Briar (software)
Briar is an open-source software communication technology, intended to provide secure and resilient peer-to-peer communications with no centralized servers and minimal reliance on external infrastructure. Messages can be transmitted through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, over the internet via Tor or removable storage, such as USB sticks. All communication is end-to-end encrypted. Relevant content is stored in encrypted form on participating devices. Long-term plans for the project include support for distributed applications such as crisis mapping and collaborative document editing. The initial target audience for Briar includes "activists, journalists and civil society" with plans to make the system "simple enough to help anyone keep their data safe." As the ability to function in the absence of internet infrastructure may also make the project valuable to disaster response and aid organizations, the developers are working with the Open Humanitarian Initiative and Taarifa. Ultimately, the de ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Android (operating System)
Android is an operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen-based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computer, tablets. Android has historically been developed by a consortium of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance, but its most widely used version is primarily developed by Google. First released in 2008, Android is the world's Usage share of operating systems, most widely used operating system; the latest version, released on June 10, 2025, is Android 16. At its core, the operating system is known as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and is free and open-source software (FOSS) primarily licensed under the Apache License. However, most devices run the proprietary software, proprietary Android version developed by Google, which ships with additional proprietary closed-source software pre-installed, most notably Google Mobile Services (GMS), which ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Manjaro
Manjaro ( ) is a free and open-source Linux distribution based on the Arch Linux operating system with a focus on user-friendliness, accessibility, and improved software testing and stability compared to its upstream sources. It uses a rolling release update model with Pacman-derived package managers. Manjaro is developed mainly in Austria, France and Germany. Reviewers often describe Manjaro Linux as a Linux distribution that is easy to set up and use, suitable for both beginners and experienced users. It is recommended as an easy and friendly way to install and maintain a cutting-edge Arch-derived distribution. Some reviewers find appeal in the large range of contributed software available in the AUR, which has a reputation for being kept up to date from upstream resources. Others highlight the wide selection of official and community editions with different desktop environments. History Manjaro was first released on 10 July 2011. By mid 2013, it was in the beta stage, tho ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Communication Software
Communication software is used to provide remote access to systems and exchange files and messages in text, audio and/or video formats between different computers or User (computing), users. This includes terminal emulators, file transfer programs, chat and instant messaging programs, as well as similar functionality integrated within Multi-user dungeon, MUDs. The term is also applied to software operating a bulletin board system, but seldom to that operating a computer network or Stored Program Control exchange. History E-mail was introduced in the early 1960's as a way for multiple users of a time-sharing mainframe computer to communicate. Basic text chat functionality has existed on multi-user computer systems and bulletin board systems since the early 1970s. In the 1980s, a terminal emulator was a piece of software necessary to log into Mainframe computer, mainframes and thus access e-mail. Prior to the rise of the Internet, computer files were exchanged over dialup lines, req ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bridgefy
Bridgefy is a Mexican software company with offices in Mexico and California, the United States, dedicated to developing mesh-networking technology for mobile apps. It was founded circa 2014 by Jorge Rios, Roberto Betancourt and Diego Garcia who conceived the idea while participating in a tech competition called StartupBus. Bridgefy's smartphone ad hoc network technology, apparently using Bluetooth Mesh, is licensed to other apps. The app gained popularity during protests in different countries since it can operate without Internet, using Bluetooth instead. Aware of the security issues of not using cryptography and the criticism surrounding it, Bridgefy announced in late October 2020 that they adopted the Signal protocol, in both their app and SDK, to keep information private, though security researchers have demonstrated that Bridgefy's usage of the Signal Protocol is insecure. Usage The app gained popularity as a communication tactic during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tox (protocol)
Tox is a peer-to-peer instant-messaging and video-calling protocol that offers end-to-end encryption. The stated goal of the project is to provide secure yet easily accessible communication for everyone. A reference implementation of the protocol is published as free and open-source software under the terms of the GNU General Public License, GNU GPL-3.0-or-later. History Inception An idea of developing a secure peer-to-peer messenger which would later turn into Tox sparked on the anonymous imageboard 4chan amidst the allegations that Skype provided the National Security Agency, NSA with access to their infrastructure and encryption, just before they were bought by Microsoft. The initial commit to GitHub was pushed on June 23, 2013, by a user named irungentoo. Unofficial community builds became available as early as on August 23, 2013, with the first official builds made available in October 2013. On July 12, 2014, Tox entered an alpha stage in development and a redesigned do ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Serval Project
The Serval Project (often referred to as Serval) is a project financed by the Shuttleworth Foundation, as well as various other organisations and accepting individual donations. It is headquartered at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. The project aims to develop technology that can be used to create direct connections between cellular phones through their Wi-Fi interfaces, without the need of a mobile phone operator. The technology allows for live voice calls whenever the mesh is able to find a route between the participants. Text messages and other data can be communicated using a store and forward system called Rhizome, allowing communication over unlimited distances and without a stable live mesh connection between all participants. The Serval Project includes a collaborate mapping application intended to support disaster relief and recovery efforts. A "mesh extender" is being developed, which establishes a short range Serval mesh over Wi-Fi and joins it with other mo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jami (software)
Jami is a free and open-source telecommunications platform for peer-to-peer and distributed videotelephony, videoconferencing, and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, support for calls to landline and mobile telephones (over traditional telephone networks), and other features. Jami is an ethical, easy-to-use, and privacy-conscious alternative to the following software: Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Skype, WhatsApp, and Zoom. Jami is available on various desktop ( GNU/Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows), mobile ( Android and iOS), television (Android TV), and server platforms. Jami for Web, allowing access with a web browser, has not yet been released to the public. Jami is developed by Savoir-faire Linux (SFL) and community contributors. Jami is free and open-source software released under the GNU GPL-3.0-or-later. By default, Jami uses an OpenDHT node maintained by Savoir-faire Linux to join the network when the user connects fo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Smartphone Ad Hoc Network
Smartphone ad hoc networks (SPANs; also ''smart phone ad hoc networks'') are wireless ad hoc networks that use smartphones. Once embedded with ad hoc networking technology, a group of smartphones in close proximity can together create an ad hoc network. Smart phone ad hoc networks use the existing hardware (primarily Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) in commercially available smartphones to create peer-to-peer networks without relying on cellular carrier networks, wireless access points, or traditional network infrastructure. Wi-Fi SPANs use the mechanism behind Wi-Fi ad-hoc mode, which allows phones to talk directly among each other, through a transparent neighbor and route discovery mechanism. SPANs differ from traditional hub and spoke networks, such as Wi-Fi Direct, in that they support multi-hop routing (ad hoc routing) and relays and there is no notion of a group leader, so peers can join and leave at will without destroying the network. SPANs are useful under circumstances when the reg ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Delay-tolerant Networking
Delay-tolerant networking (DTN) is an approach to computer network architecture that seeks to address the technical issues in heterogeneous networks that may lack continuous network connectivity. Examples of such networks are those operating in mobile or extreme terrestrial environments, or planned networks in space. Recently, the term disruption-tolerant networking has gained currency in the United States due to support from DARPA, which has funded many DTN projects. Disruption may occur because of the limits of wireless radio range, sparsity of mobile nodes, energy resources, attack, and noise. History In the 1970s, spurred by the History of computing hardware (1960s–present), decreasing size of computers, researchers began developing technology for routing between non-fixed locations of computers. While the field of ad hoc routing was inactive throughout the 1980s, the widespread use of wireless protocols reinvigorated the field in the 1990s as MANET, mobile ad hoc network ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Protocol Suite
The protocol stack or network stack is an implementation of a computer networking protocol suite or protocol family. Some of these terms are used interchangeably but strictly speaking, the ''suite'' is the definition of the communication protocols, and the ''stack'' is the software implementation of them. Individual protocols within a suite are often designed with a single purpose in mind. This modularization simplifies design and evaluation. Because each protocol module usually communicates with two others, they are commonly imagined as layers in a stack of protocols. The lowest protocol always deals with low-level interaction with the communications hardware. Each higher layer adds additional capabilities. User applications usually deal only with the topmost layers. General protocol suite description T ~ ~ ~ T ____ Imagine three computers: ''A'', ''B'', and ''C''. ''A'' and ''B'' both have radio equipment and can communicate via the airwaves using a suitable net ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Open Technology Fund
The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is an American nonprofit corporation that aims to support global Internet freedom technologies. Its mission is to "support open technologies and communities that increase free expression, circumvent censorship, and obstruct repressive surveillance as a way to promote human rights and open societies." Until its formation as an independent entity, the Open Technology Fund had operated as a program of Radio Free Asia. As of November 2019, the Open Technology Fund became an independent nonprofit corporation and a grantee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order that directed that the U.S. Agency for Global Media be eliminated "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law", along with several other agencies. History The Open Technology Fund was started in 2012 by Libby Liu, then president of Radio Free Asia (RFA), as a pilot program within RFA to help better protect reporters and source ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |