Pirates Developing a DIY Space Program to bypass SOPA
January 15th, 2012
Space, “the final frontier,” has long been the exclusive domain of the State because they were the only organization that had both the tremendous resources necessary to get there and the willingness to waste those resources with no foreseeable economic purpose. As a child I was enamored with Star Trek, but once I became familiarized with the ideas of liberty it was obvious that the Federation described by Gene Roddenberry was essentially just a fascist military regime that happened to be slightly more egalitarian than all the other fascist military regimes. But recent events seem to indicate that the future of space may be more like Fire Fly, where the frontier is the domain of smugglers and pirates, at least as far as the Internet is concerned.
Hackerspace Global Grid is a team of German hackers that aims to launch a network of communications satellites that could completely circumvent government censorship of the Internet by providing their own uncensored service. The idea was born at the Chaos Communications Congress in Berlin where hacktivist Nick Farr called on the community of hackers assembled to render the government’s power of censorship completely obsolete by creating an uncensored Internet in the frontier of space.
The Hackerspace Global Grid has already begun building the software infrastructure necessary to track and communicate with satellites, and is aiming to have three ground stations deployed in the next year for testing. The trick will be launching the satellites themselves.
Placing privately owned and operated satellites in orbit is actually easier now than it’s ever been. There are already two large, well funded companies, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX, that will begin making regular journeys to orbital space in the next year. The Hackerspace Global Grid could potentially piggyback their project on other existing projects, at least at first. Although as the BBC points out, the unregulated nature of space means a government that doesn’t want uncensored Internet streaming in from space could blast the satellites out of the sky with very few repercussions.
None the less, I’m prepared to declare that the hackers have already won. Nick Farr and the other hacktivists at the Chaos Communications Congress were motivated in part by legislation like the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). So, before the legislation even passes hackers are already brainstorming workarounds that include a DIY space program. Can the State just admit that they’ve lost? The Internet has turned the tide in the battle between liberty and tyranny, and whatever measures the State takes to limit that liberty, the smugglers and pirates will always innovate faster.
I have no doubt that if the State starts shooting down commercial satellites the hackers will have invented the cloaking device within the year.
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