Trailblazing Hacktivist Group Unveils Revolutionary Privacy Tool
Posted: 2023-08-28
By: dwirch
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The renowned hacktivist collective, Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc), unveiled plans on Wednesday for an innovative encrypted protocol named Veilid, aimed at app development. This new tool promises to be a game-changer in the world of online privacy.
cDc's website teases their innovative creation, saying: “Join cDc in a transformative endeavor that promises to alter the digital landscape with our unique blend of style and mayhem. We're introducing a groundbreaking communication system set to challenge the status quo.”
Veilid is described by the group as “an open-source, peer-to-peer, mobile-first networked application framework” with a spotlight on its secure messaging application named VeilidChat. This framework provides a versatile foundation that allows developers to craft new programs with embedded privacy protections using Veilid's open-source foundation.
The Veilid manifesto states, “Digital interactions should prioritize user agency, fostering creativity, relationship-building, and learning without commercial exploitation.” Veilid's goal is to put users back in control, ensuring a user-friendly experience for all, regardless of technical know-how.
Drawing inspiration from renowned privacy tools like the Tor browser and Signal chat app, Veilid aims to redefine the way individuals communicate, share files, and navigate the internet while safeguarding their personal data. The vision is clear: providing an alternative to the pervasive data monetization that defines today's digital experience, a phenomenon often dubbed “surveillance capitalism.”
The cDc's involvement in this potentially revolutionary tool is apt, given their storied legacy. Founded in 1984 and inspired by an old slaughterhouse in Lubbock, Texas, the cDc has consistently offered free software projects. The group's alumni list boasts influential figures, including Peter Zeitko (or “Mudge”), Twitter’s former security chief and noted whistleblower, and even Beto O’Rourke, a one-time presidential contender who had youthful ties with the group.
Katelyn Bowden, a cDc member and developer for Veilid, remarked in a chat with the Washington Post, “In today's digital age, it's a rarity to find platforms that don’t exploit user data. Veilid hands back control to users, allowing them to dictate terms for their data and challenging those who have profited immensely from such information.”
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