Aaron Jones: Introduction To Freenet

Presented at the Phoenix Linux Users Group's Security Session on February 15th 2018 by Aaron Jones.

Learn about Freenet and why it is pretty cool. We will be discussing how Freenet can increase your privacy, enhance your security, and reduce major corporations from being able to track you or use your browsing habits for their profits. We will also be discussing what Freenet is not, what vulnerabilities exist, and how it can be used to harm you as well.

For more Information or to follow along with the slides go to:

About Aaron:
Aaron is an experienced Linux user with several years of teaching experience. He works in the industry as a software developer while also providing consultancy on cyber security related topics. His discussions are AZ Post certified for training credit for law enforcement and he prides himself on providing quality educational material that is relevant and topical. He has a Masters Degree in Intelligence Analysis with a focus in Cyber Security, is a life long learner, and prides himself on staying up to date with the ever changing field of cyber security.

* Any discussion of paid services or software will be done for educational purposes only. Neither the instructor, PLUG, or any one involved in this course endorses any paid services or products discussed at this meeting.

[caster]

We need a free internet in order to maintain our freedom and way of life.

[JohnLooney-wqjp]

There needs to be an update to the discussion about the legal cases with Freenet. Listening to your comments about the case at 1:19:22 and pointing out the source code implies that the issue is resolved. It is not. Black Ice and the referenced case was focusing on the HTL counter. Freenet sends out a request with a Hops To Live counter to determine when to stop forwarding a request. The default is 18, so if (they claimed) you got a request with a HTL of 18 you must be connected to the original requestor. This would then identify the Freenet user as attempting to download an illegal file and would provide probable cause for a search. The Freenet Project responded with the rebuttal that you showed, but the search still took place. The calculations and the current government approach is based upon a 2017 paper by Dr. Brian Levine titled "Statistical Detection of Downloaders in Freenet" -Levine- May 2017. However, the government continues to use a false approach to identify a downloader of a file. They now claim that they can identify a Freenet user as the original requestor, and not a simple relayer of requests, based only upon knowing the number of peers of the suspect, the minimum number of blocks required (from the file manifest) and the number of requests received by the government node. They assume a false representation of Freenet routing as 'even share' where the suspect node will take the total number of requests required from the manifest (assume 1000 for a 32, 000KB file) and divide by the number of peers (assume 10) and distribute an even share of requests, 100 here to each peer. This allows the government node to have an expectation of the number of requests that would be received from the original requestor, and therefore identify the downloader. They claim that this method will result in a flase positive only 2% of the time, and Levine ran 26, 000 tests. We know that Freenet does not route requests this way, but are hung up on the statistical equations in the Levine paper. Levine has generated an updated paper titled "A Forensically Sound Method of Identifying Downloaders and Uploaders In Freenet" - Levine Nov 2020 3372297.3417876. The Freenet Project has responded with the following paper "The discredited Levine 2017 approach is still used" - 2022 available on the Freenet Project website. We know of 3 cases in Wisconsin, 2 cases in NY, 1 case in Ohio, and the case you referenced in Missouri. Would appreciate any comments.

[AjarnSpencer]

Thank You Aaron for your contribution to protecting the future of the integrity of the internet. I have experienced the censorship and silencing, as well as being abducted and framed due to publishing information that exposed the unethical actions of certain powerful individuals/groups, and Internet Censorship and Social Profiling / Personal Profile Categorizing (political, religious, and other views). I see ads for things i never typed, and just mentioned in the room per mouth to ear, but the microphone on my face-down sleeping phone has somehow told Facebook, Google and the rest, what i was talking about. Freenet and Tor and Kali Linux, Github, and related tools seems to be the way to go for privacy, as well as learning to see who is seeing us, and to catch those whose intentions are not pure. Yes, dot onion, tor, freenet, etc can be used unethically or ethically, but at least privacy from the big data collectors like Facebook and Google can be minimized, and access to the free web (falsely propagandized as 'the dark web', as there are both good and bad things to be found there.. it isn't all bad, there are places where free speech can be exercised)

[vyrva]

from an aaron to another aaron, very cool

[ricardo]

The world has evolved and you have not yet created the Android version. she is missing from this project.
thanks.

[mark]

Great presentation, thanks for the info.

[dontmindme]

At 5:35 the topic of privacy is brought up, but how can Freenet realistically protect ones privacy? I agree with how _"privacy is a counterweight to the amount of force that others can exert on us without our consent", _ but with Freenet's absolute information permanence, isn't privacy practically impossible? If someone doxxes you or exposes sensitive/harmful information about you, you are completely powerless to prevent that. When someone can anonymously and without consequences *permanently* breach your privacy then isn't that _increasing_ the force that others can exert on us?

[bluesquare]

56:19 Modern versions of rm on Linux actually wont let you to delete the root like this without first providing the --no-preserve-root flag. But on FreeBSD you can still accidentally torch root with rm. Found that out the hard way one day.

[Alkis]

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting. I'm also interested in GNUnet, but it is still in development.

[joelmontesdeoca]

So Aaron doesn't run Freenet on his home computers to not tip off others that he is using the network BUT he publicly promotes the tools and says he uses the service and how he uses it... ??? ...

[arthurtheone]

Is anyone down here is using Jolla phones, or Sailfish OS? What is your option about in in terms of privacy?

[spooby]

So you, Arron, as a U.S.A. police agent of govt, say that: " it's ok to steal a guys laptop?" which was then used to catch the same guy who made silk road? Ive been watching ur videos and don't know silk road story, so please share a link plz!?

[porky]

I also hate, when people pretend to support free speech, but want to ban other people.
It's like, when their opinions were the minority, they supported these projects, and now their opinions start to become mainstream, so they stop supporting free speech.
So there probably have been two groups with similar views about free speech. One half just wanted to have free speech because they want more power, the other half has free speech as an ideal.
And I guess, since they lived in the same bubbles for years, their opinions on most topics are similar.
So it must have been a shock, when there is a disagreement at such a fundamental level.
I think, most of them are leftist anarchists, but some of them mainly leftist, and some mainly anarchists.
And nowadays people on the right are accused to only support free speech because of their current situation.
But even if that's true, you don't support free speech, if you blame them.
This shift is probably part of the reason, why I feel more comfortable with political right people nowadays.

[realbabychad]

hello sir ! do Marianas Web exists ? please clarify?

[jongdonglu]

wait did he just say hes with the police?? why the hell would i trust anything from the police or gov?

[SkywalkerWroc]

This is achieving the same goals #Web5 does, only without billionaire behind it

[ebuzertahakanat]

what the fuck is wrong with using java it is the one of the most secure runtime that exist.

[AlessandroMesseni]

cosa indica, sto cazhzo indica, non installa

[loocZ]

Why do I need this ? Tor could be better.

[destroyer]

If I had to pick a hosting provider, i would pick one like incognet that does not require any personal info to sign up and accepts cryptocurrency.