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‘Dead Drops’ is an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space. USB flash drives are embedded into walls, buildings and curbs accessable to anybody in public space. Everyone is invited to drop or find files on a dead drop. Plug your laptop to a wall, house or pole to share your favorite files and data. Each dead drop is installed empty except a readme.txt file explaining the project. ‘Dead Drops’ is open to participation. If you want to install a dead drop in your city/neighborhood follow the ‘how to’ instructions and submit the location and pictures.
I am a Berlin based media artist and started the ‘Dead Drops’ project during my stay in NYC at EYEBEAM as artist in residence, October 2010.
Aram Bartholl 2010
Dead Drops ‘How to’ video
The first 5 Dead Drops were installed by Aram Bartholl in NYC, Oct. 2010.
Prefer Youtube? Get the video here youtube.com/watch?v=hwohadcUv4A
- Definition of the term Dead drop (Wikipedia)
- Initial Dead Drops preview release post (with 300++ hilarious comments!)
- 1st 5 Dead Drops NYC flickr set
Better browsing on full size window here!
287 Comments
It’s a really great idea !
im down to put some dead drops around Atlanta Ga.
Definitely get some up around Atlanta. I’m gonna be doing that as well. I’m surprised how quickly this project is spreading…
ATL on the map!!
I submitted pics… 1 block from the big chicken in Marietta
located in the retaining wall behind behind the eastside pawn shop in the burlington coat factory parking lot.
drove downtown for hours and could not find a good spot that was not being monitored by cameras. I was looking for a “hole” to fill as I did not want to vandalize but even still could not find a good location.
Well ATL in the house – stay tunned for the next location that pops up :)
Represent. But yeah. Decatur area too.
Be on the lookout for some soon around Gwinnett.
I’m in Gwinnett too! I would love to help you out, or plan with you. What area of Gwinnett are you in?
In Gwinnett as well. Can buy cheap thumbs at Microcenter off Pleasant Hill. Would be a good meetup area. Deaddrops are so awesome…..
seconding the atlanta dead drop again. I live in Newnan, and definitely plan on setting some up.
This is a great idea for the revolution, I`ll have Va. Beach up shortly and submit he location. V
que diabos de lugar e sse???
Hadopi controversy.
Thanks for a great idea! we’ve mentioned the lovelocks here
http://french-news-online.com/wordpress/?p=4226
No. It’s a really stupid idea. I hope innovative people “drop” trojans in these drives, and they surely will. Then when your computer is compromised, the the true meaning of dead drop will be realized. Morons!
It’s called AVG. The end.
AVG as well as other Anti-Virus makers are unfortunately a half step behind the Virus Makers. That said, do you really want to be the first one to get a virus that you get from the virus maker that installed it on a “dead drop”.
Hopefully they will name virus “BestestFriend”.
I love this idea!
I think this idea has several problems and may end up contributing to child pornography and other illicit contents that are already chased on the internet. Think about the children that are explored and give up this irresponsible project.
Nonsense!
This will be just like any p2p network, and anyone can put anything on it. Freedom is freedom. I’m not defending child porn, it is hideous in my opinion, but we can’t stop a good iniciative because of some bad dudes.
If you see it, just delete (because is a crime) and live your life.
Peace and freedom allways.
Leandro.
The answer is obvious, people… BAN CHILDREN!!! No children, no child porn! No child abuse! No childhood diseases! And eventually, the end of ALL crime!!
Look! It’s Captain Hindsight!
:-)
hahahahaha.
Think about the children that are ‘explored’? Freudian slip, perhaps?
The Internet is commonly used to distribute child pornography. Are we also going to give up on that irresponsible experiment?
And while child pornography is certainly despicable, what other ‘illicit contents’ are you referring to? Who gets to decide what is illicit?
There is more wrong with your comment than I think even you could have expected when you wrote it.
I agree. Plus, just the fact that we are taking time to call attention to the potential risks does show that the people here are all decent human beings, so that if there is questionable content, it could be brought to a caucus whether or not to remove it.
There is no easier way to catch a distributor of child porn than to have them distribute it through physical means in a public place. That alone will be enough to discourage the use of the dead drops as a means of such distribution.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!
For this very reason I have been petitioning John R. Lewis to propose a bill making inkjet printers illegal.
I suggest we immediately contact the United Nations to have a worldwide ban on the manufacture, sale or possession of photographic equipment of any type.
The answer is obvious, people! BAN CHILDREN!!! No children, no child porn! No child abuse! No childhood diseases! And eventually, the end of ALL crime!!
One negative thing is the fact that a hacker can put some malicious code on there that runs with the autorun window that pops up on most PC’s.
then again, id like to think that most people that would be intrested enough to share / check out a dead drop would be using a bootable CD OS.
Or, at least disable that feature before connecting.
Or, use linux
In regards to the security concerns that have been raised:
Malware:
The only people who need to worry about autorun malware are users of old, unpatched windows machines. This feature has been disabled by default in Windows for almost two years now, and does not effect other operating systems. Yes, yes, relevant 0days do exist (like MS10-046), however this type are rare and quickly patched. In any case, anyone who connects to the internet is constantly at risk of 0day exploitation, so what’s the difference?
Child Porn:
Common people; If you were distributing child pornography, would you do it in a public place like this? And for what purpose? The idea that deaddrops will become child-porn storage bins is simply ridiculous. No “legitimate” child pornographer will ever use this to traffic their smut. I imagine at some point a few 4channer’s will try it out of boredom, but the next person to come along will just delete it. The “work-to-lulz” ratio is simply too high to be worth their trouble.
High-Voltage Boobie-traps:
This is the only, even half-legitimate concern raised, but if someone is determined to cause others harm there are a million easier, more effective things they could do. Why should we get our panties up in a wad over this one? If you’re worried, test it with a meter, or simply wait for others to verify it before plugging in.
All that aside, isn’t everything in life a little dangerous? Sure, there could be some nasty 0day exploit waiting for you on that drive, but isn’t it equally possible you drop and break your laptop before even plugging it in? There’s also a fair chance you might die in a car wreck on your way to the deaddrop but I don’t hear anyone complaining about that. Since when has the fear of misuse kept us from creating something really cool? Jeez people, learn to live a little. Also, like Soghetto said, I would hope anyone wanting to use a deadrop would have the common sense to protect themselves. If they don’t have the necessary knowledge, then this could be a wonderful incentive for them to learn something new.
TL;DR:
Everything in life is a little bit dangerous. The potential for this project to be awesome FAR outweighs its risk. Just be cautious, and fucking live your life.
worst fucking techno-hipster idea i’ve ever heard, within a day it’ll be filled with amateur porn, child porn, or viruses
What do you honestly think will be accomplished with this? The internet is as free to use as this is (go to the library), and this is far less secure than any file sharing around. Not to mention that this isn’t P2P at all, or the fact that weather conditions will ruin your drive, or worse, someone’s laptop.
“But woah, I can totally share my band’s music on this”. Yeah, or you could upload it to one of the many free websites that are built around doing just this. That way, you wont’ have to trek down to the subway and occupy the payphone while you upload.
If I want to share files with people, I’ll upload it somewhere, or give them my email address, and I’ll send it more directly. I’m not going to waste a flash drive and mighty-putty it to the bottom of a payphone.
I just don’t see the value of this.
You simply don’t understand.. This is a new way of sharing files and interests, less impersonal and more phisical.. nowadays if you want a file you just have to type the search in the browser, and 2 seconds later you find what you’re looking for. This won’t replace the p2p, is just a good idea to surprise people who are walking in the streets, and spread innovation.
I could not have said it any better myself Jester
It’s not innovation.
It’s not P2P.
It’s not anything new.
It’s just another way for hipsters to plug in their Macs, and scream “INOVASHIUN” all day.
I hope somebody creates one with 110V as output.
Everyone has a right to their own opinions. If you don’t like the idea, then don’t participate. There is no need to be rude or hateful. What does that accomplish? No one is telling you to like it. I think this is a good idea but I respect the fact that you don’t agree.
I was going to comment, but you expressed my sentiment perfectly.
I second that!
Much easier to deal with rather than a website : HAMMER TIME!
This hole debate here about child porn and other illegal stuff and risks ist just bullshit!
First off this idea is great and because of some idiots sharing illegals stuff, it shouldnt be stopped. Second these guys also wouldnt drop off at a public spot. PPL do these stuff anonymously on the net not on a public spot where they can get taped by some cctv or get caught by some feds.
Cheers
крутой сайт
I like the idea!, retro mixed with modern.
To the complainers, thats the problem with the world now, ‘everything is dangerous’, wrap everything in cotton wool.
I could buy a fork and stab someone with it, yet I can also eat my lunch with it. Get a life!
WTF is cotton wool?
If you see one of these in a restroom DO NOT put anything into it.
I learned the HARD WAY.
Care to share what happened⁇
Matthias seriously?! Come on! Use a little imagination. I’m sure you’ll get there.
i´m trying to install one in germany tonight but maybe i have to deal with epoxy putty
i´ll try my best
I’m going to install them in rental cars, buses, trains, and airplane lavatories .
I hope I don’t have to deal with jail, but I’ll try my best.
this really is one of the most brilliant ideas i’ve ever seen.
why go to all the trouble to go online to blogs, twitter, flickr, facebook, etc. to see what people want to share when you can just go out looking for one of these in a wall somewhere and find who knows what that some other people who happened to go to the same wall have decided to share.
the web is dead, long live brick and mortar!
Proper LOL dude….. I can smell the sarcasm in the next room!
Great idea. Reminds me of the old security guard clocks which put bits of technology all over a building and the guard interacted with them every few hours.
I am looking forward to seeing my first deaddrop sticking out of a wall!
You are not an artist. You are a thief and are encouraging others to steal. Shame on you.
Amen! well said. If i see any of these Ill smash them or put some interesting code on there for the next sucker who wants to plug in.
Uh. How is this in any way larceny? This is discouraging stealing, by getting off of the P2P network that is the internet and all the torrenting. It inspires much more creativity, the underground promotion of your own work, be it pictures, or writing, or music. Saying that the use of dead drops is stealing is tantamount to saying that handing out Demo Tapes of your band or showing your friend a couple of pages of a story you wrote is stealing. I for one believe that humans are good by default, not bad.
awesome reply! and i want everyone to know this is also a way to fght the internet killswitch that is being voted on in a few months and already has the votes to pass!
You automatically think that theft is involved. Shame on you.
Haha, this is the worst idea ever. I’m sure it’s already been said, but this is like a glory hole for computers. Enjoy the herpes!
LOL
:)
The idea in itself is good, unfortunatly, this will never work in public space, due to… well, mankind.
plus, you cant stick taht anywehre u want. its gotta be an old wall of an old building, mostly standing in neighbours, really not that what you probably think of public space. yet, these sticks in walls in the middle of the city would be interesting.
and yes, its also dangerous for your pc. you can pretty much expect every file on it to be potentionally malware.
oh and btw, its not peer to peer model, it’s a server-client-model, only that the server in this case is the stick. with peer to peer, the computers are linked directly together, without and third component.
Of all these posts and I have only found one like minded soul who actually realised this is not peer to peer at all…..
Shocking.
I can inject some around D.C. no problem
This makes me so excited
Next step in file sharing evolution!
I think this is actually a step backwards. but that doesn’t make it any less awesome or fun!
I loved the idea of the projet man, you rock o/
But one thing, regarding high-voltage boobie traps or any kind of trap that could potentially fry your mainboard: if you plan on using this as a full-blown project, maybe someone with some electronics expertise could develop a simple, quick way to test it before using them. of course, only for people who are security-whores (that shouldn’t be using the drops anyway) or those who use them frequently; either way, it’d be a good addition to the project itself
i like the idea. i will start looking for a perfect place to put an experimental one. one more problem i notice is someone just might intentionally hit it with a stone or just kick it
First DD-USB Geocache in Germany bury :-)
any in MN yet?
cause if there aren’t, i’ll totally make one. i’ll find a good place to put it, not somewhere where many child pornographers are.
and to those of you who are pointing out the negative aspects of this intriguing project, let the optimists prevail over the realists, if only for little while.
hell no starrise, please do the exact opposite and DO put it in an area with many child pornography producers, so we can start looking for those dead drops, then bust all those producers living nearby!
why the hell did it take so long for someone to have this brilliant idea?
Kiddy porn? are you guy awake when you write this garbage. get a life! how long is a usb stick gonna last out in the elements?
THIS IS ART
“not somewhere where many child pornographers are.”
How could you possibly tell that?
Right, what’s with all child porn stuff? People clearly aren’t going to put anything that can get them arrested onto a USB drive stuck in a wall. You’d have to be an idiot to do that.
How about posting them on google maps!
like tagging or something similar!
that would be alot more help ful wouldnt it?
I don’t think so. There are already so many pictures, etc. attached to Google maps that it’s already difficult to navigate that layer.
I’m trying to put one in Roanoke, VA but I have to wait for my next check for the quikcrete. I’m considering caulk because it’s more water-proof and flexible to allow for less accidental damage to the usb-a port.
Thanks for some quality points there. I am kind of new to online , so I printed this off to put in my file, any better way to go about keeping track of it then printing?
Just created
Plug Into Read’s Book Shop.
Dead Drop installed at Read’s Book Shop, Carleton Place, Ontario. Side of building on right. Check for future book reviews and coupons!
130 Lansdowne Ave. Carleton Place, ON
GPS 45-07.9919N 76-09.3383W
That’s brilliant! I wonder if you’re the 1st to find a way to commercialize this movement?!
hello
just registered and put on my todo list
hopefully this is just what im looking for looks like i have a lot to read.
P.s I wanna have fun as well as learn
shredding
На страничку зашёл случайно.. Но 100% зайду ещё! Классная статья!
way to go with the map database :)
the next ones I put up around ATL will be more protected to the elements and maybe a little more hidden to the average walker by.
Hey, love the idea! Hoping to be the first in the UK. One question, the weather over here is terrible at the moment, is there any risk of shorting out a laptop if the USB is wet? I would also imagine that the USB couls corrode over time, but I kinda like the idea of this being a semi temporary installation.
Great idea! However, I think there should also be more information on the web like if the drive is a high-voltage boobie-trap or not. If there is a way to communicate with others (other than messaging via the USB-drive), it should be possible to make wishes and offers and make this movement dynamic, i.e. finally screwing the assholes from the entertainment industry.
I wish some liberal communities follow this idea and officially install USB-drives in public places.
How are the NYC drops going to respond to a winter of road salt and ice ?
I would love to install one but the council would remove it
Great Idea ! I’ll try to add one :-)
nifty idea! I like it very much.
Brilliant idea. I’d strongly suggest however that you don’t reinvent the wheel by building a web site from scratch.
I’d suggest either working with the OpenCaching community to add Dead Drops as a geocache type, or else take the OpenCaching source code (that’s why it’s ‘Open’) and create your own derivative. Either way you’ll have a high-function site up and running very quickly. I believe there are code bases in German and Polish, but of course there are now derivates in UK, USA, CZ, etc.
bit awkward to attach the laptop to the USB though isn’t it?
Amazing idea btw. I love it (=
I was browsing in the Scotsman today that Principle Dental practitioners are earning around £120k every year – that sure does seem like alot of cash nowadays. My emotions went out to the associates dentists (lower down the pecking order) who just collect around £70k typically…all together now, ahhhhh
Interesting idea but there are several things one has to consider and they have been brought up already.
Porn/Illegal Content: Whoever finds it should just delete it. End of story.
Malicious code: Yes, I run Win7 and MSE Antivirus but do I want to plug my expensive laptop into a random jump drive? I don’t think I would do that.
Longevity: The jump drives will rust or become broken fairly easily and will become unusable within a short time frame. They will need to be replaced often unless they are located indoors.
That being said, I will add the code to the Opencaching US site today for those who wish to hide and seek these. A disclaimer will certainly be shown as well. :)
Jerry
OCUS Admin
Two things on the new “Stora Lee” drop.
The special characters didnt work well. Just write Cafe.
The drop is 512 MB, not KB.
Thanks :)
The code for Dead Drops has been added to the Opencaching US site. A simple, free registration process is all that is needed to start submitting your listings. As always, the OCUS site is 100% free to use so no worries about membership levels or not being able to access certain features.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly.
Jerry
OCUS Admin
Im going to put a dead drop in Orlando Tomorrow! :]
I think the entire internet is a dead drop if you know what you’re doing. As for fearing that someone loading porn or malicious code on that type of dead drop is completely ridiculous.
This is just GREAT! I love this kind of freedom and I’ll do a DD in my city soos as possible ;)
Thank you for the simple & great idea!
What can I say, this is a very nice website!
I wanted to say that it’s nice to know that someone else also pointed out this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer. Appreciate it.
I have built a blog and and i want to change the theme.I got some ideas from here! You could visit my website and tell me your opinion!
geocaching with files
Your idea is an original one but not avery good one for the following reasons:-
1) They will just get full up of useless junk like any public hard drive and people wont use it because it will take them ages to find anything.
2) Its just like any file sharing system on the net (pirate bay, etc. etc.) Full of rubbish and illegal software, with the added disadvantage that you have to get cold and wet to use it.
Staining in the teeth is some thing that regular brushing or the hygienist will not be able to get rid of as this tends staining will be deeper in the enamel and therefore some bleaching method needs to become considered.
I quite like this idea and think that it is really cool I have recently got involved in geochacheing and I think that this seems a little like that?? Me and my boyfriend are planning to plant one of these dead drops tomorrow in the uk in Dorset =D what sorts of things to people leave on the USB’s?? And to everyone out there who hasn’t yet tried geochacheing if you like this you will love it!! =D
This is a sociological hoax.
this a wonderful — wikileaks to the Nth — our comrades in the govt could post leaks all the time
Will be adding one in canada, this time it will be incorperating a rather new sport called geocaching (www.geocaching.com) the idea is best explained by the sites intro animation. Go Open-Source and peer-peer!!!!
What do you mean by new? Geocaching has been around for over a decade…
Well… I think some thought on implementation, from someone technically minded would be in order… at least to prevent a lot of frustration.
Hi, today is a beautiful day in my life. I saw a first snow in this year and I save this photo for all people in the World!
Why a usb stick?
here one i’ve set up:
OSX Server , PFSense, QNAP, Netgear wif i router
= no internet, a website xplaining the idea, space on QNAP & OSX Server for people to upload and download files, all available wirelessly.Actually theres over 300 iso movies available freely in the share which can be downloaded at 3MBp/s.
Unfortunately after 2 month now, havnt get a single user. nobody use wifi in my area, only connection though was a nokia with otoconect to my open wifi!!!!
Where I am, I never thought that people were still years behind, and not computer litterate.
Nice idea, cool be usefull for China, North Korea.
But, you have to use an usb extension cable to avoid breaking your laptop’s usb port :)
I’m going to put one in my towm, in france
It’s a cool idea, imho.
Ideas are just like knieves: you can kill yourself with it or just prepare lovely pancakes…
It will work exactly in the same way the internet does for “dangerous” behaviours, if you ask me :)
This project is awesome! It would be cool if we got a DeadDrop at every McDonald’s or something like that.
I am gonna put some around London, Coventry, Rugby and Birmingham in the UK!
Oh at 04:50 you looked a bit like Julian Assange.
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to “return the favour”.I am looking for ways to add things to my website!Is it ok if i use some of the things i saw here?!
This sounds awesome. its kinda like geocaching if you know what that it.
what i think would add to it, is a website that lists them, but you get gps coordinates to them.
just a thought.
You guys can afford flash drives but not USB extender cables? LOL
wouldn’t this be illegal because you are destroying public property?
This isn’t any worse of an idea than running Winblows on your PC, either way you’re exposed and unsecured. Keep up the good ideas, it keeps up technicians employed.
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Digital geocaching! Cool. I’ll use Milliput epoxy putty. Quick dry, water and temperature proof, very sticky and sets harder than stone! Off to hunt out some good spots in London, I know a couple of potentials in Camden.
P.S. Remember to insert the drive the right way up!
FYI: Autorun for USB drives is disabled by default in Windows 7.
I appreciate what you have achieved in this article. I enjoy the section exactly where you mention you are doing this to give back but I would likely think by all the commentary that this method is definitely working for you as well.
@The technophobes, conservatives, and morons
People could wire door handles and other metallic objects up to the mains, should we all wear heavy duty insulation gloves at all times? There are paedophiles, muggers, and murderers walking the streets, should we all stay indoors because they may target us? Geocaches could be replaced by terrorists with IEDs/mines, should we put a stop to it? The internet is full of child porn, viruses, and terrorist training manuals, should we petition our governments to shut the net down or insist they censor content much like the Great Firewall of China? Heck, shutting down the internet wouldn’t be enough (hasn’t worked for China so far), paedophiles could use phones (I’m sure you’ve read the papers on this) and the postal system, lets put a stop to that. But wait, they could still exchange photos in social gatherings, lets strike the roots of the problem by banning cameras and segregating children from adults. But what about the ones that slip through the net? Well, just to be safe we’ll ban any gatherings of people (works for Burma, right?), after all, statistically speaking, the person next to you is a terrorist, paedophile, and/or carrier of swine flu.
As for the risk of 0day attacks, these are only effectively spread via high profile networks and websites. Why? Because their strength lies in spreading as quickly as possible before a patch is released. After a day or two a patch is pushed out to the masses rendering the attack useless. If you keep your system patched and use sensible computer practices then these really aren’t viable attack vectors. Do you really think people will be pounding the streets once they get their hands on an exploit, just to infect one or two people when they could be targeting thousands over the internet? But hey, if you really concerned, then don’t use it, simple.
I bet the same morons calling the paedo card on this are the same type of idiot happy to let people smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol but insist on keeping cannabis illegal, despite scientific evidence that cannabis is less harmful. Guess they’re also the same type of sheep happy for governments to install CCTV everywhere and have the mentality of “if you have nothing to hide, you have no reason to worry”, because yeah, we all really want to live in a police state where we are assumed guilty until proven innocent.
Move along, nothing to see. Everything is OK.
Ah, but the barrier to entry for those sorts of attacks is far, far higher than it is for this sort of infrastructure. Therefore, the point remains valid.
I could kill you with a fork. I could also kill you with an intercontinental ballistic missile. Or I could kill you with a gun. All different items with all different levels of accessibility and “ease-of-use”.
It’s not the specific possible result – it’s that it’s too damned easy.
Far too easy? Seriously, how delusional are you? Most computers disabled autoplay years ago and if you haven’t done it yourself already then you’re an idiot. If you really are worried, don’t execute the files. Copy them and sit on them for a week or two. There is nothing issue about being stung by the method, it relies heavy on the misconception that these devices are going to have high traffic volumes. In actual fact, it’s most likely that most devices will only be used one or two times a month. Thus, making the chances of being stung by some non-existent exploit that take just miraculously take over your system without you executing it are effectively so low that it’s stupid to worry about it. Be more concerned about crossing the street or making sure your smart phone isn’t infected.
Will put some in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and post pics and coords here.
superb idea and i will drop my first one this week in Belgium. I think it would be great if we merge this with geocaching, what do you think? Instead of a box it would be a thumb-drive with the digital log and a digital treasure
Grtz from Belgium halepole
i should install some dead drops in Washington state
Has anybody run into issues with the authorities? As mentioned by another commenter, I’m sure this would be an illegal installation in most instances. Just wondering if anybody has any experience or knowledge of that aspect of the project.
Too me it seems like a good way for people to spread viruses around to steal peoples information.
I see two serious problems here.
1. RAIN.
2. Someone will accidentally break the head off of them. Hit up against them on the wall or pull down on it with their laptop.
Fun, innovative, creative and unique. P2P can’t be stopped :D
To solve rain problems, at least a little bit, USB drives with caps could be used, or as someone said, female USB plug, but then, not everyone wants to carry a double ended USB cable.
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Funny idea, but each stick will only survive a few days then someone will destroy it… What a waste of money and time.
Evil is in our minds and hearts, not in a USB flash drive. A better world start with us. Loved your idea, to me, it´s pure poetry. =]
I loved your quote! To me it was pure poetry:)
I think this idea is really cool… I’m imagining a line of people waiting to use the drop, stretching down the block, drawing attention to themselves. Someone walks up:
(A guy walks up) “Hey… what’s going on?”
(Guy in line) “Uh… nothin’.”
“So, whatcha standin’ in line for?”
“Ummm, no reason.”
“So, everyone here is standing in line in front of a blank wall, uh… with their laptops… for no reason?”
“Yep.”
“Cool.”
(Gets in line)
I thought that outside of all of the talk about childpron and viruses and whatnot, that I’d make a little observation about human behavior. Just for fun.
I guess the thing that would be most annoying would be the potential for the Authorities setting up baitdrops, and working them like sting operations. It could happen;)
sadly, I could see that happening…
Police have better things to do, unless said drops do become a haven for child porn. But I really doubt that would ever happen on a large enough scale to worry about.
You know the Russian spies that were caught in USA already did this with encrypted container files made with TrueCrypt…. It was obviously very effective.
how about a USB socket in the street attached to a computer inside the building. Then all you would need to do would be to plug your USB drive in from the street. A program on the host computer would then swap all the files on the USB drive for a preconfigured payload.
Back to the USB plug as per your photo. It could also be attached to a webcam viewing a secret message.
i like that idea. Would be great for a business front, not so good on residential house. If i owned a business i would offer free usb 24/7 file storage/p2p (obviously deleting anything inappropriate/illegal everyday)
This is an awesome idea….just curious as to how you’d prevent getting arrested for destruction of city property or vandalism here in Cali.
1) Ask for permission
2) Don’t get caught
Use a pre-existing hole or crack, then you would be repairing – not vandalizing!
dont be a pussy and just do it
I think a good idea would be form-fitting rubber caps over the metal portion. Users would be trusted to remove them before use and replace them afterward. This might slow or reduce corrosion over time. Caps could be painted the same color as the wall for camouflage.
Could someone please tell me the name of the song in the video? Thanks.
I really like this idea! Its like a USB Geocache.
That being said why not simply add a USB Flash Drive to GeoCaches with a tag that states [ DO NOT REMOVE from Cache ]. And then mark the cache as having a Dead Drop at GeoCaching.com If these are embedded into a wall some one will see it sticking out and break it or just damage it by running into it.
they should have used female usb so it would have been almost impossible to break them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/USB_Female_Plug_Type_A.jpg
now that’s thinking. Although it only solves one of the 20 odd reservations I have about the whole idea!!!
“Damage it by running into it”
I don’t know about you but I don’t know many people who randomly run into walls.
lol
I’ll just boot up Ubuntu, so I don’t really need to worry about virus. However I think their are assholes who physical and digital damage the dead drops.
instead of plugging youre laptop directy into it get a male to female usb lead and plug it in that way — i will deploy a few dead drops in Northampton UK
So is this still an active project? I am thinking of deploying another one in Manhattan… Anyone from there?
This idea is awesome.
I believe however that natural corrosion and physical vandalism would be the main killers, that would make dead-drops drop dead.
Software manipulation would be way more work…. and who invests his time in uploading viruses, when a little kick would do the trick?
We’re trying to put one up in Munich.
Maybe in proximity to the University… the moron rate slightly declines in that area, you know… and most students carry netbooks.
Is there some kind of list, into which you can enter the locations?
For everybody stating “this is a step backwards” or online file sharing, blogging etc… is “more efficient”. I do not believe the creator of this movements is aruging with that, nor promoting that idea. I believe it has been created to be more of a “back up” system of offline information sharing network for the people, in case the an internet shutdown (which can be accomplished in the USA with the stroke of a pen from Mr. Obama for 4 months.) Imagine how hard it would be for people to get important information to others in the case of the internet being down, power being out and or cell phone towers overwhelemed…. Dead drops if common enough, would be an extremely efficient method to transfer information under these certain circumstances. So if you look at dead drops as more of a “precautionary” measure, in case of technological “mishaps” and not try to attack the creator as a “false innovator” you will see it has intrinsic value in a world that could spring up around you before you know it.
cheers.
These could be tracked similar to geocaching pods by using GPS coordinates… http://www.geocaching.com
Really cool idea, I’m going to deaddrop in Fayetteville, NC!!
I love your stories really often because they are spelled in an understandable perspicuous. So I can learn them although I come from Austria and have any problems to understand English articles.
awesome idea! i had an similar idea, but never started the project, the idea of make a second internet with free wi-fi providers around the world (people who want share they conections or local files)
i will make one dead drop some day! here on Brasil.
I loved the idea but I just realized it can’t work. Police will remove as they cannot verify visually the content. “Happy dudes put D.D. all over the city, thank you students and happy geeks”, but “Bad old men will put child porn” and “CIA will put Urkeysniffer” and “FBI would share only they donut recipe in PDF” and “It’s not a USB key it’s Ussama nose behind the wall sniffing for your lives” things. If gov can’t monitor, you have no luck it works, or it’ll be a content nightmare. Remember, they close their eyes when it’s only armless for people/city/country/economy/blabla. Just think at what you share and forget those nasty gloryholes even if it’s sounds “sympa”
i think the idea is similar to the virtual web. if it’s discretion you’re looking for then you’d better exercise those childhood hide and seek skills. just put the thing where only your “network” knows to find it. this is why we have internets and intranets.
your ability to make dead drops into a positive experience depends on your ability to implement it in as secure a way as you would on the internet.
example: embedding a stick into a public locker would be the same as having a “firewall.”
let’s not be so shortsighted folks. i don’t think the idea here is to only put dead drops at the crosswalk in times square. budget allowing i have a thousand ways to implement this system in a positive and secure way. it represents in many ways a lifestyle change, so the honesty system must have complete trust put in it while taking approprate measures to ensure safety for machinery and security for data and users.
suggestions: wrap the drive with a physical note hinting at the content like a post it or something. encrypt the drive and give the password only to your circle’s members to ensure pushy people don’t have the chance to push their perverse nature on your public.
good luck to
i second the idea of using all those old wasted wireless routers to start blending the idea of wireless mesh networks and dead drops!
Yes, this is a great idea. The wifi networks’ only problem is that they require a power connection and a media server, while you can place a DD anywhere.
Don’t forget to use a plastic jacket to close the deaddrop outlet, otherwise you get moisture problens in the USB connection. Just a handy tip.
Most of the naysayers here just don’t get it. Read 1984 to try to get an idea of where the world is heading if enough people don’t wake up soon. This is akin to a resistance member finding a note in a wall in the Orwellian world that is being orchestrated against us. When you can no longer find the information you need to survive. Or want to know what is going on behind the smoke screen because the internet is controlled, check out controlled internet in China, this may be your only means of getting the information you need. What is happening in China w/ the internet is being planned in most countries. Wake Up!
@ C.Owens
if you put these up in china they would just find them and arrest everyone who used them, since they are in a fixed position. And since its all offline, how would the next guy know the spot is hot?
This idea is a bit silly really. And it aint peer to peer at all! its just offline FTP servers….
other bad points:
1) you’ll zap your lappy if its wet
2) people will rig up fakes
3) open to easy abuse with malware and viruses
4) finite life
5) installing them is a crime in itself in most places.
6) seriously – using this to get anything the powers that be consider “illicit” is like handing yourself to them on a plate.
Problem !solved.
Tsk; all these folks lambasting a good idea. Mind you I don’t think I would attempt to plug my laptop in against a wall – a USB extention cable would make the whole thing easier – and you could lean against the wall looking inconspicuous :) well less than leaning with a lappy against the wall. Maybe this might be a way back for the PDA’s, even more discrete.
Whether it works or not is neither here not there; it’s a cracking idea.
beautifull song of video . i need to know the name of the band please . thanks
I’m gonna install like 10 of these in my city cool idea dude!!!!
this is the kind of thing that will keep us connected in our not-so-distant future dytopia. by this i mean the economic, political, and security nightmare almost everyone under the age of 50 will experience down the road.
in the days when this stuff becomes a lifeline, you child pornography and virus yelpers will have more important things to worry about, like where you’ll get your next meal or job.
In a future dystopic scenario where the internet goes down I think within a very finite period there will be no readily available power sources to run any devices that could read a USB port. The only use they will have is when you impale another human against one while you’re fighting over a can of ravioli and gallon of bottled water.
Amazing !!!
So simple, so easy, so open !
There are so much sharing possibilities with this real life network.
I start working on how to put keys in Paris, i will tell you.
Kind regards.
I just built my new website and i am trying to find new ways to make it better.Your design is quite nice and you do know how to write well. I though that it would be nice to say that i will use some of your “know-how”.
This is perfect!
I and a few friends of mine wanted to go on a road-trip this summer, but really had no idea how to go about setting up places we wanted to visit or what we would do along the way. Now with the Deaddrop thing we will have a reason to go from city to city and discover interesting things.
IMPUNITY IS THE WORD….
ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER IDEA TO BYPASS COPYRIGHT LAWS AND SHARING ILLEGAL DOWNLOAD OF MUSIC / MOVIES / BOOKS / CHILDPORN IN A TOTAL IMPUNITY.
A SHIT
ONCE AGAIN, I DON’T GIVE ONE.
There are people who will always view progress as a threat.
People are capable of the best and the worst, it’s a matter of choice.
Technology can be used for good or for bad, it’s a matter of choice.
Laws can be used rightly or wrongly, it’s a matter of choice.
That’s what people have a conscience for… unless you’re an evolutionist in which case theoretically you shouldn’t have one … ;-)
I would put tons of malware and root kits on there if I came across one.
Just saying…
Excellente Idée, il faudrait même que à tout à chacun qui n’utiliserait plus certaines clés de les répartir dans leur villes respectives, clés publicitaires et autres…
c’est une forme de recyclage.
im considering doing this around san diego. any suggestions for locations? also has anyone done this already in sd?
I think ist a great idea.
I´m from germany and i think omething like this would be great in germany too.
if i see some of these there are 2 options
ill destroy it orill steal it
dont see any other sense in this stuff
why the hell should i take my laptop all the way to this shitty stick in a wall who needs this? innovation should be new and useful but there are 100 ways to share files anonymous with much less to do
all hail worms like conficker autostart rules i bet there must be than 10 people and the stick is infected
edit rulez
insert a less betwenn than and 10
Concise and written well, thanks much for the post
I think I have a practical use for this I will implement on a project and report back. I love the idea. However I do agree if you leave it too open to file share , erase, and write then there will be many problems. So what if you just protect it so its read only and distribute whatever it is you wanted. Like a book, or maybe photos of the area, or coupons for places on the street that it is located on.
Isn’t there the possibility of getting viruses and such by linking to those Dead Drops??
l’idée la plus révolutionnaire que j’ai pu voir depuis des années….
I’ve also dropped a number of ‘dead drops’ in my city as well.
Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario is on the map.
Thanks for this excellent idea.
C.
So what is on these things? Is there a screen shot? I think it’s a cool idea as an art piece, but then what??
I find memory USB sticks all the time in and around the libraries, out on the streets. Plus they’re super cheap. I will be the first for Vancouver BC CANADA -OveRdRiVe247
Fucking cool!
It’s very excellent !!!
Aw, fucking A you posted all the locations and I have nothing better to do.
Going to rally a counter-website to this bullshit, and encite people to go around with a hammer smashing all your drives so no one can use them.
It’ll be just like the Da Vinci code, your secrets will be lost forever.
Well I hope you guys plan on capping off these male ends, otherwise weather and other elements are going to make these hard to use. If you’re willing to take the time to go to these locations to share files, I guess more power to you. It’d be funny to see someone put a bluetooth or wifi in an area and people can remote connect to it to share. But that would require a very long battery life and occasional tech support. Good luck to those who try.
- One of you guys been done yet for degrading public property ?
- Maybe a new way for wikileaks to get news out once the FED has shut them down on the net!
- Methinks rust could be a problem… can usb short circuit a laptop lol?
I’m gonna build an ipad into my wall so people can surf the net from in front of my house :-)
ATL represent
actually more like powder springs lol
but yeah def. gonna make a couple of theses and post them up around GA
stay tuned :)
Whats with a german language?
MfG Christian
Whats with the german language?
I’m in!
Unfortunately we have frost ‘n’ Snow, but as soon as the weather gets more USB friendly, I’ll place some in our city and hood…
Do you ever had the idea to publish the content online, by collecting the files in a termed intervalle?
You could ask the people in addition, to prevent there files by deletion…
Nice idea!
Great i dea i’ll put one in Paris today :)
http://jaimejepartage.blogspot.com/
I find the protrusion from a vertical sidewalk surface intimidating. If you have slid along a busy sidewalk sometimes there’s very little clearance.
You my good sir, Win.
I will have one going up in West St. Paul soon if there is enough interest in it to make it worth my while..let me know people.
another thought is you should expand this website to have forums that people can use for letting people know if sites have been destroyed or if they are fruads ect. This one thread thing is hard to use for things like that. also forums for areas of the map.
If you fill the end with a grease like commercially available Vaseline, the port would be weather proof but still operational. Everybody connecting could have a grease filled extension cable which would keep the USB end weatherproof.
Rather than in a wall, what about under a window or door overhang or in a similar weather protected location
I was thinking the same thing. Installing it underneath something protects it from most weather influences and from idiots. An usb extension cord is mandatory anyway.
brilliant ,, 2 unique ones will soon be appearing in dublin ireland , keeping it simple tho , inside 2 pubs so far , weather wont matter ,, and its ireland ,, lol best place for them
Isnt this a security threat where its possible for people to leave information around ? May be not in this deaddrops network, but this idea can be misused. It important to think how people can use technology or ideas for the worse.
Nice idea.. ;) I Like it…
excellent idea, but the EVIL ELITE may see this and send their thugs to seek out these devices and smash them? But its a good idea.
I will be putting some up around Long Beach… now to get my hands on some large thumb drives…
What a great idea. I posted a dead drops team area on pearltrees. Just click on ‘ray’
CHICAGO, IL
DEKALB, IL
OAKBROOK, IL
Coming soon…
Hi there! Great project guys! Do you need help to translate it in ITALIAN?
Tienda de colchones en línea ubicada en Tijuana, BC. Las mejores maracas de colchones como Spring Air, Selther, Simmons
i’m pretty sure somebody’ll put viruses on dead drops either intentionally or accidentally :( I will plant some dead drops here in Hungary anyways.
Hi,
what if we can see more a future and not use usb, better we can put a dummy pc in own homes with a WIFI router without password, sharing a folder of the PC for EVERYONE, sharing a lot of music, videos, etc….
with this form, we can pass and stay parking out of home/area of the hot spot, copying a lot of content, and then u can go to the next stop ;)
this can be so much reliable for a share content.
No good at all the connector is easily broken and there is no discretion, somebody could have a camera to see who connects, better to use a WRT54G (Wifi router running open source Linux based software) modified to have a USB connector or one that is compatible and already comes with the mass storage connector. Or use an Ethernet drive, or even better the http://corp.fon.com/en/products/fonera2n/
You can make independent Wifi filesharing spots unconnected to the internet or even have both options available, web and local store. Eventually we will simply create independent networks using hacked Wifi routers acting as packet forwarders!
Very nice article, thanks for sharing the info. It’s not too often that you come across a post where the writer knows what they are blogging about. Grammar and spelling are spot on as well, only trouble I seemed to have was loading the page, seemed slow
very cool!
this is most definitely a cool idea, but sketchy… once somebody gets a virus on their laptop from these the whole idea is wrecke
dead drops = laptop glory holes
imma put some in brisbane australia soon
cant these drives be password protected?
use this, problem solved 256 encrypt
Flash Drive Security Software
http://www.flashdrivesecuritysoftware.com/usb/
password the entire drive or files within it, then share password via pm/im/email/snailmail/cl etc
Lovely idea in many ways, but it’s not peer to peer at all. Each dead drop is the direct equivalent of an offline FTP server. There is nothing peer to peer about having multiple people uploading and downloading form the same “ftp server” herein named as a dead drop.
But apart from that it’s an interesting if slightly questionable idea. I’m really not sure what problem it is solving which proxy’s and 256bit SSL tunnels can’t also solve……
Great. Sharing is the way. Thank you. ;) We will do it. Love from Madrid.
I’ll put tomorrow a dead drop on mexico city, how can contact you or send you the data or the location
Great idea! Though an usb extension cord would make things a bit easier.
Awesome idea and i would like to be apart of it, right now i’m planning on putting a dead drop in Petersburg, VA and at the rest stops at the Virginia/North Carolina border and Virginia/ Maryland border both along Interstate 95,the main Highway that connects the east coast.
Awesome! Great idea and don’t worry about virus’, plenty of us good guys will remove anything if ever found.
Ill be adding one in Las Vegas, USA shortly!
Some may be destroyed or vandalized but eventually these will be everywhere! Have also linked to this site on my blog to help spread the word! Its obvious the system doesn’t like this idea very much :)
what the what.
some people expect each idea to be fool-proof. nothing is fool proof. the point is to take chances and experiment.
sure, it might get damaged. waste of money? not until the damage happens. and the person who spent the money probably knows this anyways. thanks for voicing concerns though.
illegal use of the public space? please. the public space is for the PUBLIC. we should be using it in any way we want. all the diversity of the world does not guarantee 100% happiness with what everyone else is doing, but tough titties if this upsets you. the world, the universe, does not revolve around you you you: the private space is for the private persons.
Question is, how do we get secure the USB sticks from water damage???
You just can’t. Probably the same for the cold and snow in winter…
Expect some near Enschede, the netherlands as well in the next month.
Use a rubber before pluggin in.
It’s like a glory hole for hackers, viruses and all!
I fear for any people of Arabic descent caught hiding putty & circuit boards in train stations…
Hi,
I really like this idea…. I think next week I will install my first DeadDrop in Hannover, Germany :-)
Nice idea, very close to geocaching. Could be a new kind of cache. I’m thinking about installing one myself, though I’m not into this geo stuff.
btw: You are on http://www.spiegel.de in the “read most in last 24h” category. I hope lots of new dead drops will pop up in germany in the next weeks.
just added our first one :D #germany
test comment
Digital Glory Hole = DTDs
test2
I think if u do it in China. You will be caught by Cheng Guan :)
awesome
will set up some in good ol’ germanee
i’m going to make one in Belgium
in Heist o/d berg
gonna put wikileaks on it
I think its a great idea, look at whats going on in Egypt right now, that could be here. and soon! we need a way to pass info to the masses when there’s a media blackout and the internet ,phones and papers are down, .txt files that u download onto a flash drive of ur own would be great and cut down on virus ect. and who cares if it blows its a 10 buck flash drive.
Much ado about nothing. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
does anybody in miami beach, florida wanna set up dead drop(S)?
Dead Drops Dallas. Coming soon.
Have you not heard of torrents?!
He HAS heard of torrents, but it’s had it’s problems. Hence out-of-the-box thinking is needed so now you’re looking at one example of it.
Je veux en faire un !
You can get a USB extension cable to connect the laptop to the USB drive
No need to lean like that while copying contents .
Wonderful idea for those of us with desktop computers rather than laptops. With the issues brought about by the lack of any easy trackability, we can be sure no malicious or illegal content will ever be on these devices. I think it’s a wonderful idea that doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel at all, and certainly doesn’t introduce a whole load of problems without adding any real benefits.
Well, gotta get this thing going! I’m off to deface a few buildings – I’m sure the owners won’t mind seeing as it’s for a good cause. :)
Hey, we should also place wooden boxes here and there in which people can drop stuff that, you know, with any luck, will be of some use to someone, some day, for some reason… People Power!
once again art shows itself to be a waste of time that draws idealists away from productive ideas…
goooood!!!!
This is my idea for a offline peer to peer network
http://datagram.tk
It is used to mail SD cards with data between users …
Add hardware on the stick that nukes any rootkits/etc automagically and removes anything with an executable file header.. SIMPLEZ.
:-)
Neat idea *2, add some sort of eject/load mechanism like a CDROM, so the usb stays in the wall behind a metal shutter until an active PC is within range.
Charge it off the attached laptop so it has a regenerative power source.
(plus with a slight modification it could allow low mobile ‘phone batteries to be recharged that way)
Gonna put one in Bonn, Germany soon :)
hello Aram,
we want to help!
we want to see the project go even higher!
what is your vision of the near future?
how can we help to improve the database and the rest?
share the problems with all of us!
let’s grow!
best,
gregol
ahoi,
Please add a comment function for the authors of the individual sticks, or try to make a connection between news and the authors… cause the stick in cologne is propably down at least since christmas…
If its been rebuild since then, a notice would be good, and first of all of course a system to deal with stuff like that.
greeez
MrMinister
nice … but WTF???
HAAAA sarko you dont like this !!! yea the french people dont like this
free no taxxxx no €€€€€€€ gave it free , what you want .
i will put one in Guyane francais 973 yea man ,,,,, fuck the Gouvernement ,,, everything is free , lol
Great idea! Excellent proposal!
Is there any ‘Dead Drop’ in Barcelona?
Is there any way to localize ‘Dead Drops’ nearby, wherever anyone is living, travelling,…? (geolocalization)
Congratulations!
Felicitats! Una idea genial!
A mi també m’agradaria saber on hi ha ‘Dead Drops’ a Catalunya!
I would also know if there are any ‘Dead Drop’ in Catalonia!
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Wer kann denn so blöd sein, einen fremden USB-Stick, der “auf der Straße liegt” in seinen Laptop zu stöpseln? Noch einfacher kann man es Hackern wohl nicht machen!
La DD du capitole a disparu! :-( Faut en mettre une autre! Je pense en placer une prochainement dans Toulouse. J’adore le concept!
ahhh yea , something real good !!!
La guyane will have !! yea just after the Vaval thing , french Dom Tom .
Cause here down south Beatstormz BHP runs things !!!! Pakalawali Valien.T comes first !!!!!!
Hi all,
I just released a very first, very rough, very limited version of DeaddropDroid to the Android market, a little tool that can help you locate deaddrops from an Android phone.
It was fun learning Java and the Android platform (both new to me); hopefully it’s of use for all you deaddroppers.
Comments are welcome.
Sorry no web page yet from my side; that will come sooner or later.
Isn’t this making the spread of various worms, virus’ and so on too easy for anyone that want to?
Is this safe no viruses?
@Phil
Of course there are going to be viruses. Anyone can plug in and put whatever they want onto these flash drives. Just get some good anti-virus software and use a netbook that you don’t use for anything critical.
Not a very well thought out idea. USB flash drives are far too fragile. Basically vandalism (chipping away at walls?), and a waste of a flash drive. The video shows the absolutely absurd usage of putting a notebook directly into the usb flash drive… All it would take is for one person to release the weight of that notebook, or move it incorrectly, and the usb drive plug is bent or snapped off permanently and forever useless. I’d think that he would at LEAST advise using a usb extension cable…
I’m looking forward to seeing these connected to an 120 Volt power grid, to fry any moron who is stupid enough to plug this into their notebooks…
Combine this with geocaching please??
Conceptually it’s an interesting idea.
But! What if someone walks into one of these lumps of sharp metal protruding from a wall? I hope you can sleep knowing you’ve left a potential H&S [Health and Safety] nightmare in a public place.
Hey all !!! I am closing the comments. Thx for all your thoughts, ideas and concerns (yes, there even could be viruses on there! OMG this is soo dangerous! Luckyly the Internet is a save place ;-)
Please keep discussing, brainstorming and add your ideas in the Forum
ARAM