Free communications on the Freenet network.
Price of Freedom
Freenet is licensed under the GPL. The current 0.7 version of Freenet works extremely well, despite its complexity; it is easy to install and well documented. The controls are simple, and the system offers a high degree of security.
Freenet has made much progress since version 0.5, which is still very much in active use; however, this progress has had an effect on upload and download performance for volumes of data above 100MB.
Despite excellent usability, Freenet is still a very complex system that requires serious attention to the topic of anonymity on the part of the user.
If you compare a Freesite's performance with that of an ordinary website, you are bound to be disappointed. But performance is not the most important consideration of the Freenet community. It is Freenet's declared goal to ensure a free exchange of opinions and information even in unfree environments.
Security
Freenet guarantees the confidentiality, anonymity, and authenticity of the data it manages on various levels:
- Freenet encrypts files on uploading and does not decrypt them until downloaded – the files stored on a node are thus invisible to the operator. This allows the operator to plausibly deny any knowledge of the files.
- Nodes use encrypted communications – no external third party can discover who requests a key or stores its data.
- Freenet pads files to fixed size packages – the file size and the number of data packages exchanged do not allow any conclusions on the file content or the path the data takes through the network.
- Each node only sees its immediate neighbors – no node can tell whether an incoming request originated with the neighbor node that was the immediate source or whether the request is simply being forwarded.
- When a user requests a file, Freenet copies the file multiple times en route through the network – if a participant switches off his node, this does not necessarily mean that the data stored on it will be lost.
- Nodes can be configured to connect only to specific nodes, such as nodes run by friends and acquaintances – this means that only trusted persons learn that a participant actually runs a node. A network comprising trust-based connections is referred to as a darknet by the Freenet community.
Conclusion
No one can deny the need for this kind of tool, and on the basis of Freenet's popularity, it looks like the Freenet network has the potential to serve the role of building the foundation for an anonymous Internet.
Infos
- Freenet homepage: http://www.freenetproject.org/
- Frost homepage: http://jtcfrost.sourceforge.net/
- Arch on Freenet: http://www.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~conrad/Archives/DSDiF/
« Previous 1 2 3
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Fedora 41 Beta Available with Some Interesting Additions
If you're a Fedora fan, you'll be excited to hear the beta version of the latest release is now available for testing and includes plenty of updates.
-
AlmaLinux Unveils New Hardware Certification Process
The AlmaLinux Hardware Certification Program run by the Certification Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to ensure seamless compatibility between AlmaLinux and a wide range of hardware configurations.
-
Wind River Introduces eLxr Pro Linux Solution
eLxr Pro offers an end-to-end Linux solution backed by expert commercial support.
-
Juno Tab 3 Launches with Ubuntu 24.04
Anyone looking for a full-blown Linux tablet need look no further. Juno has released the Tab 3.
-
New KDE Slimbook Plasma Available for Preorder
Powered by an AMD Ryzen CPU, the latest KDE Slimbook laptop is powerful enough for local AI tasks.
-
Rhino Linux Announces Latest "Quick Update"
If you prefer your Linux distribution to be of the rolling type, Rhino Linux delivers a beautiful and reliable experience.
-
Plasma Desktop Will Soon Ask for Donations
The next iteration of Plasma has reached the soft feature freeze for the 6.2 version and includes a feature that could be divisive.
-
Linux Market Share Hits New High
For the first time, the Linux market share has reached a new high for desktops, and the trend looks like it will continue.
-
LibreOffice 24.8 Delivers New Features
LibreOffice is often considered the de facto standard office suite for the Linux operating system.
-
Deepin 23 Offers Wayland Support and New AI Tool
Deepin has been considered one of the most beautiful desktop operating systems for a long time and the arrival of version 23 has bolstered that reputation.