I2P – Invisible Internet Project

By Shail K Shah

What is I2P?

• I2P, short for the Invisible Internet Project, created in 2003,it is an anonymizing network that focuses on secure internal connections between users.

• I2P focuses on creating its own internal internet so that the network isn't accessible from a regular computer, as special software is needed to communicate with other I2P users.

I2p mascot : itoopeeI2P logo

How I2P works?

• Think of the mail system. Imagine that you had two mailboxes: one that you receive mail in, and one that you send mail through. Imagine also that your friend Charlie had the same thing, as well as everyone else in your neighbourhood.

• The way I2P works is that if you want to send a message to Charlie you place the letter in your outgoing mailbox addressed to him.

• Then three neighbours pass the letter off to each-other, with each neighbour not knowing who the letter came from before the person that handed it to them. These people are analogous to what we call a 'tunnel' in I2P.

• After the letter reaches the end of this tunnel, it goes to Charlie’s tunnel. So it goes to one person, who hands it to another, who hands it to another, etc., until it reaches Charlie.

• If Charlie want's to send a letter back this process happens in reverse (but with a different set of people handling the messages).

• Furthermore, with I2P there are thousands of letters being all passed around at the same time, and I2P puts multiple messages into one encrypted packet, making it harder for an outside observer to find out what's going on. This is basically how I2P works.

Applicationsof I2P

Eepsites

• Eepsites are the I2P equivalent of a Tor Hidden Service: they are websites hosted on the I2P network, whose operators can be anonymous.

• Like hidden services, these sites cannot be connected to off the I2P network.

• Eepsites are an excellent way to host websites anonymously, and there are a ton of great eepsites that you could visit. They have an .i2p extension.

Email(Susimail)

• Susimail is a web-based e-mail client for the I2P network.

• Susimail was created to address privacy concerns in using these servers directly using traditional email clients, such as leaking the user's hostname while communicating with the SMTP server.

• Susimail is a web-based email client intended primarily for use with Postman's mail servers, and is designed with security and anonymity in mind.

• It is currently included in the default I2P distribution, and can be accessed through the I2P router console web interface.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

• IRC's are basically chat rooms online, and I2P has an IRC service that allows users to chat anonymously.

• The best part is that I2P's anonymity offers a near-perfect sense of freedom of speech.

• Often controversial topics are talked about in these channels, but nobody is afraid of offering what may be a very valid, but unpopular opinion, pushing you to explore new ideas from new perspectives.

I2P IRC

Torrenting

• One of the features that attracts a lot of people to i2p is torrenting, as I2P has the Postman Tracker and I2PSnark.

• The tracker is essentially the Pirate Bay, and I2PSnark is essentially uTorrent. On I2P, torrenting is secure and anonymous as it has privacy by design rather than privacy by policy.

• There are plenty of books, including huge collections on sci-fi and programming. There are also copies of the Pirate Bay, backups of leaked government documents, and books that have been banned in some countries.

I2P postman tracker

I2P snark

Sauce!

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I2P• https://www.bestvpn.com/blog/8360/i2p-idiots-

introduction/• https://www.bestvpn.com/blog/8363/use-i2p-

idiots-starting-guide/• https://thetinhat.com/tutorials/darknets/i2p.htm

l• https://geti2p.net/en/docs/how/intro• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz4q06jdlCE

(installation and setup guide)