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MaidSafe - The new decentralized Internet
IainB:
@Edvard: Many thanks for posting this. I had not been aware of it before:
I admit, this idea struck me as odd at best and 'pie-in-the-sky' at worst, but the basic gist is to create a network intended to replace the internet that is completely decentralized, paid for by users' spare hard drive space, and is completely encrypted. This goes beyond darknets and meshnets, and... well... read the FAQs, check out the article, watch the video, decide for yourself.
The Server Needs To Die To Save The Internet
“What we’re building is software that connects together all the computers on the network to form — think of it as one giant computer, or effectively one giant cyber brain. So it really connects together all the nodes on the network and allows them to effectively become a very large datacenter, without of course the datacenter,” explains Lambert. “It’s a network infrastructure that will replace datacenters — and hopefully large technology companies.”
That’s right. This startup wants to reconfigure the current Internet hierarchy too — pulling the power and centre of gravity away from the owners of the biggest datacenters and platforms, and putting it back in the hands of individual users.
--- End quote ---
TechCrunch Write-up: http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/23/maidsafe/
Home page: http://maidsafe.net/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdGH40oUVDY
from CodeProject News
-Edvard (July 27, 2014, 02:42 AM)
--- End quote ---
Just for posterity and reference, these are possibly relevant links in DCF:
* Newsletter for July 9, 2013 - Codename: Summer Slowdown
* Re: Secure Cloud backup -e.g., Digital Lifeboat - what alternatives are there?
* Re: Cloud-storage - safe & secure? Consider Wuala (it's encrypted as well).
* Re: Google's Storage Problem
The post about MaidSafe is very heartening news to me. I can't believe that I hadn't heard of it till now - the MaidSafe blog appears to go back to April 2014 and makes reference to some Google+ discussions about it before then (though I would probably have missed those anyway as I prefer to avoid g+).
The MaidSafe news at least gives another possible reason for DigitalLifeboat's somewhat abrupt cessation in July 2013 (or thereabouts) - another possible reason was BitTorrentSync, refer also:
* The 2013-01-25 post by @Paul Keith: BitTorrent Sync Sign-up Link.
* The 2013-04-23 post by @superboyac: Finally! A private, non-cloud file-sharing service.
* Note: This might be handy as a BitTorrent summary: 4 Things You Didn’t Know About BitTorrent
However, I am skeptical, not so much about MaidSafe per se (which appears to be a slam-dunk that has been operationally tested/proven, in prototype mode, at least), but about the Establishment's potential for aborting/euthanising MaidSafe through "necessary" legislation under (say) the "Prevention of Terrorism Act", or something, simply because it offers some potential threats to the Establishment on several fronts, including:
* Crypto-currency: The coupling of MaidSafe with crypto-currencies (including mastercoin and bitcoin, and the MaidSafe proprietary Perpetual Coin + safecoin).
* Disruptive technology - Commercial: The original Web/Internet as probably envisaged by Vint Cerf, would be a very different creature to what we seem to have today, which has become a fiercely capitalist profit/money-making scheme for those corporations that have been on the leading edge of using the Internet as a mass-marketing demographic data collection and vending system. Google's huge market dominance in this area could be a major victim of this disruptive technology, as it could sever the value-chain that provides their lifeblood and which drives their business model. As we are aware, there would seem to be a strong working relationship and interdependency between US Government/NSA/Google.
* Disruptive technology - State: The US and allied governments have apparently already invested many billions of dollars on developing internet surveillance systems (revelations re NSA/SS, SnowdenGate refer), all in the name of "National Security". MaidSafe could seem to have the potential to defeat a greater part of that.
Renegade:
For a badass example of Maidsafe:
.
.
.
You can see file storage, file sharing, and real time chat there. :O Yeah... bad. ass.
-Renegade (July 27, 2014, 10:15 AM)
--- End quote ---
Less "bad ass" to my eyes than it is more the ever predictable kiddie bad-boy behavior you tend to see with this sort of thing. Oh well...let the food court and coffee shop 'revolutionaries' have their fun I suppose.
-40hz (July 27, 2014, 12:10 PM)
--- End quote ---
Aaaannd... cue the pessimism! 40hz is back~! ;D
Given it's not in widespread use yet, so any victory cries are premature...
But if it does go mainstream, it will again revolutionise how modern communications work. Decentralised communications? That's a big deal.
Crypto-anarchy is winning, and will win.
-Renegade (July 27, 2014, 10:15 AM)
--- End quote ---
Um...not to be a downer, but I think that's a little premature. Crypto-anarchy (as a movement) has yet to fight it's first real battle, let alone see hope for a lasting victory. Right now, it's little more than a minor annoyance to the powers that be, and not much more than an RPG for most of those who style themselves crypto-anarchists.
But not to fear. It will start getting seriously interesting soon enough. :tellme:
-40hz (July 27, 2014, 12:10 PM)
--- End quote ---
Ok, yes - it is premature. But it's getting there.
Bittorrent revolutionised file sharing.
Bitcoin is revolutionising currency (and finance and contracts in general).
Maidsafe could revolutionise file storage, file sharing, and modern communications.
--- Code: Perl ---#!/bin/perl -sp0777i<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<j]dsj$/=unpack('H*',$_);$_=`echo 16dio\U$k"SK$/SM$n\EsN0p[lN*1lK[d2%Sa2/d0$^Ixp"|dc`;s/\W//g;$_=pack('H*',/((..)*)$/)
This is an information war.
40hz:
This is an information war.
-Renegade (July 27, 2014, 08:09 PM)
--- End quote ---
It's not really 'war' until your opposition decides to take up arms and seriously mobilize. And that part hasn't happened yet. Except maybe to Julian Assange and Kim Dotcom.
For the most part they're still trying to handle things quietly on the "law & order" front.
If 'war' does come to the cyber frontier, you'll know. And in no uncertain terms.
40hz:
Decentralised communications? That's a big deal.
-Renegade (July 27, 2014, 08:09 PM)
--- End quote ---
Agree. Tom Jennings's Fidonet :-* had something very similar to that back (somewhat ironically) in 1984.
(Note: Episode 4 of BBS: The Documentary is about Fidonet. You can watch it here.) :)
Renegade:
The post about MaidSafe is very heartening news to me.
-IainB (July 27, 2014, 07:31 PM)
--- End quote ---
It is very good news! :)
However, I am skeptical, not so much about MaidSafe per se (which appears to be a slam-dunk that has been operationally tested/proven, in prototype mode, at least), but about the Establishment's potential for aborting/euthanising MaidSafe through "necessary" legislation under (say) the "Prevention of Terrorism Act", or something, simply because it offers some potential threats to the Establishment on several fronts, including:
-IainB (July 27, 2014, 07:31 PM)
--- End quote ---
Which is what 40hz has been saying for a long time.
Sic semper tyrannis.
I suppose that's the end game in that scenario.
* Crypto-currency: The coupling of MaidSafe with crypto-currencies (including mastercoin and bitcoin, and the MaidSafe proprietary Perpetual Coin + safecoin).
* Disruptive technology - Commercial: The original Web/Internet as probably envisaged by Vint Cerf, would be a very different creature to what we seem to have today, which has become a fiercely capitalist profit/money-making scheme for those corporations that have been on the leading edge of using the Internet as a mass-marketing demographic data collection and vending system. Google's huge market dominance in this area could be a major victim of this disruptive technology, as it could sever the value-chain that provides their lifeblood and which drives their business model. As we are aware, there would seem to be a strong working relationship and interdependency between US Government/NSA/Google.
* Disruptive technology - State: The US and allied governments have apparently already invested many billions of dollars on developing internet surveillance systems (revelations re NSA/SS, SnowdenGate refer), all in the name of "National Security". MaidSafe could seem to have the potential to defeat a greater part of that.
-IainB (July 27, 2014, 07:31 PM)
--- End quote ---
The potential for disruption is far reaching. Heck, it could take the state back 100 years in terms of its ability to spy on people. :)
The rise & fall of Big Data?
When you think about it, these are some pretty wild times we live in!
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