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Researchers Build a Browser-Based Darknet

Posted by kdawson on from the easy-come-easy-go dept.

ancientribe writes "At Black Hat USA next month, researchers will demonstrate a way to use modern browsers to more easily build darknets — underground private Internet communities where users can share content and ideas securely and anonymously. HP's Billy Hoffman and Matt Wood have created Veiled, a proof-of-concept darknet that only requires participants have an HTML 5-based browser to join. No special software or configuration is necessary, unlike with darknets such as Tor. Veiled is basically a 'zero footprint' network, in which groups can rapidly form and disappear without a trace. The researchers admit darknets are attractive to bad guys, too, but they say they think these more easily set-up and dismantled nets will be more popular for mainstream (and legit) users." In somewhat related news, reader cheesethegreat informs us that version 0.7.5 of FreeNet has hit the tubes.

4 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. Bad Guys by aaandre · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course secrecy is attractive to bad guys. Problem is according to current legislation we are all bad guys, always crossing some obscure irrelevant law we don't know about.

    So one man's secrecy is another man's privacy and protection from overreaching criminalization.

    Oh, and anything you write or view on the internet, say over the phone, purchase, sms about, dial on your phone, etc. is saved and archived forever, by default, unless you make a special effort to enforce your right of privacy. Even that special effort does not guarantee protection and furthermore, that effort is not difficult to notice, and boom, you are someone with something to hide, i.e. one of the bad guys.

    War is peace. Doublegood peace.

    1. Re:Bad Guys by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Informative

      I have something to hide. It's called my private life and it's nobody's business. Not yours, not some company's and most certainly not my government's.

      I think it was Franklin who said, if the people fear the government, it's a tyranny, if the government fears its people, it's liberty. I think the US (and a good portion of the rest of the planet) would need a few leaders like the founding fathers of the US. If they could see what came to their dream, what they fought for, died for and had others die for, I think they'd get fed up enough to start over.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. Re:Worried, maybe. by Gotenosente · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think you are probably right and this type of thing will be attempted. However, in that situation, I would think that one could argue they had no knowledge that that's what they were partaking in. After all, that's the design of the system, right? Hell, if I help out a guy with a flat tire who happens to proceed to rape a child, am I guilty of aiding a pedophile? No, because there are plenty of legit reasons why a guy would be driving around in a car. Just as there are plenty of legit reasons why someone would want to surf entirely anonymously.

  3. Re:Worried, maybe. by Gotenosente · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I share your fear. Here's what I think the key is: tie this type of tech up with something that almost all "good" citizens would be against from the start. Ie debut this as a vehicle for freedom of information in oppressive, countries. I think we have enough people in the US who believe that there is some sort of Axis of Evil out there that needs to be defeated by Freedom. Iran would be ideal, China would probably work. We need to give John Q Public a good first impression. Maybe an author writing a nice novel would be helpful too.