Hi, Today we’re going to talk about privacy. Specifically about ZeroNet. This is a decentralized network that operates similarly to P2P networks. In other words, information is transmitted directly between users and not with a server in between. Furthermore, it is an open source based service and instead of operating with an IP address for each user, it identifies them as in a blockchain network. By using a blockchain key, it signs and publishes changes on a web page that is accessed. This is similar to how any cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin does. In theory, it is impossible to censor a ZeroNet website, since they are hosted on different PCs and not on a single server. Likewise, there are no server maintenance costs. Since the page is hosted on the computers of the users connected. Well, in this post we’ll see how ZeroNet works the alternative internet based on P2P.
How the ZeroNet network works.
The navigation in this network is available for the most popular browsers like, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera. In order to connect, you just need to install an App available for Windows, Linux and macOS. The purpose of this App is to create a local server from which to access and store the web pages you access. Consequently, it is possible to access without an internet connection since the sites are hosted on the local computer.
Difference between ZeroNet and Tor.
At this point, you might think that ZeroNet works just like Tor. However, the ZeroNet network is not browsed anonymously. Instead, the principle of Tor is to access web pages anonymously in order to browse privately without being tracked. Similarly, it is possible to use Tor to anonymously browse the ZeroNet. Consequently, both platforms share similar features.
Indeed, TOR focuses on encrypting the user’s connection with different layers and modifying the connection so that it is not direct with the server. On the other hand, ZeroNet focuses on offering web page hosting in a decentralized way through P2P connection. By using both technologies, a totally decentralized and anonymous network is accessed.
How to access ZeroNet.
As mentioned above, no special browser is required. Just run the app and open the usual web browser. The ZeroNet home page will be displayed immediately. From that moment on, you just need to browse any of the available pages. For some of them a username is required, but you can get it from ZeroID and it works for the whole network.
The operation of this network is really simple. Every time you access a website, a local version is downloaded into your browser. This allows you to access it without any problem, but also allows the computer to work as a server for others to connect. On the other hand, the content that can be found is one of the most varied. In fact, the home page offers mail services, messaging, forums, bitcoin purses and maps. All these services begin with the word Zero. However, there are a lot of sites available from ZeroSites.
On the other hand, being a network practically without censorship, it is possible to obtain other types of content. Such as, downloads of series and movies. Downloading of free and paid applications. Even porn content
Conclusion
|Finally, we have seen how ZeroNet, the alternative internet based on P2P, works. This is an alternative to censorship and normally inaccessible sites. As always, the recommendation is to use these sites with responsibility and prudence. All right, that’s it for now. Before we say goodbye, I’d like to invite you to see our post about package manager on Windows 10. Privacy on the Internet is a key issue. Censorship is a threat. That’s why I’m showing you how ZeroNet, the P2P-based alternative internet works.
