How The Runaway Success Of A Tiny $25 Computer Could Become A Big Problem For Oppressive Regimes
from the hidden-benefits dept
The Raspberry Pi is a $25 credit-card sized computer that has succeeded in making GNU/Linux not just newsworthy, but downright desirable. The initial batch of boards sold out in minutes, and eager customers crashed the server where it was being sold.
The original vision of the Raspberry Pi was to promote amateur programming and to re-invigorate the teaching of computing in the UK (and elsewhere) by providing a very low-cost and easily hackable system. Naturally, though, its open source code allows it to be applied in many different situations. Here, for example, is a plan to create a secure chat system for activists that can be used in countries where communications are routinely under surveillance, using a program called Cryptocat:
Because of their low-cost and small size they can then be shipped to activists and NGO's in areas where free-speech is difficult.
An interesting consequence of Moore's Law and the ready availability of free software is that powerful computers can now be produced for just tens of dollars, and in an extremely small package. The low cost means that organizations supporting activists can send in many such systems to countries with human rights problems, and replace them if they are discovered and confiscated or destroyed. The size makes it much easier to import them discreetly, as well as to conceal them in countries that try to keep computing under tight control.
"This is especially useful for activist organizations, human rights organizations, any group composed of a few dozen people who need to have an internal secure communication service," said Mr Kobeissi.
Small, portable Raspberry Pi computers set up to run Cryptocat, he believes, may be a quick way to build such a service.
And it's not just the Raspberry Pi that will be making this possible. Its high-profile success is likely to mean that in due course other systems will be produced that are cheaper and smaller. That will ensure they are even more popular with the educational market and hackers -- and even more problematic for oppressive regimes.
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Filed Under: cheap computers, computers, hackable, linux, programming, raspberry pi
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Futures come, futures go.
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Its a tool for those radical terrorists. I can just hear it now.
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Re:
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Re: Futures come, futures go.
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Further, if any "unfriendly" government feels that they are dealing with this sort of thing, the internet will likely get VERY filtered, and yes, that sort of traffic might actually stand out anyway.
I rate this piece barely 2/10, for a combination of wishful thinking and semi-ignorance of technology and networking... oh and the $25 unit doesn't have a network port.
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Ahem.
Srsly, you know you are becoming old when your current computer is 10k times faster than yours first.
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We could build a physically hidden encrypted network that spans the country, nay the globe.
It won't happen, but the possibilities make me giggle just a little bit.
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Computer? What computer?
1) A deniable computer that they can't find on you. Maybe integrated circuits worked into commonplace objects, like soda bottles; they're all over the place, but if you tap your private code into one it becomes a terminal...
2) A honeypot computer. It looks like a Raspberry Pi, but it has a hardware hack that feeds straight to the Ministry of Information. (Now there's a counterfeiting issue we can feel strongly about!)
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It's for Copyright infringement & Terrorism
OMG, OMG !!!
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Re:
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Wake up people, your peripherals *are* computers.
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Potential Educational Uses?
We've seen well intentioned and, sometimes, well designed small machines built for the world's poor but the projects often fall apart due to ego, greed and the seemingly endless fight between Windoze and Linux for a desktop. This little guy seems perfect for that kind of work and easily adaptable to most climate conditions.
Just a thought, because Glyn concentrated on political uses, to me this seems almost perfect for this sort of educational uses as well.
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I Blame Star Wars
For those old enough to remember, prior to Star Wars, the rebels were usually the bad guys. I miss those simpler days. Damn you Lucas! Hail to The Man!
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Re: Potential Educational Uses?
Can you draw up a How-To and post it on Youtube?
TIA
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Re: I Blame Star Wars
Americans have always been bad guys?
Americans were once rebels too, ya know.
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Reminds me a bit of Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
I think it is a decent reminder of what can be done with relatively basic tech and also a statement to authorities the world over (who likely won't pay attention) that their outdated and unfortunate obsession with control and opacity are not popular with a sizeable portion of the populations they claim to represent.
Finally, if I may indulge in a moment of unnecessary patriotism, it does make me happy that people in the UK can still come up with awesome ideas like this... even as we sleepwalk into a police state.
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Re: Potential Educational Uses?
On a personal note though the first thing that went through my head when i read about Raspberry Pi was "holy crap, i bet i could build one of those into an old LCD monitor"
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Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
No, Americans were revolutionaries. Revolutionaries good; rebels bad. Everyone with an American K-12 education (only) knows that.
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Re: Re: Potential Educational Uses?
The first two things I thought of when reading about the excitement Raspberry Pi was generating was:
1. I wonder how many have blown a Raspberry?
[that's a double entendre for the unaware]
(first answer I came up with was 3.14159.....)
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"We need to take your fingerprint and mugshot. Oh, and just drop your scary computation device in the bin over there. Welcome to the country."
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Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
So, yes, Americans were Rebels.
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Yes. Let's broadcast ourselves to the KGB.
In fact, given the poor security aspects of wireless an ethernet port is even more critical in areas where personal freedom is limited.
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Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
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Re: Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
I think I did.
Born and raised American, 5th generation in this great country.
My grandmother's grandparents came over on the ship and settled down in the mid-west.
I just tend to look at other angles.
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Re: Computer? What computer?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
I know that.
History is written by the victor.
Had the British won, George Washington would have been a rebel/insurgent that tried to overthrow the great British empire.
Instead, he's remembered as a great Hero who led the colonies to become one of the greatest countries ever.
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Re: No, it's obviously a tool for pirates.
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Re: In fact, given the poor security aspects of wireless ...
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Re: Potential Educational Uses?
>small machines built for the world's poor but the projects
>often fall apart due to ego...
For example? If you’re thinking OLPC, you realize that has already shipped more than 2 million units to its target market, right?
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Re:
Does it occur to you that most oppressive (not all are unfriendly to the west I need to point out, to our everlasting shame) regimes already have filters and firewalls in existence in place so this won't change things at all. That sort of traffic already exists and stands out but determined activists in those countries still find their way around it even if the results for them are often fatal.
As for semi-ignorance (actually approaching near total if you can't RTFM or FAQ) you've got Glyn beat by several light years.
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Followup Interview ...
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no network port
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Re: Re: Computer? What computer?
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Re: Yes. Let's broadcast ourselves to the KGB.
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But it won't fit into an Altoids tin
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Coffee Industry subverted!!!
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Pick one.
My fastest current computer is a Lenovo Thinkpad sporting a triple-core Phenom II P840 at 1.90 GHz, about a year old.
I have no idea what the performance differential is.
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Re: Re: Computer? What computer?
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Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
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Re: But it won't fit into an Altoids tin
really.
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Re: Re: In fact, given the poor security aspects of wireless ...
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Re: Re: Potential Educational Uses?
I'm glad that OLPC is still shipping and I mean that. My suggestion is that this may be a superior alternative given the ubiquity of tv sets even in some of the poorest parts of the world among other factors. The more devices we can get into children's (and adults) hands in the poorer parts of the world the better off we are as it may reduce the growing digital divide.
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Re: Re: Potential Educational Uses?
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By that metric I must have one foot in grave already.
My current wristwatch has more computing power than my first computer.
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Whatever. The internet is awesome, plus I get to do old timer rants.
"You kids today have no idea how good you have it! In MY day, we had to go all the way to the computer store to buy free software on CD collections!"
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Re: Re: Futures come, futures go.
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But it's *just* too big to fit in an Altoids tin.
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Re: Re: Re: In fact, given the poor security aspects of wireless ...
yes, but the goal of the project is to produce encrypted speech tools for use in a political environment where the oppressive regime has complete control over the network infrastructure. tapping a network is really easy when the network provider is complicit, just ask any law enforcement agency in the united states.
wired or wireless, the security of the tool is at the application level and not the network layer.
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Re: In fact, given the poor security aspects of wireless ...
>communications stream with nothing more than a cheap
>smartphone.
You do realize that, as standard MO on the Internet, the security is implemented at the endpoints, right? The assumption being that anything transmitted across the Internet can be intercepted and subject to eavesdropping and replay attacks, and (hopefully) even man-in-the-middle attacks. Wired or wireless should make no difference to security.
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Re: Computer? What computer?
They're getting smaller...
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Re: Re: Computer? What computer?
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Re: Re: Computer? What computer?
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Which was the point. Sort of like car ads that tout the low price stripper model, but show you the most tarted up model they sell.
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You still end up with the same set of problems. large ad/hoc networks would require that communications are either open or made public enough to allow people to connect, which in turn means the government / bad people/ whatever can do the same.
Further, the use of a wi-fi powerful enough to travel more than a few hundred meters would be easily detectable, and can easily be taken down by a more powerful signal at the border areas. Not much to it, really.
There really isn't any simple way to hide, certainly few that are very cost effective.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I Blame Star Wars
@GMacGuffin:
I'd advice you to watch your mouth, or your hands, American. When Spanish frairs were raping our women and we rose to rebel against them who are the ones bad here?
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Tools to bring down the trade.
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This is an interesting unit.
90% of what we do with computers doesnt NEED Major POWER USE.
Wondering the net, writing Email, downloading, watching video's, RSS feeds, and so on, and on and on...
This CAN and will hurt Intel. Once people understand that with a "FEW" of these, you can do most anything in your house.
There are 2 models, and the $35 dollar one is perfect.
Stats..
They sold about 700 per second.
They are back ordered for the next 2 months..at least.
Watch for sales of SDHC high end cards, you will need one.
Video output and HD output.
YES, you can add, external DRIVES/CD/DVD and soforth.
SWAP the OS, from 1 format to another, or the WHOLE configuration, in seconds.
Anyone want to wait to replace a DVD player?? recorder??
oNLINE MUSIC PLAYER? a CLOUD BASED COMPUTER?
It PROBABLY wont play all the new games, but how many OLDER people want to play games? I know Many that just want access to Facebook/email/.. and family. NOW we need a $10 service for BASIC/BASIC internet.
Want to restrict your kids on games they play..HERE IT IS.. TONS of older games should play on this. Many were designed under Linux. Then teach your kids to MOD those games. its only C++.
For $140 (4-$35 units) you can network your WHOLE HOUSE..with abit more hardware/software...it can do most anything you need/want. Dont need no $400+ MS windows machine. I'll wait to see if they can be Daisy chained..Then get $400 worth and see if they can MARCH ON TOP of windows.
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Anyone
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Re: Coffee Industry subverted!!!
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Re:
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Re: This is an interesting unit.
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Re: Re: In fact, given the poor security aspects of wireless ...
Encryption helps a lot, but it's far from a panacea. If you're thinking that you're secure because you're using encryption, then you are in particularly dangerous territory.
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Apple & Microsoft
My next PC will cost me little more than £22. How awesome is that!
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I have mine on order and I am looking forward to getting it in April ;-)
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Re: Re: Re: Computer? What computer?
"You also wonder why he's not answering your messages. Does he even have a computer on him?? He should try to have more foresight, and carry no less than 5 computers on him at all times, like a sensible person."
=^.~=
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