An unlikely alliance between residents of an abandoned oil platform off the coast of England and a group of US high-tech privacy advocates have announced that they are ready to sell space on the most secure servers in the world. This story, with marked allusions to a recent science-fiction novel, achieved significant press coverage when it came to light last summer. The UK government reversed a previous position and claimed the platform is subject to its jurisdiction, so it will be interesting to see what happens if British officials decide the Principality of Sealand or HavenCo are in violation of its laws.

To read a Wired cover story on the subject, click wired.com. For a recent update, click theregister.co.uk.