Telex: Deep Packet Inspection for Good at the Herdict Blog

Last week, as we reported in Threats to the Open Net, researchers at the University of Michigan released a proof of concept for a new anti-censorship system called Telex. Our friends over at Herdict took a look at what makes Telex new and unique, and how it might work. Here’s a quick teaser:

“Telex’s promise is its difference from other anti-censorship and circumvention technologies. Most current anti-censorship technologies focus on proxy servers or tunneling, which relies upon the creation of an encrypted connection between users’ computers and non-censored networks and servers, thereby re-routing traffic to non-censored sites.

Programs such Tor conceal users’ online identities and allow individuals to access sites anonymously through secure connections; however, low-latency anonymity networks have yet to develop the technology to protect users from being monitored as they enter and exit these networks.

Tunneling is likewise limited in its scope, as censors are constantly compiling lists of new proxy servers to block. Moreover, it is difficult to broadcast information about proxy servers without alarming/alerting the censors; individuals seeking to evade censorship are likely to come by information of these “tunnels” by means easily accessible to any tech-savvy censor.”

Visit the Herdict blog for the full report.