Chris Doten knows how dangerous conditions can be for democracy activists and journalists working underhostile governments. He is the head of digitaltechnology programs at the National DemocraticInstitute, a non-governmental organization that supportsopenness in government. He helps news reporters anddemocracy activists protect their privacy fromgovernment spying while online.
“We do work in relatively closed societies,” Mr. Dotensaid. “There are a lot of dangers, and we always try totake a thoughtful look at the risks that we’re incurringfor the people we’re working with.”
Those risks often include government raids, computerseizure, theft of private data and the identification ofsupporters and private email communications. Theseinvasions can lead to arrest, expulsion from a countryor worse. But Chris Doten said there’s a technologicalsolution that is helping people around the world protecttheir online activities.
It is called The Amnesic Incognito Live System or “Tails.” In computer terms, a “live system” is a stand-alone operating system that runs directly off a DVD or,increasingly, a USB memory stick. A live system usesonly on a computer’s RAM. None of the operatingsystem files are saved anywhere.
Once downloaded to a portable disk drive or USB,users simply connect Tails to any computer and run it.When taken out of the computer, the live system leaves no evidence of everbeing used on the computer.
Chris Doten says Tails comes with additional security applications thatusers can easily access.
“There’s also a multi-protocol chat client that can speak to Facebook, GoogleChat, and others called Pidgin" he added.
A growing number of journalists and rights groups are using Tails.
The non-profit group Reporters Without Borders works in support of freedomof the press. It has suggested Tails for journalists who need to protect theirsources. Activists in Tibet use Tails to securely document human-rightsabuses there by the Chinese government. And groups working to fightviolence within families are now using Tails to report abuse and protectvictims' identities.
But the same system that helps protect human rights activists can be used byhackers, criminals or terrorists to hide their identity and activities online.
Mr. Doten said the real concern should be how often Internet activists,journalists and others are targeted online and then punished for their activities.
“I’m frankly shocked at the state of digital security among U.S. journalists,” hesaid. “People who have real dangers that they’ve seen externally andinternally at times.”
“The fact that newsrooms around the country – even the big ones – are notinvesting more in this I think is a real crime."
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