Audio Encrypt
Spring 2015
About this project
The twitter audio encryption algorithm was a piece of experimental code
developed for the 2015 CalArts Digital Arts Expo. Partially inspired by the
Sony Pictures Entertainment hack, it's an exploration into data and cyber security, a sort of modern morse code.
This project utilizes a sender and receiver algoritm.
The sender accesses tweets based on hashtags from twitter, and converts them into OSC. The OSC messages are sent to
a chuck application, which converts the message into a fast series of sine blips, played
through a speaker system.
The receiver algorithm listens to sound waves through a microphone, and attempts to convert frequencies into text. If a transmitter is using the related encryption,
the application is able to precisely translate the fast tones back into text.
Viewers of the installation were able to post tweets related to the Digital Arts Expo, the installation would then immediately convert their tweets to audio and play them across
the room, which would then be reconverted back to text. Not only was this fun for the viewer, but it also sonified
any tweets related to the expo, giving a sort of live activity stream.
