Meshnet activists rebuilding the internet from scratch

[NumberSix]

Interesting article:

Meshnet activists rebuilding the internet from scratch

 

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21929294.500-meshnet-activists-rebuilding-the-internet-from-scratch.html

 

Worried about the NSA snooping on your email? Maybe you need to start creating your own personal internet.The internet is neither neutral nor private, in case you were in any doubt. The US National Security Agency can reportedly collect nearly everything a user does on the net, while internet service providers (ISPs) move traffic according to business agreements, rather than what is best for its customers. So some people have decided to take matters into their own hands, and are building their own net from scratch.Across the US, from Maryland to Seattle, work is underway to construct user-owned wireless networks that will permit secure communication without surveillance or any centralised organisation. They are known as meshnets and ultimately, if their designers get their way, they will span the country...

 

[Alan C.]

7Gbps transmissions up to a mile will boost wireless Internet coverage

[Wesley]

Now this is something that is exciting that I would invest some money and time setting up a node. Though I have no idea if enough people are in my area to make it worthwhile. Cool story though.

 

I also remember seeing a similar thing at a bitcoin conference where they were prototyping these credit cards that were slightly thicker, ran on solar power and could transmit bitcoins through a meshnet radius around them. Eventually, these transactions would make it to the internet and be broadcast to the blockchain. However, it creates a meshnet that would be even less likely to shut down than the current internet, and allow bitcoin trading to be very cheap and not require massive computer knowledge. Only one of these cards and access to the sun (or maybe just light).

 

Found an article on it: http://www.coindesk.com/mycelium-promises-bitcoin-card-with-a-brain/

 

These are the kind of solutions that get me excited. When the state cannot control money because it is encrypted P2P. Now we can just do that with the internet itself. Sounds like fun.

[PatrickC]

My first thoughts, albeit perhaps ignorant ones on my part. But wouldn't the state be able to just commandeer the companies that utilise this mesh or provide the coverage. Or is expected that the coverage will be done by millions of users potentially.

[Wesley]

The point of the meshnet is that it is P2P as much as possible. At a minimum this requires about 1 user per mile, which is very easy in a city environment. There is no central internet to shut down. Even if I get shut down, it is likely that the users around me can still broadcast without my connection, so it would require every member to be shut down in order to stop it.

[PatrickC]

Yes, thanks Wesley, I thought it might be related to P2P. So I assume all the technology to bounce a one mile signal connection would be in some kind of specialised router/modem perhaps. Effectively making each household it's own private bandwidth provider and network, as such.

[Wesley]

Exactly. Then for large traffic areas like hospitals or schools or between cities where there aren't people every mile you might lay a cable or two, but that is the idea.

 

Thus, one user on a map of one mile radius dots wouldn't matter. Or at least the goal would be to have enough participants that they wouldn't matter.

[PatrickC]

What's stopping it you think.. A lack of knowledge or the hardware?... I guess also the lack of content I presume as well.. I'm assuming you could easily run this alongside the existing internet of course.

[Wesley]

I do not know, but my guess is that the existing system is good enough and familiar. The more problems it has, the more people will look for alternatives. The goal is to have established, efficient alternatives when people make the switch.

 

Most people don't understand how the current internet works, so I do not think that knowledge is necessary for the average user. Just that the current internet is good enough. Though there is a certain amount of knowledge and resources necessary to establish a reliable meshnet that the average person could start using.

 

Most people, by far, just follow whatever everyone else is doing. When the meshnet becomes widespread and reliable, then some minority will switch (or businesses for security encryption or something) and it will just be normal for everyone to switch over, or use each for their own strengths.

[PatrickC]

Yes, I'm intrigued by this mainly from a 'geeky' standpoint.. The idea of having a private gateway to friends and family sounds cool. It's just a shame it relies on many others to think the same.

 

You are right of course, as soon as the internet become impenetrable for more people, the interest is likely to expand.

[Wesley]

Well you still can use GPG through thunderbird, or bitcoin to send money or ideas back and forth. It just takes technical knowledge. It is more preferable for some encryption to be built into the communication by default. This then requires minimal technical knowledge.

 

However, you can set up gateways to your friends and family if you wish to.