Tsunami D, the application to organize the protest in Catalonia
- A few weeks ago, a movement called the Democratic Tsunami was organised, which faced the sentence condemning Catalan political leaders to leave the Generalitat. This organization, which does not have faces or apparent names, has launched an application with the theoretical objective of promoting and organizing protest events, with particular attention to computer security. We have obtained and installed an activation code.
It is an Android app that is only found in Catalan and is not in Google Play, but must be installed via a .apk file. If installed, it is not activated: another user who already has an active application must pass a QR code to him. Some QR codes have a duration date and each can be installed on rare occasions.
We have got a code from Catalonia and we have done the installation, but we have not got any great clues either. On the one hand, the application takes a long time to connect to the servers. Who knows if for safety or fake traffic of the sabotors. And, in principle, there is not much to do: you have to indicate your availability in the adjustments, the day and time of the week when you are ready to "act" and the resources you have: only the transportation. Once this is saved, the central nodes will know when you can collaborate and how you can share your location, if an action needs your "help", you will receive a notice in the app.
That's the theory, but at the moment it doesn't seem like that use is being made. At the moment it is not clear what type of call will be made, nor whether or not they will be effective at the time they are made. The Democratic Tsunami has crumbled with disobedience and peaceful responses in the protests in Catalonia, but in recent days, as in some of these actions other attitudes have occurred (or have been forced, who knows), some may wonder if they have to activate something through the application, without being clear where the activation is going. The media have at the moment said about the dome of the Tsunami:
- The referendum on 1 October saw the distribution of ballot boxes with the same structure or similar to the current one, clandestine and not centralized.
- That the organization of the tsunami was decided in Switzerland, with exiles (from Puigdemont, in Belgium, Marta Rovira from ERC, Anna Gabriel from the CUP), coordinated by the sovereign party, Omnium and ANC.
- According to El País, this "computer branch" is in the hands of the Cup.
From a security point of view, some computer scientists have emphasised that it is well done. But total security is going to be hard to secure. The National Police officers are already in the receiving position, but getting control of the central node can be something else. If you do, that can be dangerous for entrepreneurs. Similarly, someone or a node (supposedly a friend) knows where you are, what is at your disposal and can invite you to an action or point. The question is: Will you go?
Walk from a train station, two friends and a hug. This hug will be frozen until the next meeting. I'll come home, he'll stay there. There, too, will be free the painful feeling that injustice wants us to catch. Jesús Rodríguez (Santa Coloma de Gramenet, 1974) is a journalist,... [+]
