Haystack (software)
| Developer(s) | Austin Heap |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 2010 |
| Operating system | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux |
| Type | Anonymity |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | haystacknetwork.com |
Haystack is a proprietary network traffic obfuscator and encryptor used to circumvent internet censorship.[1] The BBC's Virtual Revolution television series featured this software in the context of attempts to bypass network blocking software in Iran.[2] The brainchild of Austin Heap, a software developer based in San Francisco, California, it is being developed by the Censorship Research Center in response to internet censorship during the 2009 Iranian election protests.[3][4][5]. Early on in the project, Heap received a manual to Iran's filtering software, written in Persian, from an Iranian official known only by his online handle, Quotemstr.[6]
On September 13, 2010, the Washington Post reported[7] that security concerns has led to suspension of testing of Haystack. A message on the front page of the Haystack website posted the same day confirmed the report, saying "We have halted ongoing testing of Haystack in Iran pending a security review. If you have a copy of the test program, please refrain from using it."
References
- ^ "haystack: a project for iran". Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ "The web makes the personal political". BBC News. 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
- ^ "Needles in a Haystack". Newsweek. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ^ "What's monitored online?". Tehran Bureau. 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ The Virtual Revolution. BBC. 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ William J. Dobson (2010-08-06). "Needles in a Haystack". Newsweek. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
- ^ Washington Post reports suspension of testing, retrieved September 13, 2010
External links
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