«Tails": This is the name of the operating system that, according to Wired, was used by Edward Schoonen to keep his communications from the NSA secret. And, as noted, no one knows the identities of those who created it.
The Tails described as "computer-in-a-box": it is installed on a DVD or USB, which is then used by the user to boot the computer. At its "heart" it is a version of Linux that is specially configured for Internet anonymity and comes with various encryption and anonymity tools, such as the now famous Tor implementation, which makes Internet one user traffic.
According to Wired, the Tails were used by Snowdoun, journalist Glen Greenwright and their co-worker, Laura Poatra. The main reason for this was that the Tails does not store data locally, which protects it from malicious software, but also from the research on the computer itself that can follow.
"Installation and verification have a degree of difficulty to ensure that they are done properly. But once completed, it's easy to use, "the Poyatra told the Wired via email.
Tor is used by Internet users who want online anonymity, by activists, drug dealers, victims of harassment, etc. Tails makes it easy to use Tor, which "runs" automatically. When the user is done using Tails, they can return to normal operating mode, with no residual record of activity in Tails.
The creators of the operating system, as expected, are very careful to maintain their anonymity: as the article points out, Wired's questions were answered anonymously via email. Part of the reason for this is that they want to protect some kind of government interference in the code: "NSA puts pressure on free programs and developers in various ways" they noted. At the same time, they criticized the big companies in the Internet space: "The rulers of today's Internet, giants like Google, Facebook and Yahoo, as well as the intelligence services, want our lives to be more and more transparent online, which is only for their own benefit. So trying to offset this trend seems to be a logical position for people developing an operating system that defends online privacy and anonymity." Also, as the article points out, one of Snowden's leaks includes a presentation in which the NSA appears to "complain" about Tails.
According to its team of creators, work on Tails began five years ago. At first the name of the project was Amnesia and it was based on an operating system called Incognito. At some point Tails emerged, as a combination of the two programs (The Amnesic Incognito Live System). Although it is intended for use on desktops and laptops, it is noted that there is a team developing a version for mobile devices with Android and Ubuntu.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
