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Journalistic Verification, Amina Arraf, and Haystack

How did a Syrian blogger, who told beautiful and heartwrenching stories of life as a lesbian in Damascus, manage to trick so many people? How did an American software engineer, whose passion for the Iranian cause led him to build what he dubbed the safest of circumvention tools, do the same? The stories of Amina […]

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Guardian Award for Audacity, Not Innovation

The Guardian has finally spoken up about its awarding of “Innovator of the Year” to Austin Heap. Much credit to Charles Arthur for getting this story up, but I can’t say I’m all too impressed with Guardian News & Media’s head of media and tech: Asked to comment, Steve Busfield, head of media and technology […]

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Haystack and Media Irresponsibility

Last summer, a circumvention tool was born, out of opportunity and a desire to help the Iranian people, who suffer from a rather pervasive form of Internet censorship.  The tool, it was promised, was “encrypted at such a level it would take thousands of years to figure out what you’re saying.”  As it turns out, […]