General News Hacktivists Want to Free the Net by Building a New One From Scratch

Joanne · Aug 13, 2013

If there’s something good to come out of the revelation that the NSA can watch basically everything we do online, it’s getting more people riled up about the increasingly not private, free, or neutral state of the internet these days. Some hacktivists are so fed up in fact, they decided to build a new internet, that's user-owned—something of a cyber-commune.

You may have heard of the meshnet scheme last year during the SOPA/PIPA fight, or during the Occupy Wall Street movement. Developers are using mesh networking to create a decentralized network, in which computers are connected directly to each other instead of through centralized portals like ISPs and telecom companies. By passing information from computer to computer through the network, there’s a lower chance that a third party can gain power and control over the internet—or spy on information as it travels.

Project Meshnet grew out of the subreddit community /r/darknetplan to fight internet censorship, and now it’s gaining steam in the wake of the domestic surveillance controversy.

It works in two parts. One is a local networks of physical “nodes”—beams installed in the ground, each with a radio transceiver and a computer, that can send messages to other nodes nearby. It's like a local, pirate wi-fi network. There are several of these mesh “islands” around the country already—the biggest in Seattle, Maryland, and New York.

Part two is a software called Cjdns, which is the basis for a virtual mesh network, called Hyperboria. It runs through the existing internet, but the routing software makes it possible for the computers to talk directly, peer to peer. The endpoints verify each other cryptographically, so only the intended receiver can access the information traveling through the network.

The whole concept is fairly simple, but pulling it off will be harder. The current middleman system is much faster and easier for consumers, and as of now, you need to have pretty advanced tech savvy to connect to Hyperboria. Meshnetters are hoping to solve for that with “meshbox” routers. The routers come with Cjdns installed, so all you have to do is plug the device into your computer and boom, you're on the meshnet.

The Seattle Meshnet project recently wrapped up a crowdfunding campaign to distribute the meshboxes (the going rate is $125), and the first batch is set to be shipped out this month. Is there any hope of mass adoption, or is the idea doomed to fester in the dark corners of subreddits and wikis?

One snag is that you can't use current popular websites like Gmail or Facebook without leaving the meshnet. It would truly be building the web from scratch , with a whole new set of sites and services. In that sense, Hyperboria is like the early web of the 80s—a wild west of possibilities. So far it supports just a handful of services, like an email and blogging platforms, and Uppit, its version of Reddit.

What the project needs now is more people on board—joining the network, installing nodes, linking up with the local meshnet community. Even with the newfound post-PRISM inspiration, there's a long road to travel to go from fun hacker project and internet salvation.
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Hacktivists Want to Free the Net by Building a New One From Scratch | Motherboard

Hexagon · Aug 13, 2013

Interesting

Just Jess · Aug 13, 2013

This reminds me of that thing a while ago where they were trying to replace ICANN with a peer-to-peer system,

Fed up with ICANN, Pirate Bay cofounder floats P2P DNS system | Ars Technica

Although it seems like it has a lot more momentum. And it seems like they may have accomplished the same goal, a popular and easy to use peer-to-peer dns router.

Found some info on cjdns and another router with the awesome name BATMAN,

CJDNS
Wiki - batman-adv - Open Mesh

TheLovelyAudrey · Aug 13, 2013

No.

Techno Kid · Aug 13, 2013

Andrew B said: ↑

No.
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No to the idea of a free and open internet?
Or do you mean that you think it won't work?

TheLovelyAudrey · Aug 13, 2013

TechnoBoy said: ↑

Andrew B said: ↑

No.
Click to expand...

No to the idea of a free and open internet?
Or do you mean that you think it won't work?
Click to expand...

Little of both
I don't mean to sound like a social authoritarian but there is a lot of disturbing stuff on the internet and made because of the internet mild restrictions regulations I support but in the end still have it be a generally free outlet
and I don't think it will work it would be interesting to try out maybe make some good progress in technology but the internet we have now is used by millions of people.

Joanne · Aug 13, 2013

There's no reason why a properly designed internet can't regulate and maintain itself, besides the loose collective known as anonymous is the only entity that actively searches for child abuse rings and shuts them down by gathering Intel and telling the appropriate authorities.

Shockingly noone like the FBI does that yet, and we know that because recently they announced they was only just CONSIDERING it, not doing but considering.

There's no reason why it couldn't manage itself, like it partially does now already, with the ever growing compassion and mindfulness movement changing society for the best

As for not working, all great ideas start out small and have many failed attempts of trial and error before taking off

Techno Kid · Aug 13, 2013

Andrew B said: ↑

TechnoBoy said: ↑

No to the idea of a free and open internet?
Or do you mean that you think it won't work?
Click to expand...

Little of both
I don't mean to sound like a social authoritarian but there is a lot of disturbing stuff on the internet and made because of the internet mild restrictions regulations I support but in the end still have it be a generally free outlet
and I don't think it will work it would be interesting to try out maybe make some good progress in technology but the internet we have now is used by millions of people.
Click to expand...

Ok, agree to disagree.

Minx · Aug 13, 2013

I thought there was a private place already. Wasn't it nicknamed the Undernet? :3

Joanne · Aug 13, 2013

Minx, your probably thinking of tor? If so its still based on the exsisting system and therefore still centralised

Minx · Aug 13, 2013

Joanne said: ↑

Minx, your probably thinking of tor? If so its still based on the exsisting system and therefore still centralised
Click to expand...

I lost all my research when my laptop crashed years ago but I don't think it was Tor. Oh well. :lol:

Straight ally · Aug 13, 2013

The idea sounds interesting, but i suspect they are going to make it illegal or regulate it at least.

Joanne · Aug 13, 2013

Straight ally said: ↑

The idea sounds interesting, but i suspect they are going to make it illegal or regulate it at least.
Click to expand...

Its hard to regulate or even enforce illegality of something that is fully decentralized and user owned

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