I tried to use the search and came up short - so point me elsewhere if there’s already a discussion.

Let me preface this by saying I’m pretty green when it comes to a lot of the deeper aspects of FOSS privacy tools. Meaning that i’m probably more clueless about this topic than I realise.

Had a bit of a shower thought moment earlier and googled if decentralized VPNs are an option for the occasional torrent.
Did a bit of a google and came up with a couple of options, seemingly all tied into a blockchain with their own coin for payments - either using or hosting a node.

I’m a bit allergic to cryptobros and their blockchain-everything-mentality but I suppose it’s not a terrible system for the usecase?

So are there people on here who have hands-on experience with this? Is it a valid tool for safer browsing and torrenting?

Are there any obvious alternatives I should look into?

Are there any obvious risks I’m not aware of?

Is the concept flawed altogether?

  • 31337@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    17 days ago

    Tor for browsing is similar to a VPN. I2p and Tribbler for downloads is also similar. You could also just rent a cheap VPS and set up your own VPN. There’s a high chance people will be doing illegal shit through a VPN-like services, so I don’t think a p2p VPN-like service where everyone is like an exit node is viable.

    • masterofn001@lemmy.ca
      0·
      17 days ago

      I use tor as a VPN (the tor org has finally realized and accepted people use it like this and welcome it now) via the tor network layer. I’ll run a few instances and run my stuff through them. (Easier to set up a conjure or webtunnel bridge and exit node to a specific country than rely on the randomness of tor browser where some countries have restrictions or are restricted from accessing certain sites.)

      If I need that extra sense of anonymity, I’ll use the tor browser.

        • masterofn001@lemmy.ca
          0·
          17 days ago

          True. Technically just a proxy.

          But, I’m broke. And it’s fast enough (with the right node)

          So tor and protonvpn are what I use.

          I’ve had issue with proton being blocked though, too. But a quick server change and everything is OK.