Safeweb allows visitors to its free site to connect their computer to any other web sites securely and privately, making monitoring of surfing activity impossible. Recently, the government of China tried to block access to the site to prevent access by Chinese nationals to unapproved sites. The government maintains a list of restricted sites, including CNN.com and BBC Online, blocked by filtering software which is run by the country’s ISPs. SafeWeb fought back with a program called Triangle Boy.
This peer-to-peer application prevents anyone - including corporations, governments and schools - from blocking access to SafeWeb. Volunteers can turn their PCs into "packet reflectors," or proxies, for SafeWeb by installing Triangle Boy.
The CIA’s venture capital arm In-Q-Tel has already given $1 million funding to SafeWeb to support and promote Triangle Boy through the purchase of servers and paying for bandwidth improvements.
Two US citizens have been arrested in connection with the alleged smuggling of encryption technology into China, according to the US Customs Service.
The technology, known as KIV-7HS and designed exclusively for use by the US military, is used to encode sensitive classified government communications. It cannot be legally exported without permission from the US State Department.
If convicted, both men face a maximum of ten years in prison or a $1million fine.