Browsing and communicating anonymously is becoming increasingly complicated, but we still have access to very powerful tools. The Tor network is probably the most high-profile example; however, there are alternatives with similar robustness. One of them is I2P, which functions as an “anonymous P2P layer” compatible with several web services, including file sharing, and of course, hosting of hidden pages.
The Encryption Debate
Due to the terrible events that struck the French capital, several leaders have decided once again to raise the debate of “liberty versus security”. The most extreme case is undoubtedly that of David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, who announced his intention to ban all encrypted communication services in the United Kingdom, including WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Apple's iMessage, unless they adopt a “transparency policy” with security services. In other words, they can only operate if they hand over all the information of their users. As always happens in these cases, our representatives prefer to attack the easiest targets instead of doing their job properly, and the only thing a ban of that kind will provoke is that users seek more encrypted solutions to protect themselves. Tor may be the first option on the list, but there are other networks that were created with anonymity in mind, such as I2P.
The Invisible Internet Project
I2P stands for Invisible Internet Project. Its official description speaks of “a network within a network”, applying a system of one-way messages and tunnels, with both ends of a communication completely encrypted. Each user on the network has the ability to specify how long the tunnels should be, establishing a balance between anonymity and final speed. The official site does an excellent job explaining the differences, advantages and disadvantages that I2P maintains in relation to Tor and Freenet. Tor has a larger user base, more developers, more funding, and does not need Java (something I2P has not escaped, although an applet full of holes is one thing, and the development of a program is another), while I2P has specific optimizations for hidden services, has good tolerance to P2P, updates automatically, and the use of one-way tunnels implies that a malicious peer would have to compromise twice as many nodes to obtain the same information.
I2P and the Future
In even simpler terms, I2P is a peer-to-peer service aimed at anonymizing connections. It supports UDP traffic, and the equivalent of its hidden portals are called “eepsites”. In proportion, I2P is still a very small network, and it is likely that it may not cover the needs of certain users. Why is it appearing more and more in specialized media? The main reason is the adoption of I2P by what appears to be a new version of the Silk Road. Both Pirate Roberts and Defcon (responsible for Silk Road 1.0 and 2.0) were arrested by the FBI, but these efforts are nothing more than cutting the head off a hydra. I hope the new “resident” does not harm the development of I2P, but quite the opposite.
