Some governments exercise absolute control over internet access, and when the food burns, their intrepid leaders can't think of a better idea than pulling the plug, imagining that the rest of the world won't find out what's happening. Of course, lack of connectivity makes things much more complicated, but two researchers from Delft University of Technology are working on an app capable of linking mobile devices on a point-to-point network and transferring all kinds of content between them using Bluetooth and NFC.
One of the most scandalous examples of internet censorship happened in early 2011, when the Egyptian government made the country disappear from the network of networks. The block lasted just over a week, but during that time different options emerged to keep the population connected, including free dial-up services. The two main goals of the authorities when they cancel internet access are to limit the amount of information that leaks to the outside and reduce the organizational capacity of those who decide to protest. What the authorities don't fully understand is that the harder they clench their fist, more sand escapes between the fingers. By this I mean that we are in 2015, and there are many mobile devices out there. At the first sign of pressure, you only need the right tool to face censorship and resist.
Shadow Internet: A Peer-to-Peer Bridge
That's what Paul Brusse and Johan Pouwelse, two researchers at Delft University of Technology, are working on. The general concept of their project can already be explored up close through the Android app known as Shadow Internet. Its official description tells of software that allows two people to transfer data “phone to phone” via Bluetooth or NFC links. There is no established size limit, so if the plan is to copy an HD video, it just requires a little patience. Now, this feature is not more than the tip of the iceberg...
In its final form, the app will have the ability to self-compile and modify itself to work on different devices, as well as encrypt content and apply camouflage, so that it appears on the phone as if it were something else (a notepad or a player, for example). The most critical and relevant content for users would be automatically transmitted by the app across the entire mobile ad hoc network, without relying on traditional infrastructure.
Decentralized Distribution and Censorship Resistance
The vision of these researchers is not exactly new (FireChat's compatibility with WiFi and Bluetooth saw heavy use during the Hong Kong protests), however, the big difference is that the distribution of this future app will be decentralized, that is, the Internet will not be needed to download or share it. There is still much to resolve, and the hope is that we will never have to use something like this, but it will be very interesting to see it fighting censorship.
