officers intimidating citizens with cameras) and on a large one (warrantless wiretapping); that's a road I'd really rather not see the US follow any further than it has. Police raids on private residences are also becoming increasingly militarised, a trend which has been shown to drastically increase the "us and them" mentality on both sides, and again is a catalyst for violent abuses of power. Often the justice system shows a marked difference in treatment of the rich and powerful compared to that of the poor. While political speech may not be enough to have your website seized, an accusation of copyright infringement may do it, again without conviction, oversight, or recourse. Wikileaks has revealed that some people in Guantanamo were there for little to no reason - while the white American citizen might not have anything to fear on that side of things, the Pakistani guy in the wrong place at the wrong time might not be so lucky; again, the real problem is the lack of transparency making abuses almost impossible to catch, let alone rectify.

      As for the 'where is better and more free?' question, I'd say most of Scandanavia, The Netherlands, and probably Canada and New Zealand too. No, the US isn't too bad, for the majority of citizens who are lucky enough not to have a run-in with the authorities, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't strive to be better.

  6. Re:propaganda by thrich81 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    To some extent I can see where you are coming from. I was on some international travel in 2003-2004 and it was striking how different the Iraq coverage was by CNN International vs. the domestic CNN feed. However, don't blame the government for that -- the vast majority of people want to hear news which reinforces their already held opinions of things (and it has always been that way). The big news organizations are there to make money (not so true 50 years ago, but there really was no 'golden age' of unbiased news reporting) and for that they sell their audiences what they want to hear, in any country or society nowadays. Don't blame the government for that -- look around and blame your fellow citizens and "news consumers". There is plenty of news and evidence available which puts into question the official reports and societal held opinions, if people are willing to just pay attention. And the fricking "US is the Great Satan" meme is just as bogus as any of them so give that a rest. You don't need better governments, you need better citizens, and most of them aren't willing to be so.