If you haven’t had the chance to swing by their table for the cookies, stickers and flyers of information out on College Walk today, Free Culture @ Columbia is currently launching CU-LATOR, its new (and cleverly titled) software through its website.

Basically, CU-LATOR is a program designed to encrypt web activity on your computer so that it stays out of the sight of Columbia administration. Although the FCC software is being launched in response to the RIAA attacks, Free Culture founder (and B&W editor) Brendan Ballou tells us via e-mail that it’s not about file sharing. “I don’t download music — in fact, a suprisingly small percentage of our club actually does,” Brendan claims. “We’re really just paranoids, who don’t like the idea that Columbia can see what websites you go to, and that that information can be so easily shared with outside organizations like the RIAA, or the government. It’s our belief that whether or not you’ve got something to hide, we all have the right to privacy.”

Another interesting bit of information is that CU-LATOR is actually built off software used by Chinese dissidents and is the first of its kind to be used on a college campus, giving possible leeway to a national model of the program. Unfortunately, the software is not available for non-Apple users although one of the club’s summer projects include designing a version for PC.

In the meantime, Apple kids should check it out — you just might thank yourself for it later.

MIP