Amigo: New Mesh Network Prototype Fortifies Communications During Political Unrest and Beyond
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A new mesh networking system, dubbed Amigo, is being developed to provide secure and reliable communication in areas experiencing internet shutdowns – a tactic increasingly used to suppress political protests and limit the flow of information.
Originally conceived for military applications and famously tested at events like Burning Man, mesh networks – characterized by their decentralized, “fishnet-like” connections – have struggled to live up to their potential in real-world scenarios. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, and the City College of New York are now aiming to change that with Amigo, a prototype specifically designed to withstand the challenges posed by adversarial environments.
The system was unveiled last week at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in Taipei, and represents a significant step forward in creating resilient communication infrastructure for activists and citizens facing government censorship. “Shutting down the internet during times of great civil protest is a way to prevent people from being able to organize and come together,” explains Tushar Jois, assistant professor of electrical engineering at City College, and a lead researcher on the project. “That is what we’re specifically tailoring our technology for.”
Addressing the Weaknesses of Traditional Mesh Networks
Amigo isn’t simply a refinement of existing mesh network technology; it’s a fundamental rethinking of how these networks operate. Previous iterations have proven vulnerable to disruptions, particularly in densely populated areas like protests, where network congestion and interference can lead to message failures, delays, and even user tracking.
The research team discovered that the problem wasn’t solely with encryption, but with the underlying Wi-Fi operations. “The story is the cryptography alone won’t save us,” Jois stated. Their work, initially presented earlier this year at the Real World Cryptography conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, focuses on three key improvements to bolster traditional approaches.
Dynamic “Cliques” and Reduced Network Congestion
One major issue with previous mesh networks was their susceptibility to “flooding,” where stressed networks would pump out redundant messages, grinding communication to a halt. Amigo addresses this with a system of dynamic “cliques.” Instead of every node communicating with every other node, Amigo designates leader nodes that exchange messages, while regular nodes communicate only with their designated leader. This substantially reduces network traffic and minimizes the risk of collapse.
“Dynamic clique routing basically allows groups of nodes to self-organize routing units in a geographic area based on GPS,” Jois explained. This approach allows the network to adapt to changing conditions and maintain connectivity even under heavy load.
Enhancing Anonymity and Security
Amigo also tackles critical security vulnerabilities present in older mesh network standards. Previous systems lacked a straightforward way to remove members from encrypted groups – a crucial feature when a device or user is apprehended by authorities. Furthermore, older standards leaked metadata that could expose other group members.
Amigo aims to correct these flaws by ensuring “outsider anonymity” – meaning individuals outside the group are unaware of its existence – and providing a secure method for group removal. The system maintains the robust security features of existing encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal, including forward secrecy (protecting past messages even if keys are compromised) and post-compromise security (allowing a compromised system to generate new keys and lock out intruders). “We add [our new protections] to the classic forward secrecy and post-compromise security,” Jois noted, adding that ongoing research will explore additional security properties.
Beyond Protests: Applications in Disaster Relief
While initially developed with political protests in mind, the potential applications of Amigo extend far beyond activism. Diogo Baradas, assistant professor of computer science at the University of Waterloo in Canada, points to the utility of such a system in disaster relief scenarios. “Another scenario where such crowd dynamics are of particular interest include natural disaster scenarios—like flooding, fires, and earthquakes—where Internet communications may become unavailable,” Baradas said. “And affected citizens, first-responders, and volunteers must coordinate to ensure a fitting response.”
Modeling Real-World Crowds for Optimal Performance
A key innovation behind Amigo lies in its approach to modeling crowd behavior. Traditional mesh networks often rely on a “random walk” model, imagining nodes moving independently like molecules in the air. However, this approach fails to account for the coordinated movement and social dynamics of real-world crowds, particularly during protests.
Cora Ruiz, a graduate student at City College working with Jois, is pioneering the use of “psychological crowds” in mesh network algorithms. “There’s really no understanding of the way that protesters are physically moving in these mass civil protests,” Ruiz observed. “And without having that understanding of the way that people move and what drives the movement, what it looks like on any level, it’s going to be nearly impossible to develop a really tailored solution.”
Psychological crowds, Ruiz explains, are characterized by a shared sense of self, leading to closer proximity, slower movement, and a greater tolerance for congestion. Her research, presented at the Hackers on Planet Earth conference in Queens, N.Y., aims to integrate these insights into Amigo’s routing algorithms. The team even drew inspiration from a 2019 document created by Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters outlining best practices for marching and gathering.
Jois emphasizes the importance of grounding the technology in real-world experience. “Our results show that there is like some foundational work necessary in mesh networking,” he said. “We can stand in our academic spaces and say, ‘Oh well, this is what we think is necessary.’ But unless we get that from the source, we don’t know.”
Amigo represents a crucial step toward building truly resilient and reliable communication networks, empowering individuals and communities in the face of censorship and disruption. .
