Live data from Hacker News

How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

npr.org

21–30 of 116 posts

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#21
post #3

If the authorities sought to disrupt these networks, would it not be possible to jam Bluetooth (and Wi-Fi) signals within a certain area?

I don't see why not, they're already conducting aggressive SIGINT operations against it's own citizens!

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#22
post #10
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait who abandoned Ukraine?

No one abandoned Ukraine -- there's still a proxy war brewing there, between NATO and Russia. One might argue that it would be better for Ukraine if it was actually "abandoned". Between Russian "volunteers" and neo-nazis with EU/NATO support, I predict the ones loosing are "most everyone else".

> neo-nazis with EU/NATO support

Apart from Putin and his supporters, who says the Ukrainian government are neo-Nazis, and on what basis?

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#23
post #20
post #2

Given how China is able to completely hide the protests inside the mainland, I fear for how this is going to end, because they can hide that too. I mean who really is going to come to their defense, look how everyone immediately abandoned Ukraine.

[deleted]

That is good to hear but isn't state media now peddling that while the protests exist, they are being manufactured by "outside foreign forces" and not genuine? They are even calling for Chinese paramilitary to be sent it. That is scary.

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#24
post #16
post #3

If the authorities sought to disrupt these networks, would it not be possible to jam Bluetooth (and Wi-Fi) signals within a certain area?

Authorities could also produce rogue clients that spam malicious messages--depends how resilient FireChat's protocol is and how well it filters noise (I might be talking FUD though as I haven't tried it). Moreover, there's no way to police bad actors in a local mesh, and no global blockchain you can trust.

I've been wondering about exactly this - the agreed upon blockchain problem. Why not localized meshnets based on Hyperboria (http://hyperboria.net/). It can solve the problems of trusted blockchain - but you still have the social problem of interloper.

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#25
post #3

If the authorities sought to disrupt these networks, would it not be possible to jam Bluetooth (and Wi-Fi) signals within a certain area?

yes it's not very hard to jam, there are many jammers available online, a top result in a quick search was ironically from a site called jammerfromchina.com...[1] Also, with an alfa wireless card and python (scapy module) it can be done pretty easily [2].

[1] http://www.jammerfromchina.com/categories/WiFi%7B47%7DBlueto... [2] https://github.com/DanMcInerney/wifijammer

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#26
post #15

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbows_End

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/01/power_and_the...

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/10/the_battle_fo...

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/03/privacy_and_p...

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#28
post #23
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

That is good to hear but isn't state media now peddling that while the protests exist, they are being manufactured by "outside foreign forces" and not genuine? They are even calling for Chinese paramilitary to be sent it. That is scary.

I haven't really read the "outside foreign forces" line in chinese press. Where did you see that?

Chinese understand their government and the Hong Kong situation. So I don't know why the government would need to lie about it?

You are assuming the majority of chinese want a democratic government. I'm not sure that's true.

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#29
post #22
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one abandoned Ukraine -- there's still a proxy war brewing there, between NATO and Russia. One might argue that it would be better for Ukraine if it was actually "abandoned". Between Russian "volunteers" and neo-nazis with EU/NATO support, I predict the ones loosing are "most everyone else".

> neo-nazis with EU/NATO support Apart from Putin and his supporters, who says the Ukrainian government are neo-Nazis, and on what basis?

The parent commenter may not have been talking about the Ukranian government, but of the numerous paramilitary nationalist groups that were instrumental in the protests that destabilized the previous regime. This is not a disputed fact. What's unknown is the degree to which those groups were supported by the EU or NATO, but the CIA has backed worse.

Re: How Hong Kong Protesters Are Connecting, Without Cell or Wi-Fi Networks

#30
post #7
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would have collateral effects (disabling all wireless activity in the area of jamming), but it's absolutely possible.

>disabling all wireless activity in the area of jamming Only on the jammed frequencies. Police radios and such will keep working.

I think he was talking about the surrounding businesses. Jamming or interference with business operations might provoke a flight of capital.

Hong Kong is rather concentrated.

Post reply on HN