January 30th, 2006
Anonymizer says it will rescue Chinese from the search censors
According to an e-mail that just showed up in my inbox, the folks at Anonymizer (the company that, at your request, makes your Internet usage untraceable to you) will be rising to the defense of the Chinese people by providing them with an anti-censorship solution. The solution comes in response to the censorship programs that Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others are instituting as part of their compliance (what Anonymizer execs call capitulation) with the Chinese government. Says the e-mail:
Anonymizer is putting its money where its mouth is: A new anti-censorship solution for Chinese citizens will be available before quarter’s end. The protection of basic liberties needs strong support, and Anonymizer been providing an answer to this for more than a decade. The company was formed to create and make available computer technology that ensures online identity protection, security, privacy, and a safe, secure experience for all that use the Internet as an information source. Users enjoy freedom from being watched and tracked, or allowing personal information to be collected about them every step of the way….Anonymizer has a record of similar human rights projects, actively employing its technology at its own expense to protect people in oppressed nations—for example, those who would report human rights abuses or war crimes.
How a solution like Anonymizer can fly below the radar once the Chinese government is sensitized to its existence is beyond me. For example, what happens to someone if they’re caught using it? Actually, I’m not sure I want to know.
