The US State Department is working promoting a "panic button" application that pro-democracy campaigners can press to "wipe out the phone's address book and emit emergency alerts ot other activists" reports NYT. Apparently there's been a specific budget ($50m since 2008) for promoting technologies for social activists, particularly "circumvention" technology. There has also been training in new technologies. The obvious concern here comes back to the old adage: one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
- sezflom