Software-Filtering Foe Goes After Net-Blocking Governments

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the take-a-stand dept

This article is incredibly short on details, unfortunately. It claims that Bennett Haselton is working with the US government to create systems that stop internet filters used by countries like China and Saudi Arabia to block certain internet content. They say that the big difference between Haselton’s project and other systems like Triangle Boy, is that Haselton’s will be completely open. The idea is to build something so that, even if the censors know how it works, they can’t stop it. As far as I can tell the “working with the government” part is just that the Voice of America has given him a little money to experiment. This, of course, makes sense, since such a system could serve the same purpose that the Voice of America is supposed to serve (though, there’s some argument as to how well it does that): making sure that people under certain regimes get information they don’t have access to. Of course, the article doesn’t mention the irony that the US government, at the same time, is still pushing for mandatory filters in schools and libraries. So, the government may be funding a system that will defeat their own mandate.