The challenge: governments of China, Cuba and some Islamic countries block Web sites that carry information or ideas that these governments prefer to keep from their citizens. (China, for instance, has blocked CNN.com.) The hackers’ response: software that lets users get around government-installed “firewalls” and gain access to the forbidden sites. This may be the first instance of world-class hacking for human rights.
Before you conclude that the hackers have somehow grown up, bear in mind that the program is called Peekabooty and that the authors are a “special operations group” of the Cult of the Dead Cow, a group best known for creating Back Orifice, a tool for gaining access to the PCs of unsuspecting Windows users.
But the aims of Hacktivismo, as this cDc spinoff is called, are neither malicious nor sophomoric. The spokesman, who calls himself Oxblood Ruffin, says the software is an extension of the hacker ideal of free-flowing information. “Access to information is a basic human right,” he says. Once installed, the program works with a standard Web browser. But instead of linking to the local, filtered server–the one the censor expects you to use–it goes through the computers of fellow travelers who have installed the software, and who form a kind of anonymous peer-to-peer underground network. Eventually the network leads to a server outside the firewall and–voila!–access granted. Dozens of hackers from the United States, Canada, Germany, Israel, Taiwan, South Korea and China collaborate on the project. The American Association for the Advancement of Science supports the group’s distribution efforts.
The biggest question about Hacktivismo is whether users in a censorious state run a risk of being found out. “I personally have lost a lot of sleep over this issue,” says Oxblood. That risk should decrease as the program spreads to thousands of users, making it impractical to track down anyone. Activists within the target countries, who know the risks, are “just begging for this application,” says Oxblood.
The software is due to be released later this year in an open-source format, which means programmers can tweak it to improve its ability to cope with any countermeasures from repressive regimes. Oxblood hopes the world’s best geeks will get involved. “We’re interested in showing that work like this is badass. It’s important. It’s going to have a huge practical upside.”
Rob Walker REGULATORS Cyberpope Sooner or later, it stands to reason that somebody will impose some order on the Internet. Is that a good idea? And if so, who should rule? To find out, the Markle Foundation, a U.S.-based philanthropic organization, surveyed a cross section of Americans. Two thirds said the U.S. government should be in charge. Other suggestions included Microsoft, ex-hackers, the CIA and just “regular folks.” Some even suggested the pope, clearly forgetting he’s 81 years old and probably doesn’t spend much time surfing. On second thought, to communicate with God he must have a great server and a pretty good broadband link.
Malcolm Beith HOT PROPERTY It Barks! It Kicks! It Scores! Robocup, a tournament featuring soccer-playing robots, is making its U.S. debut. After four years abroad, RoboCup 2001 will be held this month in Seattle. These speedy “soccerbots” pass, shoot and play defense without remote controls. Color sensors and wireless technology let them “see” the ball and communicate–once the whistle blows, there is no human intervention. More than 100 teams from 26 countries will play in five divisions; the competition’s goal is to produce a cyborg team that will play against humans in the real soccer World Cup by 2050. The earth’s most popular game is getting a little scary.
