A PC designed by hackers who claim it can detect NSA spying is in its final stages as it seeks to crowdfund $250,000 to build and launch the first models.
The open source hardware that can be used for desktops and laptops, and which was designed by Andrew Huang and fellow hacker Xobs, incorporates open sourced components to let users inspect the designs for bugs, faults and government-forced security backdoors.
According the crowdfunding site Crowd Supply, the machine also allows users to integrate their own components and reprogram it.
Various designs will be offered as per the level of the designer, ranging from the basic board design priced at $500, to about $5,000 for users seeking a ‘Heirloom’ model, integrating a Lenovo Bluetooth trackpoint keyboard, fitted in a wooden enclosure.
The $500 design includes a motherboard with basic computing components including a Cortex A9 processor, 4GB RAM, 4GB microSD card with on-board Debian firmware, a Wi-Fi card, HDMI output, an ethernet jack, two USB ports, a headphone in addition to a microphone port and a power supply.
It will also be offered in all-in-one desktop and laptop versions, with all versions integrated with ARM processor and powered by the open source Linux OS.
