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Tearing Down The Wall
Tyrants fear the internet. That's why countries like China and Iran are trying to prevent their people accessing alternative news sources, like-minded dissidents and supporters from the outside world via PCs. In China alone, authorities have hired troops of censors; installed primitive but effective blocking technology and cajoled international web corporations to produce Beijing-friendly versions of their products. Google and Yahoo have been only too happy to comply in return for access to the huge Chinese market: In Yahoo's case, China's authorities were able to track down a dissident journalist thanks to information provided by the company.
But are all these barriers merely another Maginot Line, which will inevitably be sidestepped by internet pioneers? From Samizdata comes news that this could be the case. Three University of Toronto geeks have already developed what they are calling practically failsafe anti-censorship technology designed to get round China's "great firewall" - and, just as importantly evade detection by the authorities as they do it.
Full story here.
