October 16, 2014

Stealthy Anonabox router raises $300k on Kickstarter in 48 hours, promises to anonymize browsing

by Gareth Mankoo

The idea of browsing the Internet anonymously is something that the world could do with. With snooping security agencies and .com corporations swallowing all the gaps we lay between them and our personal information, there’s no dearth of insecurity among Internet users. This innocent looking 2.4×1.6 inch router called Anonabox directs Internet data that connects to it via Ethernet of Wi-Fi through the Tor network, a software that is specially designed for anonymous web browsing. Tor shields user information such as the current logged-in user name and the last-visited URL, IP address and other browsing information from the prying eyes of the curious screeners who aren’t few in number. Those dodging censorship barriers could well do with something this handy.

The developer of Anonabox, August Germar, said, “When we first started building it, I had no idea that anyone would be interested in it. Initially we thought there would be enthusiasm from developers, journalists and librarians. But it turns out there are a lot more regular users. I think it’s not so much about privacy as about freedom of speech and freedom of information. This allows people to access information when people might try to censor them.” The device reached its target $7,500 on Kickstarter in just six hours. The device is expected to retail at $45.