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View Full Version : U.S. develops "panic button"for democracy activists(U.S republic activist need not apply)



aGameOfThrones
03-26-2011, 01:41 AM
(Reuters) - Some day soon, when pro-democracy campaigners have their cellphones confiscated by police, they'll be able to hit the "panic button" -- a special app that will both wipe out the phone's address book and emit emergency alerts to other activists.

The panic button is one of the new technologies the U.S. State Department is promoting to equip pro-democracy activists in countries ranging from the Middle East to China with the tools to fight back against repressive governments.

The United States had budgeted some $50 million since 2008 to promote new technologies for social activists, focusing both on "circumvention" technology to help them work around government-imposed firewalls and on new strategies to protect their own communications and data from government intrusion.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/25/us-rights-usa-technology-idUSTRE72O6DH20110325
Vessol
03-26-2011, 01:44 AM
This app is not downloadable in the United States or other U.S-Backed nations such as Bahrain or Saudi Arabia.

Of course this has easily available been available to many people and has been widely used no doubt in multiple instances. Not the app I mean, but this "technology" which is not very impressive or new.

Look behind what the real purpose behind this story is. It's PR work for the US. Reuters wants people to think that the US Government cares about pro-democracy protesters and human rights.
aGameOfThrones
03-26-2011, 01:47 AM
This app is not downloadable in the United States or other U.S-Backed nations such as Bahrain or Saudi Arabia.

Yeah, I was going to put "U.S Citizens need not apply," but decided on the one I used on the thread tittle.
pcosmar
03-26-2011, 08:42 AM
Look behind what the real purpose behind this story is. It's PR work for the US. Reuters wants people to think that the US Government cares about pro-democracy protesters and human rights.

Good to see people looking past the headline.
It was people like Julian Assange that were developing these tools long ago.
That was the purpose behind "Rubberhose" the precursor to TrueCrypt.

I personally trust "hackers" more than governments.
sailingaway
03-26-2011, 08:43 AM
This app is not downloadable in the US?????


FOTGLMAO!