TechCrunch Cites Enrique Piracés on Open Source Anti-Censorship Software

Silicon Valley startups are proving their ability to subvert internet censorship plans of governments half a world away, but by doing so might wade into dicey diplomatic waters. In a story that examines the promises and perils of this new, unregulated power, TechCrunch journalist Gregory Ferenstein quotes our VP of Human Rights, Enrique Piracés, who explains why non-commercial, open source technology ought to be the baseline for trusted anti-censorship applications.

Ferenstein cites Enrique’s remarks about AnchorFree, a Silicon Valley startup and the maker of a tool that provides a virtual private network for secure web browsing:

“Their solution seems to be convenient and cost-effective, and some of their features are very clever, but unless there is access to the source code it is hard to think of it as secure or trustworthy solution.”

“In other words,” says Ferenstein, “commercial products may sacrifice security for usability.”

You can read the complete story on TechCrunch’s website.