Australia - Big Brother will be watching you

Australian Government To Force Internet Users To Install State-Approved Software - informationliberation
The
Australian government is set to intensify its war against Internet
freedom by forcing web users to install state-approved anti-virus
software. If they fail to do so, they will be denied an Internet
connection, or if their computer is later infected, the user's
connection will be terminated.



"AUSTRALIANS would be forced to install anti-virus and firewall
software on their computers before being allowed to connect to the
internet under a new plan to fight cyber crime. And if their computer
did get infected, internet service providers like Telstra and Optus
could cut off their connection until the problem was resolved," reports
News.com.au. ...

Diaspora - 4 nerds working on a private social network for the general public

About New York - Creating a Network Like Facebook, Only Private - NYTimes.com
4 students at NYU are working on a private, open-source social network alternative to Facebook.

Here is a link to their project site Diaspora.



Update:
Facebook Rival Raises $200K Without A Single Line Of Code

Veiled - a darknet created

2 HP Researchers Create Browser-Based Darknet | Maximum PC
...
For the uninitiated, a darknet consists of an encrypted peer-to-peer network most often used to communicate files between private groups of people. Darknets are often difficult to setup and maintain for the average user, but the HP researchers say that won't be the case for "Veiled," the name they've given to their browser-based darknet project.
...