4 ms·

i think you underestimate the degree of control the state has (data-phones? what data? what network?), as well as the extent of brainwashing of the population

lhl 13y ago
According to this report, NK's 3G network is about to hit 2M subscribers (almost 10% of the population): http://www.northkoreatech.org/2013/04/26/koryolink-nears-2-million-subscribers/ http://www.northkoreatech.org/2013/04/26/koryolink-nears-2-m... It mentions offering (NK-only) web browsing and most people have dumbphones, but there is a network there. I think it'd be pretty suicidal to conspire using that though as I'm sure it's monitored. I think there's probably a lot more dissent than you're assuming, but agin, it'd be suicidal to express it if one of your neighbors would just rat you out. Apparently, smuggling in Chinese and increasingly South Korean smart phones is already quite common: http://newfocusintl.com/chinese-mobile-phone-dominates-north-korea/ http://newfocusintl.com/chinese-mobile-phone-dominates-north... http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/smartphones-11142013185158.html http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/smartphones-1114201318... I posted earlier about this, but it seems that these phones would be pretty valuable as media playing devices - preload kiwix w/ KR wikipedia etc - it'd allow you to much more easily/discretely distribute/exchange microSD cards. Some sort of mesh protocol could be incredibly effective in allow communication while maintaining anonymity. But any sort of message passing/communication would have to be designed under the assumption that it's being monitored.
msane 13y ago
I don't underestimate it at all. The state does not have control of the airwaves, with SK and CN and the rest of Asia right there. What's being discussed is cellular/wireless data networks from outside NK penetrating in. It is currently happening. Linking up to smuggled data devices which have prices on a race to 0.

lhl 13y ago

According to this report, NK's 3G network is about to hit 2M subscribers (almost 10% of the population): http://www.northkoreatech.org/2013/04/26/koryolink-nears-2-million-subscribers/ http://www.northkoreatech.org/2013/04/26/koryolink-nears-2-m... It mentions offering (NK-only) web browsing and most people have dumbphones, but there is a network there. I think it'd be pretty suicidal to conspire using that though as I'm sure it's monitored. I think there's probably a lot more dissent than you're assuming, but agin, it'd be suicidal to express it if one of your neighbors would just rat you out. Apparently, smuggling in Chinese and increasingly South Korean smart phones is already quite common: http://newfocusintl.com/chinese-mobile-phone-dominates-north-korea/ http://newfocusintl.com/chinese-mobile-phone-dominates-north... http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/smartphones-11142013185158.html http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/smartphones-1114201318... I posted earlier about this, but it seems that these phones would be pretty valuable as media playing devices - preload kiwix w/ KR wikipedia etc - it'd allow you to much more easily/discretely distribute/exchange microSD cards. Some sort of mesh protocol could be incredibly effective in allow communication while maintaining anonymity. But any sort of message passing/communication would have to be designed under the assumption that it's being monitored.

msane 13y ago

I don't underestimate it at all. The state does not have control of the airwaves, with SK and CN and the rest of Asia right there. What's being discussed is cellular/wireless data networks from outside NK penetrating in. It is currently happening. Linking up to smuggled data devices which have prices on a race to 0.