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Anonymous Twitter Alternative Created For Protesters & Revolutionaries

38 points by server102 15y ago

eli 15y ago
It's much easier to block a messaging service used mostly by revolutionaries than one used by everyone.
- intellection 15y ago
  At war, what will No do? Developers will war into code, battling spectrum and service?
nateberkopec 15y ago
prohackingtricks.blogspot.com? Sure, sounds legit.
vsl2 15y ago
I guess its "anonymous" in the sense that the authorities couldn't quickly identify posters in order to disrupt gatherings immediately. However, I don't believe that there's any long-term anonymity (e.g. if you incite a deadly riot by falsely yelling "bomb", the authorities will come looking for you). If the police really wanted to find out who posted something, they could subpoena Vibe for information about the phone (e.g. phone number) that made the anonymous post. Perhaps Vibe destroys all data about users/posts as soon as the posts expire...but even then, the cell networks would have some record.
- redthrowaway 15y ago
  Vibe probably wouldn't have a record of your phone number, just your ip. If messages were sent over SSL and detailed logs weren't kept, the best anyone could say is that you accessed the site at that time. It's not perfect, but it does have the potential to be reasonably good.
athoma 15y ago
Pretty cool idea however I wonder when limiting the radius to who receives your vibes how do you calculate the range to display your vibes. Also, if you are protesting an area, and send a vibe, how do you prevent your vibe from being reached by the authorities in the vicinity? Its a pretty cool idea to have them self destruct after a couple of minutes though.
bcl 15y ago
Brought to you by the author of Belly Dancer and Pole Dancer. This isn't a 'twitter alternative', it is an app for the iPhone. And it is anonymous only because the author tells you so -- who knows what is being done with the data on the backend. The paranoid in me asks how hard would it be for 'the man' to put together an app like this in order to track protesters activities, including location...
dreww 15y ago
so... you give it your location? from your cellphone? sounds pretty anonymous.
bsaunder 15y ago
Vibe could address some of these concerns (and maybe already has done so) by encrypting the communications and blurring the time and the gps coordinates in the client prior to sending the data. Then server logs and network logs wouldn't line up with the application reported data. Additionally they could insert a random delay in the posting of any message so that it wouldn't be clear which application message went with which server communication message.
micah63 15y ago
Is there an android version?
garethsprice 15y ago
Protesters and revolutionaries with an $x00 iPhone and a $99/mo data plan... Interesting idea though - how could you create a system that would be useful? Self-hosted/decentralized? Would hooking it into TOR or something cause an unrealistic barrier to entry for average people? How much of the value of Twitter/FB during a revolution is in pulling in the extended networks of people who are already on the system but not yet involved and how much is as an anonymous communications device between people who are already involved?

38 points by server102 15y ago

eli 15y ago

It's much easier to block a messaging service used mostly by revolutionaries than one used by everyone.

intellection 15y ago
At war, what will No do? Developers will war into code, battling spectrum and service?

nateberkopec 15y ago

prohackingtricks.blogspot.com? Sure, sounds legit.

vsl2 15y ago

I guess its "anonymous" in the sense that the authorities couldn't quickly identify posters in order to disrupt gatherings immediately. However, I don't believe that there's any long-term anonymity (e.g. if you incite a deadly riot by falsely yelling "bomb", the authorities will come looking for you). If the police really wanted to find out who posted something, they could subpoena Vibe for information about the phone (e.g. phone number) that made the anonymous post. Perhaps Vibe destroys all data about users/posts as soon as the posts expire...but even then, the cell networks would have some record.

redthrowaway 15y ago
Vibe probably wouldn't have a record of your phone number, just your ip. If messages were sent over SSL and detailed logs weren't kept, the best anyone could say is that you accessed the site at that time. It's not perfect, but it does have the potential to be reasonably good.

athoma 15y ago

Pretty cool idea however I wonder when limiting the radius to who receives your vibes how do you calculate the range to display your vibes. Also, if you are protesting an area, and send a vibe, how do you prevent your vibe from being reached by the authorities in the vicinity? Its a pretty cool idea to have them self destruct after a couple of minutes though.

bcl 15y ago

Brought to you by the author of Belly Dancer and Pole Dancer. This isn't a 'twitter alternative', it is an app for the iPhone. And it is anonymous only because the author tells you so -- who knows what is being done with the data on the backend. The paranoid in me asks how hard would it be for 'the man' to put together an app like this in order to track protesters activities, including location...

dreww 15y ago

so... you give it your location? from your cellphone? sounds pretty anonymous.

bsaunder 15y ago

Vibe could address some of these concerns (and maybe already has done so) by encrypting the communications and blurring the time and the gps coordinates in the client prior to sending the data. Then server logs and network logs wouldn't line up with the application reported data. Additionally they could insert a random delay in the posting of any message so that it wouldn't be clear which application message went with which server communication message.

micah63 15y ago

Is there an android version?

garethsprice 15y ago

Protesters and revolutionaries with an $x00 iPhone and a $99/mo data plan... Interesting idea though - how could you create a system that would be useful? Self-hosted/decentralized? Would hooking it into TOR or something cause an unrealistic barrier to entry for average people? How much of the value of Twitter/FB during a revolution is in pulling in the extended networks of people who are already on the system but not yet involved and how much is as an anonymous communications device between people who are already involved?