Gemar asked for $7500 via Kickstarter to build the open source router box commercially.
Accusations surfaced on Wednesday – from members of the security community and a large number of users on Reddit – that Anonabox was undeserving of funding given its striking similarities to a circuit board which could be purchased for $20 from China.
Allegations also arose that the product contained backdoors and leveraged anonymity router software built by OPSEC pro ( Personal Onion Router To Assure Liberty ).
However, the Kickstarter funding has continued to increase despite the furore and a few public pledge withdrawals.
The off-the-shelf product (inset) compared Anonabox. Reddit
The Californian developer told Vulture South Anonabox was an original build and was designed by an engineer friend who sourced materials based on his requirements.
"It seems there is some confusion as to the process of the design of the circuit board itself," Gemar said via email.
"The engineer who designed the board for us didn't start with an empty canvas [because] it would take too much time. He used files he had from other customers and projects and modified them to meet our specs."
"This is pretty normal, and it's partially why devices such as cellphones all look the same."
He described the production of three prototypes in which the engineer took Gemar's specifications and gradually created smaller and more powerful units using a stock offering with added flash memory from Chinese manufacturer Gainstrong.
Gemar cited what he said was a well-described post by a Reddit user who noted that many original equipment manufacturer products in China used identical moulds and reference boards as a cost-saving measure.
"That said, it's pretty obvious to me that these guys have latched onto a particular OEM that promised to make them a batch to their spec using common moulds and a reference PCBs ... should we sh*t on them for that? I don't think so ... it's technically still their design, their software, and their product to support," the user reportedly said.
https://t.co/oTjYtx3qPh "No more backdoors!" yet their current release literally has a backdoor root pw, open wifi, and an sshd. @anonabox
— %256x%n (@justinsteven) October 14, 2014
Press outlets which covered the Anonabox Kickstarter campaign were not told of the hardware OEM sourcing, nor of underlying code reliance on the PORTAL project.
It has also been revealed that Anonabox images had been copied from the off-the-shelf Ali Express offering and altered to remove the logo.
Kickstarter had not banned the listing nor revoked funding at the time of writing. ®
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