ZeroNet

ZeroNet

Zeronet landing page
Initial release 2015
Development status Active
Written in Python
Operating system Windows, Linux, OS X
Available in English
Type Peer-to-peer web hosting
License GNU GPL v2
Website zeronet.io

ZeroNet is a decentralized Internet-like network of peer-to-peer users. It is based in Budapest, Hungary; is built in Python; and fully open source.[1] Sites have specific "ZeroNet URL"s which can be accessed through an ordinary webbrowser when using the ZeroNet application, which acts a local webhost for such pages.[1] ZeroNet is not anonymous by default, but users can hide their IP address by using the built in Tor-functionality.[1] ZeroNet uses bitcoin cryptography and the BitTorrent network.[2][3][4] The BitTorrent website Play hosts a controversial magnet link repository on ZeroNet, which links to copyrighted content.[1] There is a Reddit community which offers support for ZeroNet.[1]

The existence of peer-to-peer online web-sites had been hypothesised for some time, with The Pirate Bay suggesting they would build a network, as well as BitTorrent Inc. which created the closed source Project Maelstrom.[1][5] One other similar project is MaidSafe, though it has not yet seen widespread use, and has been said to focus more on file storage.[5]

As of 2016 there is no way to take down a ZeroNet page which still has seeders,[1] thus making such pages immune to DMCA takedown notices.[6] In March 2016 it operated with a max-filesize per website of 10 megabytes, suitable for blogs, forums, and smaller torrent-sites.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Play: A P2P Distributed Torrent Site That's Impossible to Shut Down - TorrentFreak". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  2. Kysar, Tom (18 March 2015). "ZeroNet Expands Key Distributed And Anonymous Features". bravenewcoin.com. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. Sewell, Chase (15 January 2015). "Can Blockchain Technology Decentralize the Web?". insidebitcoins.com. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  4. Kumar, Mohit (18 February 2015). "MegaNet — New Decentralized, Non-IP Based and Encrypted Network". The Hacker News. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Prisco, Giulio. "BitTorrent-Powered ZeroNet Decentralized Web Pioneers Peer-To-Peer Internet". Bitcoin Magazine. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  6. "Steal This Show S01E07: Did P2P Break the Law? - TorrentFreak". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2016-03-08.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.