Similar to Amateur Radio folk whom continue enjoying un-interfered global radio communications. On 1/4/12, Nuno Garcia <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > It will happen, I'm sure. > > And its not that hard to do, many old satellites are just like mirrors in > the sky, I saw a news clip last year about how truckers in Brasil use the > satellites with home made parabolic antennas to communicate with their > loved ones when deep inside the country. > > If used for computer communications, it would have a very low bandwidth, > maybe unusable for serious downloads, but yet usable to chat and text > transfer. > > (I also saw that the US had the brazilian authorities seize and inprision > the criminals that used the satelites to exchange love messages with their > wives, or to the drug lords who used it to communicate among each other). > > (Carlos was the name you give to the persons who did this? I know there was > a name...) > > On 3 January 2012 23:46, Ginger Paque <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Another approach, lacking realistic technical foundation and funding, but >> interesting nonetheless: >> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16367042?print=true >> >> Excerpt: >> Hackers plan space satellites to combat censorship: *Computer hackers >> plan to take the internet beyond the reach of censors by putting their own >> communication satellites into orbit.* *The scheme was outlined at the >> Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin. **The project's organisers said >> the Hackerspace Global Grid will also involve developing a grid of ground >> stations to track and communicate with the satellites. **Longer term they >> hope to help put an amateur astronaut on the moon. **Hobbyists have >> already put a few small satellites into orbit - usually only for brief >> periods of time - but tracking the devices has proved difficult for >> low-budget projects. **The hacker activist Nick Farr first put out calls >> for people to contribute to the project in August. He said that the >> increasing threat of internet censorship had motivated the project. **"The >> first goal is an uncensorable internet in space. Let's take the internet >> out of the control of terrestrial entities," Mr Farr said.* >> Ginger (Virginia) Paque >> Diplo Foundation >> www.diplomacy.edu/ig >> [log in to unmask] >> >> *Join the Diplo community IG discussions: www.diplointernetgovernance.org* >> >> >> >> >> On 3 January 2012 17:15, Nuno Garcia <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >>> Hi Alex. >>> >>> Indeed there are too many questions in these two issues. The first one is >>> related to the narrow-sightnedness of law makers in these countries. >>> Using >>> an analogy, data and information are a lot like water - you need to >>> control >>> it (so you can use it for the right purposes), but if you lock it too >>> tight, it will somehow find an escape route. >>> >>> I am very concerned that the example from Belarus may inspire other >>> countries into doing the same. >>> >>> And the same reasoning is applicable to SOPA and PIPA, I think. >>> >>> These schemes are all but an invitation to build an underground Internet. >>> >>> Imagine you are in the US and you need to access a forbidden site. Say >>> you type www.pirata101.org (to use the portuguese word for pirate). Your >>> browser will tell you "Ops! BrowserX could not find www.pirata101.org" >>> because it searched the DNS tree and the answer was that this name is not >>> registered. >>> >>> But imagine that alongside with this, your browser does also tell you >>> "Would you like me to try the alternative DNS database?" and answering >>> yes, >>> you would end up looking the name in an completely independent DNS >>> system. >>> It would not even had to have the same syntax. It could be something like >>> www-pirata101-org or www~pirata101~global or whatever string you fancy to >>> use (check http://www.dashworlds.com/). >>> >>> You would use the browser as an intermediate DNS broker, placing queries >>> that could be answered by the software of the browser manufacturer, in >>> the >>> cloud, somewhere where your lawmakers could not get their teeth at. Your >>> standard TCP/IP protocols would still be able to work because for these >>> what really matters is the IP address (IPv4 or IPv6 address) of the end >>> machine. And, in the event of the country firewall blocking the IP >>> address >>> (like many corporate firewalls do), even then, the content could be >>> transmitted through changing IPs (not too hard to do in the IPv6 space) >>> or >>> though a general purpose gateway somewhere in the cloud. >>> >>> I tried to talk about this sometime ago - I sincerely believe that the >>> fate of ICANN and of the DNS structure relies in the hands of the browser >>> manufacturers or, in the hand of software developers who can build >>> extensions that circumvent or complement the current DNS query system. >>> >>> For me it boils down to this: if politicians and lobbies try to control >>> (own) the Internet like they seem to be so eager to do, this will happen >>> sooner or later. Let me give you a hint: every rookie knows that if you >>> want to find a movie to download, Google is not the place to start >>> looking >>> for it. >>> >>> Now, we are on the verge of disrupting the Internet status quo. I'm not >>> sure if this is good or bad in itself, but, it will surely be a whole lot >>> different. >>> >>> Getting back to Alex's question: in Africa, as well in developping >>> countries (I've been teaching a PhD course in Addis Ababa last year - >>> what >>> an enriching experience!), using a free and coherent Internet is a >>> powerful >>> tool for development (I can't even imagine what is the idea on the >>> Belarus >>> politicians' heads). I remember my early college days - we used a pirate >>> copy of Borland's Turbo Pascal (sorry Borland, than you for that!). And I >>> can surely tell you that while I do not advocate for piracy at all, I >>> share >>> the thoughts of a policeman who fined me 250 euros last month: "I rather >>> see a person in the street selling a counterfeit t-shirt, than see it rob >>> a >>> person at the point of a gun". I would add, I would rather see that >>> person >>> in a regular job, or in school, but helas, our world is not perfect. >>> Sometimes (many times) because of politicians like the ones behind >>> Belarus >>> laws and SOPA or PIPA projects. >>> >>> Warm regards to all, and please enjoy the New Year, >>> >>> Nuno Garcia >>> >>> >>> On 3 January 2012 20:07, Alex Gakuru <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >>> >>>> Thanks Nuno. Coudn't help reflect on "What does SOPA/PIPA mean for >>>> Africa? >>>> >>>> http://codepolitical.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-sopa-pipa-mean-for-africa.html >>>> Regards, Alex. >>>> >>>> >>>> On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 9:10 PM, Nuno Garcia <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi all. >>>>> >>>>> Geographically Belarus is part of Europe. >>>>> >>>>> And these are extremely bad news. >>>>> >>>>> BR, >>>>> >>>>> Nuno Garcia >>>>> >>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >>>>> From: Lauren Weinstein <[log in to unmask]> >>>>> Date: 3 January 2012 17:54 >>>>> Subject: [ NNSquad ] Belarus Is Now Home to the Internet's Most Insane >>>>> Law >>>>> To: [log in to unmask] >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Belarus Is Now Home to the Internet's Most Insane Law >>>>> >>>>> http://j.mp/xIK0Vk (Gizmodo) >>>>> >>>>> "Belarus: small. Proud. Kvass-drinking. A long history of dubious >>>>> human >>>>> rights and piddling dictatorship. And now, bound to a law that makes >>>>> it illegal to browse foreign websites." >>>>> >>>>> - - - >>>>> >>>>> --Lauren-- >>>>> NNSquad Moderator >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> nnsquad mailing list >>>>> http://lists.nnsquad.org/mailman/listinfo/nnsquad >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >> >