Anonymous Internet
During the cold war, the book Doctor Zhivago was published by the CIA, and filtered back into USSR via trade shows.
Russia’s Roskomnadzor is planning to block the servers of Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
There are ways around this.
Tails
Tails is a live operating system which will run on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card. It aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity, and helps you to:
- use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship
- all connections to the Internet are forced to go through the Tor network
- leave no trace on the computer you are using unless you ask it explicitly
- use state-of-the-art cryptographic tools to encrypt your files, emails and instant messaging
Talis is related to the Tor Project
VPN in Touch
For Iphone and Ipad access, this App is brilliant, specifically designed to be a workaround for banned sites in backward Countries
VPN in Touch – Unblock Facebook, WiFi Hotspot Security, Web Proxy, Free VPN for iPhone and iPad by VPN in Touch co.
Open Garden & Firechat
“Open Garden is a free, closed source mobile application for Windows, Mac, Android, and soon iOS, that enables peer-to-peer mobile Internet connection sharing with faster and more efficient data transmissions by automatically and actively choosing and switching to the best available network without requiring users to manually sift through available networks to find the best one available.” Wikipedia
“…creates a local mesh of users, only one of them needs internet access. Very cute stuff. Open Garden is getting a lot of airplay in HongKong (look for Firechat)”
“News about the protests in Hong Kong have been suppressed in mainland China, where the picture sharing site Instagram has been blocked. Messages posted to Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site similar to Twitter, are being blocked in far greater numbers than normal. And on Sunday, rumours reportedly circulated that the authorities in Hong Kong might shut down the city’s cellular networks.
In response, a different type of social network has come to the fore. The Firechat app allows smartphone users to talk to one another “off-the-grid”, in the absence of a mobile signal or access to the internet.”
Global Voices article on FireChat and associated tools
“The FireChat application can run over a mesh network. As each mobile phone sends out a weak signal, a mesh network turns each mobile phone into a network node and links the nodes together to form a local telecommunication network that enables the exchange of messages between users.”
“Telegram is an application similar to WhatsApp, but all communications are encrypted and users may choose to delete conversation records permanently to prevent old records from being spied upon if a user’s mobile phone or computer is confiscated.”
“Google Talk is another common communication tools among protesters. It is prudent to develop the habit of choosing the “off-the-record” chat option so that others cannot read the chat history.”
Full article at globalvoicesonline.org