Anonabox – the Anonymizing Tor Based Router

Kickstarter has suspended donations for Anonabox, its hottest and most controversial project of the moment, following a deluge of claims from netizens that the tiny device isn’t an original design. That means the developers behind it will not be able to collect a dime of the $600,000 pledged so far.

The Anonabox was touted as being the easiest way to connect to the Tor network, which provides anonymous Internet access and encryption, helping people to avoid surveillance and bypass censorship on the web. The idea of plug-in-and-play anonymity was compelling, but the project found itself mired in controversy when it smashed through its funding goal of just $7,500 and quickly drew the attention of critics.

It all started on Reddit, where questions were raised about Anonabox’s “custom-made” hardware. It was pointed out that the tiny box looked suspiciously like a Chinese-made router that’s up for sale on Atupapa.com and other websites. If it’s a copy, it means the hardware can’t be“open-source,” as the developers first claimed.

Numerous redditors called for Kickstarter to cancel the Anonabox project, causing dozens of backers to pull out. In desperation, Anonabox developer August Germar attempted to address the criticisms in a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, but his evasive responses only angred the community further.

“The truth is we can make Tor routers out of a lot of existing hardware, but I thought it would be helpful to have a standardized piece of hardware to do it on,” wrote Germar in one response. In another post, Germar said he was surprised to see “so much fixation on the details of the hardware.” Unsurprisingly, his replies failed to convince either his critics or Kickstarter, which finally suspended funding over the weekend.

Kickstarter announced its decision in an email to those who’d pledged money to the campaign. “A review of the project uncovered evidence that it broke Kickstarter’s rules,” it said. Those rules include “offering purchased items and claiming them as your own invention, presenting someone else’s work as your own, and misrepresenting or failing to disclose revelant facts about the project or its creator.”

All in all, it’s been a bad day for the Anonabox, but that hasn’t stopped its “creators.” Despite all the negative publicity, they insist they’re going to push forward even without Kickstarter, and will soon start selling the device directly from their own website.

photo credit: raffaespo via photopin cc