Facebook makes an app that can bypass China's censors

A tweak that Facebook made to its Android app will allow mobile customers in restricted places like China and Iran to connect to the social network. It's a big step forward for human rights activists -- and it could greatly expand Facebook's reach into countries where its services are banned. Facebook doesn't say it updated the app specifically to reach people in China and Iran. But the new feature is able to circumvent censorship on cell phone networks -- and that's really only useful to people living under authoritarian regimes.

Starting the week of Jan 18, the mobile Facebook app will pair up with the best online anonymity tool out there: Tor. Tor is a system that encrypts and bounces Internet signals around the globe. It helps you evade censors when surfing the Web -- and it hides your computer's true location. Because of that, Tor is used by criminals to dodge law enforcement. But also protects people from tyrannical governments that track what they do online -- and punish them violently.