Encrypted file support, disk volunteering, auto-distribution among peers, streaming video

Ecosystem
1

IPFS is really amazing - I think it has a great deal of potential. Thank you to all of those who have and do contribute to this project!

I had a few ideas that I think would change the trajectory greatly. They would take some work, but could be quite good. Some could be done by plugin, but some perhaps should be added to IPFS.

  1. Encrypted data with decryption key optionally in file link/identifier. Posters can optionally include a decryption link in with the file identifier - making it easy to decrypt. Reason why -see #4

  2. Disk volunteering - peers can volunteer disk space to help file distribution. Other peers would not know how much space one has offered or any other information that is better left private. No one knows whether a file has been downloaded/pinned or auto-distributed .

  3. Auto-distribution requests generated/sent to attempt to establish a content delivery network based on file popularity/availability/geography/etc. Enables the privacy of #2 in addition to aiming to increase performance.

  4. Encrypted data provides extra privacy especially through plausible deniability. No one knows whether or not the data has been decrypted by a peer/whether or not the peer has the key.

  5. File streaming - first/last/sequential file streaming support for the #1 type of media today - VIDEO. Video is what it is all about, so IPFS with this system could revolutionize the distribution of video content making it faster, more resilient, and allow users to more easily pin data they deem is important/valuable to their fellow humans.

2

I don’t think its good direction. Projects which tried to do that like FreeNet and Perfect dark never got anywhere outside its unlicensed video sharing group. I do not want to use my computer for sharing someone warez, encrypted or not.

In real world we are not trying to solve problem how to distribute files we are not allowed to for free (and possibly anonymously).

3

  1. Out of scope of IPFS and should be built on top IMO.

  2. Pin files you like or Filecoin.

  3. If people Pin files they like IPFS already work that way, otherwise IPFS clusters.

  4. see 1.

  5. see 1. I’ve built live streaming, and other social medias on IPFS at github.com/sionois/dit

My 0.02$

4

In real world we are not trying to solve problem how to distribute files we are not allowed to for free (and possibly anonymously).

What is “allowed” varies from region to region. There have recently been many attacks on free speech all over the world. History has shown that the small negative consequences of free speech are dwarfed by the monumental negative consequences of censorship and coercion against free speech. Attacks on free speech put humanity into the dark ages.

So while it may be used for some copyrighted material, it may also be used for life-saving, humanity-advancing information. The need for free speech outweighs the harm to copyright, which once again varies country-to-country anyhow as does free speech. Humanity will benefit from the free flow of information, as it has benefited from the Internet in many ways.

It may be out of the scope of IPFS and could definitely be built on top. But perhaps it should be considered in the future. The current “problems” I see for IPFS are ease-of-use, searchability, performance/bugs in client, and lack of the encryption scheme I proposed above. For wider adoption, these changes could be huge.

Thank you for considering and discussing. Discussion is appreciated :slight_smile: I wish I were a developer, but I am not. Maybe i can help fund or find other people to fund/develop. I will check out that link SionoiS