Even if all torrent sites were shut down today, Tribler users would still be able to find and add new content.

But the researchers want more. One of the key problems with BitTorrent is the lack of anonymity. Without a VPN or proxy all downloads can easily be traced back to an individual internet connection.

The Tribler team hopes to fix this problem with a built-in Tor network, routing all data through a series of peers. In essence, Tribler users then become their own Tor network helping each other to hide their IP-addresses through encrypted proxies.

“The Tribler anonymity feature aims to make strong encryption and authentication the Internet default,” Tribler leader Dr. Pouwelse tells TF.

For now the researchers have settled for three proxies between the senders of the data and the recipient. This minimizes the risk of being monitored by a rogue peer and significantly improves privacy.

“Adding three layers of proxies gives you more privacy. Three layers of protection make it difficult to trace you. Proxies no longer need to be fully trusted. A single bad proxy can not see exactly what is going on,” the Tribler team explains.

“The first proxy layer encrypts the data for you and each next proxy adds another layer of encryption. You are the only one who can decrypt these three layers correctly. Tribler uses three proxy layers to make sure bad proxies that are spying on people can do little damage.”

Today Tribler opens up its technology to the public for the first time. The Tor network is fully functional but for now it is limited to a 50 MB test file. This will allow the developers to make some improvements before the final release goes out next month.

There has been an increased interest in encryption technologies lately. The Tribler team invites interested developers to help them improve their work, which is available on Github.

“We hope all developers will unite inside a single project to defeat the forces that have destroyed the Internet essence. We really don’t need a hundred more single-person projects on ‘secure’ chat applications that still fully expose who you talk to,” Pouwelse says.

For users the Tor like security means an increase in bandwidth usage. After all, they themselves also become proxies who have to pass on the transfers of other users. According to the researchers this shouldn’t result in any slowdowns though, as long as people are willing to share.

“Tribler has always been for social and sharing people. Like private tracker communities with plenty of bandwidth to go around we think we can offer anonymity without slow downs, if we can incentivize people to leave their computers on overnight and donate,” Pouwelse says.

“People who share will have superior anonymous speeds,” he adds.

Those interested in testing Tribler’s anonymity feature can download the latest version. Bandwidth statistics are also available. Please bear in mind that only the test file can be transferred securely at the moment.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

While most of the discussion has focused on porn, Sky’s filter – and those operated by other ISPs – actually block a much wider range of content. Below are the options Sky users are given at the moment, showing that if people want to block porn, they also have to block various other categories.

The 13-years-old-and-over setting is ticked by default, which also includes dating, anonymizers, file-sharing and hacking.

In other words, those customers who don’t opt out from the ‘porn filter’ will also have file-sharing sites and services blocked. A quick round on the internet reveals that this category is rather inclusive, and not limited to ‘pirate sites.’

Among the blocked sites are BitTorrent.com, who work with Madonna and other artists on a regular basis to release free-to-download content. The same is true for other BitTorrent clients including uTorrent, Transmission and Vuze. Tribler, which is developed at Delft University of Technology with EU taxpayer money, is filtered as well.

Websites which offer perfectly legitimate content via P2P downloads are also filtered by Sky’s default settings. This includes VODO, the distribution platform for indie filmmakers, the download page of the Linux-based Fedora, as well as the download portal Linuxtracker.

In addition, several websites that merely write news about file-sharing issues are blocked by the filter too, including TorrentFreak.

According to Sky, the decision to extend the filter beyond porn and other adult content was partly made based on input from subscribers.

“Our customers have told us they want the option to control the content that enters their homes. As part of this, they have also told us what sort of content they would like included in Sky Broadband Shield,” a Sky spokesperson told us.

The provider further points out that account holders have the option to turn the filter off or allow certain sites to be unblocked.

“We know that no single setting will suit everybody, so our product allows customers to make their own decisions about individual websites, overriding the pre-defined categories to unblock a particular site if they wish. This gives any Sky home the ability to fully customise their filters.”

The question is, however, how many people will be familiar with this unblocking option. There is little doubt that the filtered sites will see a drop in visitors, which may become problematic when more and more providers employ similar filters by default.

TorrentFreak spoke with the Open Rights Group (ORG), who have been very critical of the filtering schemes in the UK. According to Executive Director Jim Killock, Sky is not the only problem here, as other UK ISPs employ overbroad blocking schemes, including the older mobile network filters.

“Most of the filters seem to encourage parents to block anything that is related to anonymizers, hacking and filesharing. In short, the filters seem to adopt a strategy of stopping under 18s from learning how to do anything useful with a computer, in case that helps them get round blocks,” Killock says.

ORG stresses that the filters may prevent young people from learning much-needed computer skills, which could eventually hurt the local computer industry.

“It could damage the learning of a generation, and the competitiveness of the UK computer industry. Computer related websites and discussions should always be available to young people as it is part of their right to an education.”

To find out what is being blocked exactly, ORG has been building its own checking tools, as well as a website where false positives can be reported.

Whether anything can be done against the overblocking and false positives that are reported remains to be seen. For now all legitimate file-sharing services and sites remain blocked, including the article you are reading right now.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

The follow-the-money approach to piracy has gained traction in recent months and efforts are already underway to cut the flow of advertising revenue to non-licensed music and movie sites.

Emphasis has been placed on embarrassing big brands by pointing out when their ads appear on sites deemed unacceptable to the music industry. That strategy has been helped along by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Innovation Lab, who were also present at last night’s event.

Musically has a very lengthy but excellent report on the overall debate but perhaps of most interest to our readers is the how comments from Theo Bertram, UK policy manager at Google, appear to clarify the company’s stance on the piracy issue. Google will do their part, but won’t take on responsibility for work that should be carried out by other companies.

First, Google’s attention was drawn to its search results, with complaints from musician David Lowery that a search for Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ (call me maybe download) conjured up a list of unlicensed sites, some of which have (or used to have) an advertising relationship with Google.

ITunes failed to appear in a prominent position in the results which begs an important question that doesn’t appear to have been discussed. Why can’t Apple, the most successful and cash-rich digital music product company in the world, achieve a better search engine placement than a low budget MP3 search engine that hardly anyone has heard of? Google’s fault? That seems unlikely.

Nevertheless, Geoff Taylor of the BPI said that Google has the both the information and technological ability to make that happen.

“[Google] know very well what sites are illegal, because we send them notices, a million a week, yet coming on to search, very often those sites appear at the top of search results,” he said.

From here it’s interesting to see how the conversation develops. Google clearly accepts that it has a part to play in solving the problem but understands better than anyone else that interfering with search results, especially on the basis of a loose assessment on which sites may or may not be infringing on someone else’s rights, is a tricky game. After all, if DMCA notices sent to Google were the definitive barometer of illegality, Google itself would be the most illegal site in the world.

“I am an optimist, in that search will get better, and be able to serve people with the results exactly that they want, and to do so utterly lawfully as well,” said Bertram. Google’s policy manager later added in a Q&A that basic search results for an artist were turning up fewer pirate sites after the company adjusted its algorithm last year, but conceded that when people were more specific by adding “download MP3″, Google aren’t so good on the downgrades.

“I know the complexities can be seen as something to hide behind. It is easier to tell whether something is pornography than whether something is licensed or not. The legal basis for declaring a whole site unlawful in the UK at least still only applies to a relatively small handful of websites.”

Perhaps understandably this was a red line for the BPI’s Geoff Taylor, who pointed out that The Pirate Bay and sites such as KickAssTorrents and H33T have already been deemed illegal by the UK High Court yet Google still indexes them. Bertram defended, saying that when users click the results they discover the sites are blocked by court order, something which he feels is useful for them to see.

“Blocking websites, I don’t think is as effective as going after them as a business,” he said, using the now-defunct Megaupload as an example.

“The supply that was going to Megaupload had simply shifted to a whole new range of middle-ranking pirate sites. My worry is if we’re going after them one at a time with blocking, you start getting into the whac-a-mole thing.”

While the recording and movie industries are clearly pro-blocking, Google believes the issue can be dealt with by starving pirate sites of advertising revenue, something that should be handled by the advertisers themselves. All they have to do is provide a list of sites where ads shouldn’t appear.

“It’s not Google’s job to go around the web to declare whether sites are legal or illegal, but if Coca-Cola comes to us and says here’s a list of 500 dynamic sites and we don’t want you to place ads on those, that’s a slightly different thing. It’s almost a marketing thing for the brand,” he said.

Bertram also noted Google’s stance should it become aware that it had served ads to sites promoting infringing content.

“You have an obligation to take [the ads] down. We’re doing that at record levels, but we know we need to do more,” he said, adding that if only “dodgy brands and dodgy agencies” are left working with “dodgy sites”, enough will have been done to ensure that piracy is no longer a profitable business.

The theory is that if the money is taken away, piracy will no longer flourish. It’s an interesting assertion that will definitely hold true for some file-sharing sites. However, for the majority of people providing the actual content – the guy in the street who wants to share – the approach will need some tuning since he’s already making no money. Bringing those guys together without a middle-man might be the next logical file-sharing evolution, if advertising in the traditional sense becomes non-viable.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

Eventually both bills were defeated.

Then there was the Megaupload raid and the indictment against the “Mega Conspiracy” which dominated the news the entire year and disrupted the file-hosting business.

There were also winners in 2012, such as the ACTA protesters, Rojadirecta and thousands of alleged BitTorrent users who had their cases dismissed.

And there were those who “lost” or received bad news, such as Gottfrid Svartholm, the Ninjavideo team, the IMAGiNE release group, Demonoid, BTjunkie, NZBMatrix and others.

The Pirate Bay made dozens of headlines as well, some good and some bad. The infamous BitTorrent site ditched torrents and moved to the cloud to escape getting raided, and enjoyed a huge increase in traffic despite increased censorship worldwide.

At TorrentFreak we carefully select the stories we write, and all these articles are important to us. But, to make some kind of an objective ranking of the top stories we compiled a list of the Top 12 most-read and the most-commented upon news articles.

Of course we would love to hear which stories and events were most important to our readers so feel free to join the discussion.

And a Happy New Year to all of you all! We really appreciate your ongoing support and encouragement.

—

Here are the most read news articles, each with hundreds of thousands of page views.

1. Police Raid 9-Year-Old Pirate Bay Girl, Confiscate Winnie The Pooh Laptop

2. Download a Copy of The Pirate Bay, It’s Only 90 MB

3. Pirate Bay Moves to The Cloud, Becomes Raid-Proof

4. Demonoid Busted As A Gift To The United States Government

5. Tribler Makes BitTorrent Impossible to Shut Down

6. Demonoid Is Back, BitTorrent Tracker is Now Online

7. Pirate Bay Enjoys 12 Million Traffic Boost, Shares Unblocking Tips

8. MegaUpload Shut Down by the Feds, Founder Arrested

9. The Avengers: Why Pirates Failed To Prevent A Box Office Record

10. The Pirate Bay Moves to .SE Domain To Prevent Domain Seizure

11. Leaked: Police Plan to Raid The Pirate Bay

12. BitTorrent Pirates Go Nuts After TV Release Groups Dump Xvid

Here are the most commented articles, each with their respective comment count.

1. MegaUpload Shut Down by the Feds, Founder Arrested (1202)

2. Demonoid Busted As A Gift To The United States Government (1087)

3. Cyberlocker Ecosystem Shocked As Big Players Take Drastic Action (842)

4. BitTorrent Pirates Go Nuts After TV Release Groups Dump Xvid (816)

5. Police Raid 9-Year-Old Pirate Bay Girl, Confiscate Winnie The Pooh Laptop (692)

6. BitTorrent Giant BTjunkie Shuts Down For Good (662)

7. Book Publishers ‘Shut Down’ Library.nu and iFile-it (662)

8. Filesonic Kills File-Sharing Service After MegaUpload Arrests (625)

9. Demonoid Is Back, BitTorrent Tracker is Now Online (609)

10. Pirate Bay Moves to The Cloud, Becomes Raid-Proof (601)

11. Pirate Bay Under DDoS Attack From Unknown Enemy (594)

12. ISPs To Begin Punishing BitTorrent Pirates This Summer (576)

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

This past year has been most eventful. You can say many things about the sharing world, but you can’t say life is boring here.

And, as our calendar year is close to its end, I’m thinking back on some of the important events that happened this year:

1. The year, of course, started off with fireworks: the Megaupload shutdown, an operation that used at least as much force and international resources as the attack on Bin Laden.

And there have been interesting developments throughout the year. Especially the scandal in New Zealand, where the PM apologized to Dotcom.

2. Also in January, the internet flexed its muscle to stop SOPA. Firefox, Wikipedia, Google and WordPress were among the major contributors to the operation. Many called this event “the coming of age of the internet”. And it was the internet corporations’ first major political win.

3. Usenet has been very present in the news, with many operators having to shut down, following multiple types of pressure.

And we found out that one of the top anti-piracy organizations used to be a Usenet operator. Changing sides is easy when it’s only about the money.

4. US Thanksgiving brought us a nice surprise: the Republican’s Study Committee published a great Policy Brief on copyright reform. Then they withdrew it. But those shared ideas will remain forever in our minds(and our hard drives).

5. We’ve heard news from the future. A decentralized BitTorrent network named Tribler. Those Dutch are always up to something good. And then we heard about RetroShare.

6. In April, UK ISP’s were ordered to block multiple websites. Throughout the year, multiple local instances of MPAA/RIAA worked to obtain similar measures in courts.
ref: https://torrentfreak.com/uk-isps-must-censor-the-pirates-bay-high-court-rules-120430/

And then general and specific proxies made the blocks irrelevant.

7. In April, ISP iiNET won over AFACT in Australia. ISPs are not liable for what their users do.

8. In July, in Europe, ACTA was declared dead by the EU Parliament vote. This happened after many citizens went to the streets in a plurality of cities around Europe. Seeing citizens take responsibility and action for their future freedoms is a great moment.

9. Also in July, Google launched its transparency report.

Then things went exponential and close to 4 million search results get delisted each week at this moment.

10. In August, the US Gov returned Rojadirecta’s domain name (after 18 months).

11. Universal, the horrible music label that killed many startups including the YouTube alternative Veoh, sued Grooveshark. Grooveshark v. Universal.

12. Demonoid and several other important bittorrent sites shut down.

So, all in all, for all the drama and events, not much has changed. Some sites are gone, some sites are new, but business goes on as usual in the file sharing world. And we’ve seen a glimpse of the future. And that future looks encrypted.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

In response to reader requests for information on other clients, here are ten alternatives to µTorrent for windows (in alphabetical order).

BitComet v1.33

We begin with perhaps the most controversial of all torrent clients. BitComet has been accused of many negative things in the past, but most were without merit.

However, the one universally annoying aspect of BitComet – padding files – is still there, and is the default setting when creating torrents.

For torrent downloads it is an acceptable client but by no means the best. On one of our test torrents BitComet could not find or connect to any peers, so your mileage may vary in everyday usage.

On the plus side, the optional eMule integration could help resuscitate some torrents, assuming you can find a working eMule server that is. On the downside it was one of the heaviest clients on our test system.

BitComet also serves advertising links. Some features (such as VIP mode and anonymous downloading) are pay services, which is not always made clear.

BitComet website

BitLord v2.1.1

Another client that has been around for many years. Older BitLord clients were based on an old version (v0.54) of BitComet but for quite a while now it has been based on Deluge. Installation includes a Conduit toolbar, and the client opens to a browser window containing more adverts (through the integrated Chrome12 browser).

As a modified Deluge, it offers very little in the way of worthwhile additions to the basic Deluge client. In addition to all the adverts it also managed to ignore the global settings and left a Conduit installer behind when removed. A clear case of where the modifications are all for the worse.

BitLord website

BitTornado v0.3.7

A classic client, and the only one that doesn’t handle multiple torrents in a single window.

Despite the age of the client (this version was released in October 2006, and predates TorrentFreak!) it still has a popular following with a certain type of user.

Similar to the original BitTorrent client, BitTornado is an instance-per-torrent client that was responsible for many popular developments, such as the ‘traffic light’ system for port forwarding and super-seeding to maximize the efficiency of initial seeding. However, it has no DHT facility, so magnet links are not usable.

BitTornado is best for power users who release torrents periodically and can make good use of the super-seed function. Various independent front-ends are available for the BitTornado engine (such as ABC and TorrentFlux), but use them at your own risk.

BitTornado website

Deluge v1.3.5

If you’re looking for a simple client with no bells, whistles or extras, then Deluge might be the tool for you.

It covers all the basics and has a clean interface, the simplicity of which is only underscored after seeing how BitLord butchered it. It’s also been remarkably resistant to traffic-shaping in the past; never a bad thing, especially if you’re on a frequently throttled ISP.

If there’s a downside it’s that the settings are perhaps TOO simple, and that the default settings are a little on the high side. There is also currently no support for µTP as the client uses an older version of libtorrent-rasterbar. However, its simple competence coupled with overall lightness on the system means that this is a recommended client for the regular user.

Deluge website

FrostWire v5.3.8

A client aimed at media-oriented users, FrostWire is laid out in a manner more reminiscent of a music player than a BitTorrent client, betraying its LimeWire origins (it’s been BitTorrent-only since June 2011). While there are no toolbars included, RealPlayer is offered during install.

Music is definitely the focus of the client, with featured artists downloads being offered since 2008 along with iTunes integration. Additionally, in tests it was the only client to detect a local peer on the same network, and use it.

On the downside, initial settings are a little high, and the layout is a little cluttered. It also didn’t uninstall cleanly, leaving a number of files behind.

If your torrenting revolves around music and iTunes integration is a bonus, then FrostWire is a good option. Likewise if you torrent on a large local network, the local peer discovery may improve things for you.

FrostWire website

MediaGet v2.01.1595

This client is very popular with Russian users, but has a few issues. The client’s options are limited and documentation – including the FAQ linked in the client – is in Russian.

Also, while the initial installer is uTorrent-sized, it’s a frontend for a web-based installer that can take a while to complete. The overall design of the client is, like FrostWire, aimed towards music users, with an integrated media player.

Despite our optimism last year, it’s currently not one of the best replacements for uTorrent.

MediaGet website

qBittorrent v3.0.0

The Windows version of this popular Ubuntu client is, like Deluge, based on the libtorrent-rasterbar engine. However, unlike Deluge, it uses v0.16 which has support for µTP.

Installation is simple and quick, with no adverts or premium options. System resource usage was the lowest of all clients tested, and handled all standard torrent tasks with quiet competence.

On the downside, initial settings are again rather poor and will need to be corrected on installation.

Like Deluge, this is a worthy alternative client to uTorrent.

qBittorrent website

Tixati v1.91

A client that has garnered a small, but vocal following in our comments section, it’s a client clearly aimed more towards the BitTorrent stats junkie than the casual user.

The layout is clear and uncluttered, with bold primary colors evoking memories of WinMX but getting the job done. It was easy to set up and run and is more customizable than most.

On the downside the homepage has some misleading adverts and you have to agree to the license twice, once when installing and again when first run, which can be annoying.

If you know what you’re looking for the additional information the client provides can be a benefit, but serious stats junkies will probably go for the plugin-flexibility of Vuze. In many ways it’s a midpoint between the heavy details of Vuze and the simplicity of Deluge and qBittorrent. Worth a try, but may not be for everyone.

Tixati website

Tribler v5.9.27

The Tribler client has been around for many years now, and we’ve covered it several times. Developed at the Delft University of Technology, it’s been promoted as the only true decentralized BitTorrent client, allowing content searches independent of websites.

The downside is that the installer is massive in comparison to the other clients listed here, and it also ends up being the most system-intensive, with some functions taking several seconds to respond.

It is one of the least configurable of the clients tested and the ‘channels’ are not as well implemented as they could be.

While it has its niche, Tribler doesn’t quite make it as a mainstream replacement for uTorrent. It’s still actively being developed and brough many innovations to BitTorrent over the years, so keep an eye on this client.

Tribler website

Vuze v4.7.1.2

Vuze is uTorrent’s main challenger. While uTorrent prides itself on its small size and speed, Java-based Vuze focuses on capability and the sheer breadth of supported devices.

It was the first client to feature DHT, albeit on its own network (a plugin is available to use the mainline DHT network) and with the enhancements offered by the plugin system it gives power users the ability to do things not possible with any of the other clients listed here.

On the downside, the client is Java-based and so is one of the heaviest consumers of system resources, and the layout is not intuitive to those coming from other clients. Additionally, the installer contains not one, but three pieces of software – a toolbar, WinZip registry optimizer, and WinZip driver updater.

However, for power users who can spare the system power, or who really want the intricate details or the flexibility of the plugin system, it’s hard to beat.

Vuze website

Conclusion

If you are looking for a straight alternative to the uTorrent client, there are a few alternatives. For the simple/everyday user the two libtorrent clients (Deluge and qBittorrent) are good options. If you are a torrent releaser, working on one or two torrents at a time, then BitTornado may be for you. For those that want more details, Tixati would be a good alternative, and for the ultimate power user, there’s always Vuze.

The Tribler client offers promise for the future and is certainly one to keep an eye on.

Did we miss a good client? Do you disagree with the above? Feel free to add a comment!

UPDATE: Before any more go on about ‘transmission’, we only covered official released clients FOR WINDOWS. There is only an unofficial port abandoned in 2010 for windows, hence we didn’t look at it and are not going to. Likewise with rTorrent, not available for windows. We will be checking out clients for other operating systems soon.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

For a monthly fee they can sign up with a VPN or proxy to hide their IP-address. Free options with decent speeds or without other restrictions aren’t easily available.

This lack of fast, unlimited and free anonymous BitTorrent options is what the Tribler team at Delft University of Technology are hoping to change. Their Tribler client has been around for more than half a decade already, and during that time it’s developed into the only truly decentralized BitTorrent client out there.

Unlike traditional BitTorrent clients, Tribler does not rely on central servers or third-party sites. Users can search, download and moderate files from within the application itself, based on pure peer-to-peer communication. Quite a remarkable achievement, but it’s also just the beginning for the research team.

During a talk at the Stanford University this week, Dr. Johan Pouwelse talked about the past and the future of Tribler, announcing the ambitious play to add make BitTorrent transfers more private.

Talking to TorrentFreak, Pouwelse explained that the idea is to add a proxy layer where proxies act as “caches” of content. This can hugely improve downloads speeds, but also makes BitTorrent downloads more private.

“Our goal is to provide all users with the download speed which today can only be found in private BitTorrent communities, combined with the privacy that is currently only offered by paid VPN services,” said Pouwelse.

The Tribler team has been perfecting the technology for years and it’s expected to be released in two or three months. Initial tests show that even with the added anonymity, people don’t have to sacrifice speed at all. Quite the contrary.

“Experimental results have shown that the performance of the proposed mechanism is better than that of regular BitTorrent in a large number of scenarios. At the same time, the proxy layer can be used to offer the users a shield of plausible deniability enhancing their privacy,” Pouwelse told us.

With the new code Tribler says it outperforms other clients such as uTorrent in download speeds. Ultimately, the researchers hope to compete with on-demand video services such as YouTube.

“BitTorrent has served us well for 11 years, but modern features such as YouTube-like easy streaming, sharing of your 1 Terabyte harddisk and solid anonymity are needed. The BitTorrent protocol simply does not scale to safe private sharing of 1 Terabyte, which would begin to bridge the gap between the wealth of content on YouTube versus the weak archive capability of BitTorrent.”

Helped by money from European tax payers, the “understaffed” team say they are now at a point where Tribler can compete with some of the fastest centralized services. Their P2P streaming technology is currently under consideration to become an official Internet standard and is being actively tested by major broadcasting companies including the BBC.

The Tribler proxy layer is expected to be implemented this fall, but those who want to give the current version of Tribler a spin are welcome download it here. The client is completely Open Source and has a version for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

Napster relied on a single server to store the files every user shared, provided a central file search, and even initiated file transfers between users. Due to this single point of failure, Napster collapsed once the server was shut down by RIAA.

Fortunately, the next generation of less centralized filesharing networks was already on the horizon. On the one hand there were completely decentralized networks like Gnutella. They used query flooding to find other clients, i.e. they just sent their requests from client to client until either enough results were found or the search timed out.

Yet this advantage of a completely server-independent network topology came with the disadvantage of the network not being scalable. Simply put, you can’t search the whole network efficiently.

On the other hand there was eDonkey2000 with its server-based network (first release on September 6th, 2000). Unlike with Napster, everyone could run a server. While the existence of multiple servers meant that the network couldn’t be shut down by closing a single central point, it also had the disadvantage that users could now only search for and share files with users on the same server.

This system had similarities with BitTorrent, at a time where the tracker was the sole mechanism through which to find other peers. However, with BitTorrent (started in the year 2001) this dependence on the tracker was intended because it meant that the tracker can control who is allowed to join the swarm, how many peers each client gets, etc…

The eDonkey2000 Network had a different design goal – a fully decentralized and yet scalable network. In this spirit eDonkey2000 started a new project called ‘Flock’ in May 2002. After beta testing it was renamed ‘Overnet’ and finally merged with the original eDonkey2000 client in August 2004.

In 2002 a new and rapidly growing client entered the ed2k network, a term which refers only to the server-based part of the eDonkey2000 network. An open source client for the ed2k network – our birthday-client eMule – was founded on May 13th, 2002 – 10 years ago today.

In June 2004, ed2k had about 2 million users while eDonkey2000’s Overnet network only had about 800,000 users. So eMule was the leading client in the ed2k network and together with BitTorrent it dominated the following years of filesharing.

Both networks, BitTorrent and eMule, slowly headed towards a more decentralized structure. In order to make files from all servers available to every user, eMule added keyword search via UDP to query all servers and source exchange between clients via TCP to get all available sources for a specific file. BitTorrent adopted the latter in peer exchange.

Early 2004 eMule implemented Kademlia, a decentralized DHT-like key-value store capable of finding sources as well as performing keyword search, thus making ed2k servers completely obsolete. Once again, BitTorrent headed in the same direction, implementing DHT in 2005.

DHT marks a revolutionary step in filesharing. Not just because you can download a file with only its hash (and a few nodes to bootstrap the network), but now a decentralized scalable network becomes available. While decentralized networks like Gnutella were capable of finding information using query flooding in O(n), DHT finds information in O(log2(n)). So if the size of the network doubles, only 1 additional request is needed on average – regardless of the actual size of the network.

The following example illustrates this advantage: Say you have a network with 2 million users and you want to find information about a specific file which unfortunately doesn’t exist in the network (i.e. no user shares this file). Using query flooding every client in the network has to be asked before we can be sure that the file isn’t available. Usually the search just runs into a time-out before, assuming (but not knowing) that the file isn’t available.

Thanks to DHT you only have to ask about 21 nodes (log2(2 mio)) before being sure that the file isn’t available in the entire network. Even better, this was the mathematically worst case scenario. Usually the actual number of required requests is much lower because on your search path you’ll likely reach the node closest to your requested file after only 3-4 requests (empirical evidence on eMule’s current Kademlia).

The next feature we think torrents should adopt is a real DHT-based keyword search. Tribler already made a step in that direction. However, their torrents are being broadcasted to other known clients which results in a search with bad scalability.

We already know that after switching to magnet links only, The Pirate Bay has a total size of about 90 MB. Now think of those 90 MB being stored decentralized. A network with millions of nodes in which each node stores a few hundred Kilobytes means you have thousands of replicas of each torrent entry.

This ensures each entry can be found, even if many nodes leave the network simultaneously. Unfortunately, all previous decentralized search implementations had huge amounts of spam in their search results. This is where we can learn from the torrent community. Sites like The Pirate Bay provide trusted search results.

In a completely decentralized search without any spam they would simply continue to provide this functionality using public-key cryptography to sign torrents. A user relying on his favorite torrent site’s search results would simply add its public key to his torrent client, thus allowing the client to check the signature of each torrent search result and filtering all fakes.

In this completely decentralized future a torrent site such as The Pirate Bay would simply be a laptop with average computing power connecting itself to the internet once every few hours to sign new torrents with its private key. Think about how hard it is just to trace such a “torrent site”. Shutting it down is practically impossible.

We are currently working on a client which will offer the above mentioned torrent search. It is currently in a closed alpha testing phase and will soon enter public beta tests.

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About the authors:

David Xanatos is one of the founding members of the Austrian Pirate Party; he lives in Vienna and works as a Physicist at the university by day, and develops file sharing applications by night. He is mostly known for his NeoMule Mod.

Ekliptor is a computer scientist from Munich. He has developed many eMule Mods in the past and is currently researching weaknesses in eMule’s Kademlia and countermeasures at university. Their current project is called “NeoLoader” and able to download files from BitTorrent, eMule and one-click hosters.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

From SOPA to Megaupload, there is a growing uncertainly about the future of sharing.

While many BitTorrent sites and cyberlockers continue to operate as usual, there is a growing group of users who are expanding their horizons to see what other means of sharing are available if the worst case scenario becomes reality.

Anonymous, decentralized and uncensored are the key and most sought-after features. For some this means signing up with a VPN to make their BitTorrent sharing more private, but new clients are also generating interest.

Earlier this month we wrote about Tribler, a decentralized (not anonymous) BitTorrent client that makes torrent sites obsolete. We’ve covered Tribler for more than half a decade, but it was only after our most recent post that it really took off with more than a hundred thousand downloads in a few days.

But there are more file-sharing tools that are specifically built to withstand outside attacks. Some even add anonymity into the mix. RetroShare is such a private and uncensored file-sharing client, and the developers have also noticed a significant boom in users recently.

The RetroShare network allows people to create a private and encrypted file-sharing network. Users add friends by exchanging PGP certificates with people they trust. All the communication is encrypted using OpenSSL and files that are downloaded from strangers always go through a trusted friend.

In other words, it’s a true Darknet and virtually impossible to monitor by outsiders.

RetroShare founder DrBob told us that while the software has been around since 2006, all of a sudden there’s been a surge in downloads. “The interest in RetroShare has massively shot up over the last two months,” he said.

“In January our downloads tripled when interest in SOPA was at its peak. It more than doubled again in February, when cyberlockers disabled sharing or shut down entirely. At the moment we are getting 10 times more downloads than in December 2011.”

RetroShare’s founder believes that there is an increased need for security, privacy and freedom among file-sharers, features that are at the core of his application.

“RetroShare is about creating a private space on the Internet. A social collaboration network where you can share anything you want. A space that is free from the prying eyes of governments, corporations and advertisers. This is vitally important as our freedom on the Internet is under increasing threat,” DrBob told TorrentFreak.

“RetroShare is free from censorship: like Facebook banning ‘obscene’ breast-feeding photographs. A network that allows you to use any pseudonym, without insisting on knowing your real name. A network where you will not face the threat of jail, or being banned from entry into a country for an innocent tweet.”

It’s impossible to accurately predict what file-sharing will look like 5 years from now. But, a safe assumption is that anonymity will play a more central role than it ever has.

Recent crackdowns have made operators of central file-sharing sites and services more cautious of copyright infringement. Some even went as far as shutting down voluntarily, like BTjunkie.

In the long run this might drive more casual downloaders to legitimate alternatives, if these are available. Those who keep on sharing could move to smaller communities, darknets, and anonymous connections.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.

Today, however, Tribler is more relevant than ever before.

Developed by a team of researchers at Delft University of Technology, the main goal is to come up with a robust implementation of BitTorrent that doesn’t rely on central servers. Instead, Tribler is designed to keep BitTorrent alive, even when all torrent search engines, indexes and trackers are pulled offline.

“Our key scientific quest is facilitating unbounded information sharing,” Tribler leader Dr. Pouwelse tells TorrentFreak.

“We simply don’t like unreliable servers. With Tribler we have achieved zero-seconds downtime over the past six years, all because we don’t rely on shaky foundations such as DNS, web servers or search portals.”

So how does it work?

Like many other BitTorrent clients, Tribler has a search box at the top of the application. However, the search results that appear when users type in a keyword don’t come from a central index. Instead, they come directly from other peers.

Downloading a torrent is also totally decentralized. When a user clicks on one of the search results, the meta-data is pulled in from another peer and the download starts immediately. Tribler is based on the standard BitTorrent protocol and uses regular BitTorrent trackers to communicate with other peers. But, it can also continue downloading when a central tracker goes down.

The same is true for spam control. Where most torrent sites have a team of moderators to delete viruses, malware and fake files, Tribler uses crowd-sourcing to keep the network clean. Content is verified by user generated “channels”, which can be “liked” by others. When more people like a channel, the associated torrents get a boost in the search results.

The latest addition to Tribler is a Wikipedia-style editing system dubbed “Open2Edit,” where users have the option to edit names and descriptions of torrents in public channels. All without a central server, totally decentralized.

According to Dr. Pouwelse, Tribler is fully capable of resisting any pressure from outside, and it will still work when all torrent sites and trackers are gone. It simply can’t be shutdown, blocked or censored, whatever laws politicians may come up with.

“The only way to take it down is to take The Internet down.” Pouwelse told us.

One thing that could theoretically cause issues, is the capability for starting users to find new peers. To be on the safe side the Tribler team is still looking for people who want to act as so called bootstraptribler peers. These users will act as superpeers, who distribute lists of active downloaders.

“Together with software bugs and a code cleanup, that is now our last known weakness,” says Pouwelse.

While the Tribler client only has a few thousand users at the moment, for avid file-sharers it must be a relief to know that it’s out there. No matter what crazy laws may pass in the future, people will always be able to share.

Those who want to give it a spin are welcome download Tribler here. It’s completely Open Source and with a version for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and anonymous VPN services.