Electronic surveillance has raised concerns
among Americans and pushed an estimated
30% of them to protect their privacy in some
form. Artist Curtis Wallen has taken that effort
to dramatic lengths, documenting how to create
a "clandestine communications network" using
pre-paid phones, Tor, Twitter, and encryption.
The approach, which attempts to conceal any
encryption that could raise suspicions, is "very passive"
says Wallen, so "there's hardly any trace that an
interaction even happened." This is not easy, of
course. In fact, as he discovered while researching
faulty CIA security practices, it's really, comically
hard. "If the CIA can't even keep from getting
betrayed by their cell phones, what chance do
we have?" he says. Still, he believes his system
could theoretically keep users' activities hidden,
and while it's hard, it's not impossible.
among Americans and pushed an estimated
30% of them to protect their privacy in some
form. Artist Curtis Wallen has taken that effort
to dramatic lengths, documenting how to create
a "clandestine communications network" using
pre-paid phones, Tor, Twitter, and encryption.
The approach, which attempts to conceal any
encryption that could raise suspicions, is "very passive"
says Wallen, so "there's hardly any trace that an
interaction even happened." This is not easy, of
course. In fact, as he discovered while researching
faulty CIA security practices, it's really, comically
hard. "If the CIA can't even keep from getting
betrayed by their cell phones, what chance do
we have?" he says. Still, he believes his system
could theoretically keep users' activities hidden,
and while it's hard, it's not impossible.