I2P VS FREENET SOFTWARE

Sites on Lokinet have the domain of “.loki” and purchases on it can only be made via the Oxen cryptocurrency. This means Lokinet can be used for much more than just web browsing - it can also handle things like media streaming and video conferencing.” Lokinet has been live since 2018, but currently the number of users remains unknown. Instead of being programmed on the Bitcoin blockchain like ZeroNet, Lokinet is programmed on the Oxen cryptocurrency blockchain, promoting its own routing as “Oxen Service Node Network” and hosting “Oxen Name Service.” Its website says, “Lokinet is also more versatile than Tor - Tor operates on the transport layer and is only able to carry TCP traffic, while Lokinet operates on the network layer, meaning it can onion-route any IP-based protocol: TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc. Sites hosted on ZeroNet are called “ZeroSites,” and ZeroNet offers services like “ZeroChat” and “ZeroMail.” It was programmed in 2015, and in my opinion it is important to understand, as it can be viewed as the precursor to what we know as Web3.ĭeriving its name from the Norse god of trickery, Lokinet is a convergence of onion routing (Tor) and blockchain technology. While ZeroNet is not a de facto dark net, since the network foundation is on the pseudonymous Bitcoin blockchain, ZeroNet can utilize the Tor network infrastructure to provide anonymity to its users. I am sure many of you have heard the words “cryptocurrency” and “blockchain” before.

This is a great video on YouTube that breaks down the intricacies and fundamentals of Freenet (credit: Aaron Jones). Freenet went live in 2000, and boasts 22 years of stability and usership. If we were to solely compare the metrics of data storage and file sharing to the other dark nets, Freenet would eclipse Tor and I2P. From my personal experience, most users of Freenet utilize it for the decentralized sharing of files as opposed to the hosting of sites. Freenet is decentralised to make it less vulnerable to attack, and if used in ‘darknet’ mode, where users only connect to their friends, is very difficult to detect.” When compared to Tor or the I2P network, Freenet’s framework relies heavily on peer-to-peer versus dedicated servers.

I2P VS FREENET SOFTWARE

As stated on its website, “Freenet is free software which lets you anonymously share files, browse and publish ‘freesites’ (web sites accessible only through Freenet) and chat on forums, without fear of censorship. In my opinion, relative to other dark nets, Freenet is more abstruse. Traffic is tunneled via the I2P network versus “onion routed.”

The browsing experience in I2P requires configuration by the end user, making it less “download-and-go” compared to Tor. Compared to Tor, many dark web enthusiasts argue I2P is a true dark net, since you cannot access the surface web by default configuration. Sites hosted on I2P, known as “eepsites,” end with “.i2p” domains. I2P: Invisible Internet Project ( )Īrguably the second-largest dark net by size and usership (estimated at upwards of 30,000 a day), the Invisible Internet Project, dubbed “I2P,” celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021. There is no single browser that can span the entirety of the dark web, because each individual dark net is insulated from the others. It is imperative for us in law enforcement to be abreast of the alternate dark nets, otherwise known as “alt nets,” when it comes to defining what the dark web is. There is no single browser, or software, that can span the entirety of the dark web as we know it, because each individual dark net is insulated from the others. The layperson’s definition: Tor can browse the regular internet and onion sites, but not the entire dark web. While the Tor browser offers the best dark web browsing experience, the user is only able to access Tor sites, colloquially known as “onion sites” or “hidden services,” as well as sites on the “surface web” (the internet you use now) through the Tor network outproxy. Many investigations that we encounter will have a nexus to a suspect using Tor, but it is important to understand that the dark web does not solely consist of the Tor network.Ĭonfused? The dark web is defined as a conglomerate of dark nets, different compartmentalized “dark” networks. Unequivocally the most stable and the most utilized “dark net” in the world, Tor rightfully deserves to be the go-to when talking about using the dark web. For many of us in law enforcement, when the terms “dark web” or “dark net” are mentioned, we immediately associate them with the Tor (The Onion Router) browser.

I2p vs freenet