This is a project by Adam Harvey and Surya Mattu called SkyLift. It's a WiFi geolocation device that tricks user's phones into being at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London- the current residence of Julian Assange. It broadcasts a WiFi signal that exploits the WiFi geolocation services of a cellphone. It mimics the MAC address used at the Ecuadorian Embassy, captured by the two collaborators from the street outside the Embassy. It uses a Raspberry pi and WiFi module and can be built for under $50, though Harvey has recently released plans for a second version that can be built for less than $5. All the software that runs on it and steps for setting up your own can be found on his GitHub.
The goal of this project, according to Harvey, is to call attention to aspects of the surveillance state; especially around the particularly charged aura of Julian Assange. In addition, the project allows you to disappear from a geographical location and appear at a completely different one- at least digitally. There's certainly an interesting combination created by the merger of the digital and physical in this project, both conceptually and literally.
