Hackers Plan Satellite Communications Network For An Uncensored Internet

Hackers at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin seem to have made their collective New Year Resolution to develop a hacker-owned satellite communications network. The inspiration behind this? Riddance from interference and censorship from goverment organizations.

The project called as the #-Link-Snipped-# aims to deploy home-made satellites into space. Cheap ground stations would be set up to allow communication and track the satellite. The concept is not a new one and there have been previous attempts by amateur groups to launch a satellite but have failed due to their inability to track devices. The few which have gone to orbit have only been for a short period. Ambitious projects like these are usually dependent on big funding but Anti-censorship activist Nick Farr, hopes that this wouldn't be required.

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The hackers are working with Constellation, a German aerospace research initiative on this project. The target is to set up three prototype ground stations by first half of this year. The Hackerspace Global Grid wants to have a distributed network of the low-cost ground stations. They will allow the stations to be bought or built by individuals, selling them on a nonprofit basis for about 100 euros per ground station.

In its inception, the idea seems to be a noble one, when pitted against the absurd SOPA act. While the prime purpose of this project is to build “an uncensorable internet in space,” there are visible downsides to the grid. Though outer space does not come under the governance of any country, it also can not deny them to play their own card and disable the satellites. Also, the uncensored network might just get too uncensored for comfort, intruding privacy.

So, who will watch the watchmen?

Source: Hackers plan space satellites to combat censorship - BBC News Image Credit: #-Link-Snipped-#