Lantern (software)

{{Infobox software

| name = Lantern

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| logo = Lantern logo updated.svg

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| screenshot = Lantern-Android-7-7-1.jpg

| caption = Lantern 7.7.1 on Android screenshot

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| author = Adam Fisk

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| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|edit|reference|P348}}

| latest release date = {{start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|P348|P577}}}}

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| programming language = Go

| operating system = Linux, OS X, Windows, Android

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| genre = Internet censorship circumvention

| license = Apache License 2.0{{cite web|url=https://github.com/getlantern/lantern/blob/valencia/LICENSE|title=LICENSE|date=27 August 2015|publisher=GitHub|access-date=27 August 2015}}

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| website = {{URL|https://lantern.io}}

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Lantern is a free and open source{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/getlantern|website=github.com |access-date=24 Aug 2020| title=Lantern}} internet censorship circumvention tool that operates in some of the most extreme censorship environments, such as China, Iran, and Russia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/russian-internet-lantern/|title=Meet the Secretive US Company Building an 'Unbreakable' Internet Inside Russia|date=24 March 2022 }} It was used by millions of Iranians during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran in 2022 and again during the surge in censorship in Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lantern uses a wide variety of protocols and techniques that obfuscate network traffic and/or co-mingle traffic with protocols censors are reluctant to block, often hiding in protocols such as TLS.{{cite web | title=TLS Masq |url=https://github.com/getlantern/tlsmasq | website=github.com| access-date=9 December 2024}} It also uses domain fronting.{{cite journal|

title=Blocking-resistant communication through domain fronting|

url=https://www.bamsoftware.com/papers/fronting/|

vauthors=Fifield D, Lan C, Hynes R, Wegmann P, Paxson V|

journal=Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies|

date=2015-05-15|

volume=2015|

issue=2|

pages=46–64|

publisher=Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies 2015|

doi=10.1515/popets-2015-0009|

s2cid=5626265|

doi-access=free}} It is not an anonymity tool like Tor.{{cite web |last=Guthrie Weissman |first=Cale |date=October 22, 2013 |title=Here's an anti-Internet censorship program for activists by activists |url=http://pando.com/2013/10/22/heres-an-anti-internet-censorship-program-for-activists-by-activists/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604123855/https://pando.com/2013/10/22/heres-an-anti-internet-censorship-program-for-activists-by-activists/ |archive-date=4 Jun 2021 |access-date=13 March 2014 |website=Pando |publisher=}}

Lantern was developed and is maintained by Brave New Software Project,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bravenewsoftware.org/|title=Brave New Software|website=www.bravenewsoftware.org}} a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Brave New Software was founded in 2010 and "is dedicated to keeping the internet open and decentralized through user-focused open tools that solve practical problems in how the internet works for people."

Early versions of Lantern allowed users in countries having free internet access to share their internet connection with those who are in countries where the network is partly blocked.{{cite web|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1378201/anti-firewall-tool-lantern-infiltrated-chinese-censors|title=Anti-firewall tool Lantern infiltrated by Chinese censors|publisher=South China Morning Post|date=11 December 2013|access-date=13 March 2014}} Network connections will be dispersed between multiple computers running Lantern so it will not put undue stress on a single connection or computer.{{cite web|url=https://techpresident.com/news/wegov/24444/state-department-funded-lantern-next-bigger-better-tor|title=Could State Department Funded Lantern Be Bigger, Better Tor?|last=McKenzie|first=Jessica|date=October 22, 2013|access-date=13 March 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326213652/http://techpresident.com/news/wegov/24444/state-department-funded-lantern-next-bigger-better-tor|archive-date=26 March 2014}} Newer versions of Lantern again use this technique via browser-based proxies and Lantern's Unbounded{{Cite web|url=https://unbounded.lantern.io|title=Unbounded|website=unbounded.lantern.io}} software.

Lantern's CEO and lead developer is Adam Fisk, the former lead engineer of LimeWire.{{cite web|url=http://tech.state.gov/profiles/blogs/6282015:BlogPost:40819|title=NEXT GENERATION ANTI-CENSORSHIP TOOLS - PANELIST BIOS|date=March 6, 2013|publisher=techATstate|access-date=13 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429132346/http://tech.state.gov/profiles/blogs/6282015:BlogPost:40819|archive-date=29 April 2013|url-status=dead}}

History

In early versions, Lantern's framework required the use of Google Talk for users to invite other trusted users from their Google Talk contacts. Lantern has won awards from the US Department of State to support internet freedom. This has raised some concerns about the privacy of users, though Fisk has said the State Department is "incredibly hands off" and never dictates how they should write Lantern, or how they should talk about it.

In early December 2013, Lantern had a surge of Chinese users and grew from 200 users to 10,000 users in just two weeks.{{cite web|url=http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2013/12/lantern-program-allows-chinese-dodge-firewall/|title=Lantern Program Allows Chinese to Dodge Firewall - China Digital Times (CDT)|date=December 5, 2013|work=China Digital Times|publisher=China Digital Times|access-date=13 March 2014}} Soon after that, the network was almost blocked by the Chinese government.{{cite web|url=http://www.techinasia.com/china-blocks-anti-censorship-tool-lantern/|title=China blocks censorship circumvention software Lantern after a surge of Chinese users|date=December 11, 2013|publisher=TECH IN ASIA|access-date=13 March 2014}} Another surge occurred after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine when internet freedoms in Russia were severely curtailed.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/russian-internet-lantern/|title=Meet the Secretive US Company Building an 'Unbreakable' Internet Inside Russia|date=March 24, 2022|publisher=Vice|access-date=25 March 2022}}

The software received US$2.2 million (HK$17.1 million) in seed funding from the US State Department.{{cite web|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1372661/use-lantern-software-means-view-banned-websites-grows-china|title=US-funded Lantern program allows Chinese to dodge Great Firewall and view banned websites|publisher=South China Morning Post|date=4 December 2013|access-date=13 January 2016}}

Lantern is hosted on a wide variety and continually changing set of data centers around the world. It has used Digital Ocean at times, which was briefly reported as blocked in Iran during the civil unrest on January 2, 2018.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-january-3-2018-1.4470118/january-3-2018-episode-transcript-1.4472036#segment1|title=January 3, 2018 Episode Transcript|work=The Current|publisher=CBC|access-date=4 January 2018}}

Users are not required to connect by invite since version 2.0 was released in 2015.

Privacy policy

Per Lantern's privacy policy document{{Cite web|url=https://lantern.io/privacy|title=Lantern | Open Internet For All|website=lantern.io}} on their website

Lantern servers do not and will never log:

Linking Lantern account to real identity (such as purchase information)

Connection logs (time stamps of connection of IP addresses from client to Lantern server)

Browsing history

Traffic destination or metadata

DNS queries{{Cite web |title=Lantern {{!}} Open Internet For All |url=https://lantern.io/privacy |access-date=2023-02-10 |website=lantern.io |language=en}}

Lantern collects as little information about their customers as possible in order to run their service:

Our guiding principle toward data collection is to collect only the minimal data required to operate a world-class service at scale. We designed our systems to not have sensitive data about our customers; even when compelled, we cannot provide data that we do not possess.

Related events

At the beginning of 2019, it was reported that the Guangdong police had imposed penalties on the basis of the "Interim Provisions on the Administration of the International Network of Computer Information Network of the People's Republic of China" for a Lantern user to "create and use illegal channels for international networking." The fine is a thousand Yuan. The document of the punishment was publicized on the "Guangdong Public Security Law Enforcement Information Disclosure Platform".{{cite web|url=http://www.gdgafz.alldayfilm.com/bookDetail.html?type=1&id=1134323|title=韶雄公(网)行罚决字 [2019]1号|date=2018-12-28|access-date=2019-01-05|website=广东公安执法信息公开平台|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190105094907/http://www.gdgafz.alldayfilm.com/bookDetail.html?type=1&id=1134323|archive-date=2019-01-05|url-status=live|language=zh-cn|trans-title=Shaoxiong Public (Internet) Administrative Penalty Decision No. 1 [2019]}}{{Primary source inline|date=June 2019}}

In March of 2022 it was reported that Russian users were employing Lantern to bypass censorship measures put in place by the Russian government.