Mobile phones could soon be helping in the aftermath of disasters by becoming an ad-hoc message passing network. Computer scientist Thomas Wilhelm has developed software that lets data hop from phone to phone. Messages sent via the application gradually migrates towards its intended target to keep communication going when other routes are closed. The system could also help protesters in nations that routinely switch off networks to quell unrest. Called Auto-BAHN, the project was unveiled at the DefCon hacker conference in Las Vegas in early August. To pass messages the software uses the Bluetooth [...]

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