Snowden co-designs a surveillance-proof phone case - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden has co-designed a smartphone case that can help people elude surveillance. [...] The case is called "the introspection engine," and it would alert the user whenever the smartphone's radio signals are being sent, something that can happen even if your phone is on 'airplane mode.'"

Comment: Missionaries and human rights workers operating in repressive countries might want to look into this tech when it becomes available. 

Consumer Tech Encryption

Facebook tests end-to-end encryption on Messenger | Reuters
Reuters reports: "Facebook Inc (FB.O) on Friday said it began testing end-to-end encryption on its popular Messenger application to prevent snooping on digital conversations. The limited testing on Messenger, which has more than 900 million users, comes three months after Facebook rolled out end-to-end encryption to its more popular WhatsApp, a messaging application with over 1 billion users that it acquired in October 2014. The move comes amid widespread global debate over the extent to which technology companies should help law enforcement snoop on digital communications."

Comment: Missionaries working in repressive countries, take note.

My Way News - Here we go again: Paris attacks may renew encryption debate
My Way News reports: "The deadly attacks in Paris may soon reopen the debate over whether — and how — tech companies should let governments bypass the data scrambling that shields everyday commerce and daily digital life. So far, there's no hard evidence that the Paris extremists relied on encrypted communications — essentially, encoded digital messages that can't be read without the proper digital 'keys' — to plan the shooting and bombing attacks that left 129 dead on Friday."

Comment: Christian missionaries operating in repressive countries should carefully note the new class of apps (Telegraph, WhatsApp, iMessage,) and programs (Virtru) which maximize privacy and counter surveillance. 

My Way News - China web freedom group faces online disruption
My Way News reports: "A U.S.-subsidized advocacy group that helps Internet users inside China bypass blockages on censored content says it is suffering a mysterious denial-of-service attack disrupting its operations."

My Way News - FireChat ignites new way to communicate on phones
My Way News reports: "In just two weeks since its release on the iPhone, FireChat already has provided a flicker of hope for people pining for more effective, secure and affordable ways to communicate. [...] It could also enable online communications in remote areas or disaster zones without Wi-Fi or cellular signals. Furthermore, the conversations in these so-called 'off-the-grid' networks can't be easily hacked into by spies and mischief makers or shut down by governments trying to stifle free speech."

My Way News - Ideas for keeping your data safe from spying
My Way News reports: "Experts say there are steps anyone can take to improve privacy, but they only go so far. Using anonymity services and encryption 'simply make it harder, but not impossible,' said Ashkan Soltani, an independent privacy and security researcher. 'Someone can always find you _- just depends on how motivated they are.' With that caveat, here are some basic tips to enhance your privacy..."

NYT - Security Pioneer Creates Service to Encrypt Phone Calls and Text Messages
The New York Times reports: "At a security conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mr. Zimmermann introduced the service, which is available for Android and iPhone. Silent Circle lets users make encrypted phone calls, send text messages and do  videoconferencing. Messages are scrubbed completely from the phone after a predetermined amount of time. Communications are secured using a new, peer-reviewed open-source encryption technology."

Comment: Those of you serving as missionaries in repressive countries might benefit from this service, it might protect you and those you minister to.

NYTimes.com - Nadim Kobeissi, Creator of a Secure Chat Program, Has Freedom in Mind
The New York Times reports: This group was building a project called Cryptocat, which has a simple, countercultural goal: people should be able to talk on the Internet without being subjected to commercial or government surveillance [...] Cryptocat and a few other services disguise the content of chat messages so that they look like gibberish to anyone who does not have the encryption key."

Comment: This looks like a tool that might come in handy for missionaries working in repressive countries. You can download Cryptocat here.

My Way News - EU Commissioner calls for new tools for bloggers
My Way News reports: "The European Union should help teach bloggers living under oppressive regimes how to communicate freely and avoid detection, and develop technology to help them, the bloc's digital affairs commissioner said Friday."

Comment: I wish them luck. It's nice to see TOR still in the mix.

CNN - What to do with passwords once you create them
CNN reports: "Password management isn't sexy but it's a problem that touches everyone who touches a computer. Not only are people forced to create new passwords at a dizzying level as they join social networks, do e-commerce and deal with frequently expiring passwords at work, but there are new and novel password theft methods all the time."

Comment: Missionaries operating in unfriendly countries would do well to secure their computers with the methods mentioned in this report from CNN.

ars - EFF announces Web encryption add-on for Firefox
ars technica reports: "Although many Web sites support SSL, it isn't always used by default, which means that users are sometimes exposed to the risk of snooping and data interception by unauthorized third parties. The add-on aims to mitigate that risk by directing users to HTTPS URLs whenever it is possible."

Web tools help protect human rights activists - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Now, human rights activists are looking to a new generation of Internet privacy tools to keep companies from gathering such data, hoping that it will protect dissidents like Shi. One, called Tor, scrambles information, then sends it over the Web. It hides the user's location and gets past firewalls. Those features make it popular with activists in countries like China and Iran."

Comment: This Reuters report highlights internet technology that is useful for human rights activists and missionaries operating in repressive countries.

My Way News - Web site tracks world online censorship reports
AP reports: "Herdict users report their Web site problems anonymously - numeric Internet addresses are recorded but only general location is displayed - so people can post more freely, encouraging reports about sensitive topics [...] The site doesn't investigate reports, though, so there's no way to know for sure that an outage is related to government meddling rather than a cut cable or other problem unrelated to censorship. Although surges in reports do suggest a government role, a widespread technical glitch can also produce a similar spike."

Comment: The Herdict site is located here and looks to be a valuable tool for keeping tabs on censorship worldwide.

My Way News - Iran: new audience for US scholar's protest guide
AP reports: "Iranian protesters wondering what to do next are being encouraged to consult a source that helped drive a decade of nonviolent revolutions in Eastern Europe: a how-to guide to toppling dictatorships written by a retired American scholar who is little known outside of activist circles. But the Iranian regime definitely knows about 81-year-old Gene Sharp. His name and references to his 1993 book have buzzed around opposition Web sites and social networks."

Comment: His book From Dictatorship to Democracy can be downloaded here in PDF form.

My Way News - Web support pours out for Iran protesters
AP reports: "Google and Facebook have rushed out services in Farsi. Twitter users have changed their home cities to Tehran to provide cover for Internet users there. Others have configured their computers to serve as relay points to bypass Iranian censorship. [...] He and other U.S. Web users set up ways for Iranians to access the Internet using Tor, a service that allows people use the Internet anonymously. Even the file-sharing site Pirate Bay, best known for its run-ins with the law over copyright infringement, has jumped in with the launch of a network that helps Iranians surf anonymously."

My Way News - The Pirate Bay helps Iran critics dodge censorship
AP reports: "Popular file-sharing site The Pirate Bay said Wednesday it has helped launch an Internet network in support of Iranian election critics allowing users to dodge the regime's censorship rules by surfing anonymously [...] The Web site, iran.whyweprotest.net, says it allows 'a secure and reliable way of communication for Iranians and friends' and also directs users to an anonymity system, which can be used to hide their Internet locations."

Comment: This kind of site can also be useful for persecuted minorities in any repressive country.

My Way News - Tweeting Iran: Elex news in 140 characters or less
AP reports: "Iranians must outsmart government blocking to use Twitter, on which users post messages limited to 140 characters called 'tweets.' Twitter and other social-networking sites remained blocked Monday in Iran. [...] Facebook was used to organize people before the election, but it was also blocked after the vote. On Monday, the site was replaced with a message that said the page was blocked under a filtering policy."

Comment: It is very important for Christians to make use of all of the new social networking technology to share the gospel and to familiarize missionaries with the tools of dissent that may be needed in repressive societies.

My Way News - China requires PCs to come with anti-porn software
AP reports: "China is requiring personal computers sold in the country to carry software that blocks online pornography and other Web sites, potentially giving one of the world's most sophisticated censorship regimes even more control over the Internet."

Tech Clampdown On Tiananmen Anniversary - CBS News
CBS News reports: "Chinese authorities blocked popular Web sites like Twitter and Flickr on Tuesday after forcing dissidents from Beijing in a clampdown ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests."

Cyberwar - Iranians and Others Outwit Net Censors - Series - NYTimes.com
The New York Times reports: "The Internet is no longer just an essential channel for commerce, entertainment and information. It has also become a stage for state control — and rebellion against it. Computers are becoming more crucial in global conflicts, not only in spying and military action, but also in determining what information reaches people around the globe."

Comment: This report describes both the methods used by governments to control access to information and the software tools used by activists to circumvent them. Missionaries operating in repressive countries would do well to look into the following:

• Global Internet Freedom Consortium
• Tor Project
• Psiphon