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Just a quick post today (the 21st update this month!) to highlight that the Community Cube Kickstarter campaign is now entering into its final 24hrs.

In my recent post on currently running Kickstarter campaigns for futurists I mentioned that this is one of the campaigns that I am personally backing (along with the Kokoon EEG Headphones, which my wife was particularly excited about) and so as it comes to a close it would be great to see it cross the 100k milestone and get a few more development stretch-goals included into the mix!

In a globalised world pervasively underpinned by corporate user exploitation and mass government surveillance, it is important to become pro-active about how we create and use data in our daily lives. There are many of us out there who are deeply concerned with the direction we are collectively heading and feel that more needs to be done to create transparent and reliable alternatives to many of the important communications and information tools that the modern world has to offer. However, if you’re anything like me you might not always have the detailed technical knowledge required to fully counteract these concerns and shift your online use into more secure and values-driven outlets.

Some people are happy to criticise a project such as Community Cube, mostly because “it’s just a Linux box” or “another pointless TOR router”, but personally I welcome the team behind it who are taking the time to carefully select and develop the software and hardware configuration presented here in a way that is intended to be accessible to as many people as possible. Plus, it’s also satisfying to know that a large proportion of the funds are going towards supporting open source development of many of the applications used – so you’re giving to the wider online community just as much as you are taking your own privacy concerns to the next level.

It will be great to see the project develop as it comes to completion, and it’s worth noting that this is also one of those rare Kickstarter campaigns where you will actually receive delivery within the next 6 months (I’ve waited 18+ months in the past!). I’m already learning so much by looking through the various components and applications to try and understand how the bits and pieces will be working, and I look forward to picking up more knowledge along the way. It’s also encouraging to see recent updates from the developers, who are making hardware changes as they come across new information about backdoor exploits in commercially available hard-drives.

From the interactions I’ve had with the developers and reading through the extensive comments and other information available, it seems like this project is in good hands. Not only are you getting reasonable value for the cost of the hardware/setup, but you are also being provided with a carefully curated and vetted view of some of the most effective privacy-focused solutions available at this point in time. The more of us who jump on board, the more successful the project will be, and so in the spirit of the Community Cube ethos I’m putting out this shout-out to get a few more of you on board – plus you have to admit it does look appropriately futurist!

(“I’ve got nothing to hide” you might say? Here’s an excellent paper on why such a response is misguided.)