Burak Nehbit
Aether
Because human discourse is way too important a treasure to be left in the hands of the few; because free speech is an inalienable human right, and those who are denied it are often ones who need it most; because the Internet is permanent; and because there is a need for a space where people can support unpopular beliefs, engage in heated dialogue, and not worry about being branded, there is Aether.
Aether is a desktop computer application for Mac, Windows and Linux that provides a safe space for intellectual discourse. In response to recent (and not-so-recent) threats to the right to free speech both in the developing and developed worlds, Aether is designed to ensure a temporary, mostly untraceable public forum. It allows its users to read about topics and subjects other Aether users are talking about. Everything that is posted on Aether disappears after six months; all posts are in the public domain. Being a peer-to-peer network, Aether does not require a central server, which lessens the risk of it being shut down. Each user sees only what it can gather from other users. The most liked posts always bubble up to the top.
