Data haven

Data port called an originally arisen in the science fiction literature concept, by computers and computer networks a state control of confiscated access to circulating the Internet Data should be made possible with the.

Origin

The term data port is discussed for the first time in the novel Islands in the Net of the American science fiction writer Bruce Sterling in 1988. William Gibson used in his novel biochips (1986 ) the term data paradise for the action but this plays only a very minor role. In Neal Stephenson Cryptonomicon (1999) is the idea of the Sultan of the fictional Asian island Kinakuta to build a data port for safe, controlled by any government side data transfer, a central plotline.

The basic idea

The data ports are built where they are not subject to public authority control, which could erase the stored data, obscure, or distort. The unrestricted retrieval of information is due to technical measures ( censorship, Project Golden Shield ) is not always possible. Data ports can not guarantee that the stored data can be accessed anywhere accordingly. Another idea is the provision of data ports for the anonymous publication of secret documents held by so-called whistleblowers.

Data ports could help to ensure people in countries like China, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, where freedom of expression is restricted by government censorship on the Internet, access to free content. However, for this to be placed on the data ports higher requirements, as these countries can also prevent access to data ports. Accordingly, technical or organizational measures must be taken to secure the data ports on the other hand.

Data ports on the Internet

The Internet is at the basis of the decentralized and distributed nature of data ports. For certain types of data ports (for example, for whistleblowing ) are anonymity on the Internet and protection of informants other reasons. However, so far there is not yet an established data port into operation.

Examples

The company HavenCo, which operated from the internationally unrecognized micronation Sealand from from 2000 was similar to that described an example of a centralized data port in the novel Cryptonomicon. In November 2008, the company stopped operating without further explanation.