How to Keep the NSA Out of Your Computer

Creating a regional “mesh” online connection, avoiding the internet, began as a cost-cutting move in rural areas of Spain, Greece and Africa to avoid costly connection fees. But activists in countries as diverse as Syria and the United States now create exclusive mesh networking systems as a way to avoid surveillance systems. “Scores of communities worldwide have been building these roll-your-own networks – often because a mesh can also be used as a cheap way to access the regular internet,” writes technology journalist Clive Thompson for Mother Jones. He describes the world’s largest mesh in Spain, with 21,000 members and another in Athens: Individuals jerry-rig antennas and other hardware to exchange messages, videos, telephone calls or large data files. The article suggests that organizing a private global network would be a huge technological challenge. In the meantime, regional and city networks are evolving in their own ways, and companies respond by providing hardware for private, exclusive connections among small groups of trusted members. – YaleGlobal