From fda99eb305182f787862025f6e85e3359f74a79e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: hankhill19580 Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2019 20:05:18 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] add the August trip reports collected from all over --- i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon.rst | 89 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon2.rst | 76 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/foci.rst | 79 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/freedom.rst | 50 ++++++++++++++++ i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/rights.rst | 47 +++++++++++++++ 5 files changed, 341 insertions(+) create mode 100644 i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon.rst create mode 100644 i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon2.rst create mode 100644 i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/foci.rst create mode 100644 i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/freedom.rst create mode 100644 i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/rights.rst diff --git a/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon.rst b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon.rst new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e683b79b --- /dev/null +++ b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon.rst @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +============================================== +{% trans -%}Def Con Trip Report- zzz{%- endtrans %} +============================================== + +.. meta:: + :author: zzz + :date: 2019-08-30 + :category: release + :excerpt: {% trans %}Def Con Trip Report- zzz{% endtrans %} + +{% trans -%}Def Con Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +============================================== + +{% trans -%} +idk and I attended DEFCON 27 and presented two workshops on I2P for application +developers, with support from mhatta and Alex. I gave the workshop at Monero +Village and idk gave the one at Crypto/Privacy Village. Here, I will summarize +the Monero Village workshop, and a Tor talk by Roger Dingledine. idk will post a +trip report covering his workshop. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +We had about 8 attendees for the Monero Village workshop, entitled "I2P for +Cryptocurrency Developers". We planned to discuss the particular networking +needs for each application and work through the various i2ptunnel and SAM +options available. However, all attendees were relatively unfamiliar with I2P, +so we pivoted and gave an overview of I2P. As none of the attendees had a laptop +with them, we helped several of them install I2P on their Android phone and +walked through some of the features of the app. For all users, the app appeared +to reseed and build tunnels fairly quickly. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +One common question after installing the app was "what do I do now?". The app +doesn't have a 'hidden services of interest' section or first-run wizard like +our desktop application does, and most of the default addressbook entries are +long-dead. There's improvements we could make to the first-run experience. +Also, some of the more interesting parts of the app are hidden behind an +advanced setting; we should review those items and consider un-hiding some of +them. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +It's always useful to go to Tor talks, not so much to find out what they're +doing, but to hear how they explain things to people, and what terminology they +are using. Roger's talk "The Tor Censorship Arms Race" was in a large room +attended by about two thousand people. He gave a very brief overview of Tor +with only three or four slides. He says they now have "two to eight million +users a day". Most of the talk was a review of national blocking attempts over +the years, starting with Thailand and Iran in '06-'07 through Tunisia, china, +and Ethiopia in 2011. He called Tor bridges a "crappy arms race". He showed a +new form to be showed to new users, with a checkbox "Tor is censored in my +country". +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +Their new pluggable transport "snowflake" uses a combination of domain +fronting, webrtc, javascript, brokers and proxies to reach a Tor bridge. Roger +only had one slide on it, and I wasn't familiar with it, so we should do more +research on what it's all about. He briefly mentioned some things they may be +working on next, including "salmon" distribution of bridges, FTE/Marionette, +decoy routing, and "cupcake" which is an extension of snowflake. While I don't +have any further information about them, they may be good buzzwords to keep an +eye out for on their mailing lists. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +Much of Tor's censorship woes is due to Tor's popularity, but their TLS +handshake is a particular issue and it's been the focus of much of the "arms +race" over the years. In some ways we're in better shape, as we've taken +several features of their current-best obfs4 pluggable transport and build them +into NTCP2. However, we do have issues with our website and reseeds being +blocked, as Sadie and Phong will be presenting at USENIX FOCI this week. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +Notes for next time: I do recommend DEFCON, as long as we find a village to +call our home. It's an enormous conference and the limited general hangout +spaces are massively overcrowded. Both Monero Village and Crypto/Privacy +Village were fantastic hosts and we had several hours at each spot to meet with +people. We should find more opportunities to work with both organizations. +There were also ZCash people at the Monero Village and we should work with them +also. Any future workshop should be targeted at a more general audience. We do +need a standard "Intro to I2P" slide deck; it would have been helpful at the +workshops. Don't expect attendees to have laptops with them, focus on Android +for any hands-on exercises. There's several improvements to be made in our +Android app. Drink lots of water in Vegas... and stay away from the slot +machines. +{%- endtrans %} diff --git a/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon2.rst b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon2.rst new file mode 100644 index 00000000..8f242ad7 --- /dev/null +++ b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/defcon2.rst @@ -0,0 +1,76 @@ +============================================== +{% trans -%}Def Con Trip Report- idk{%- endtrans %} +============================================== + +.. meta:: + :author: idk + :date: 2019-08-30 + :category: release + :excerpt: {% trans %}Def Con Trip Report- idk{% endtrans %} + +{% trans -%}Def Con Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +============================================== + +{% trans -%} +I went to Def Con 27 last weekend to give a workshop on I2P application +development, and to meet zzz, mhatta, and Alex in person. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +My workshop went well, we even had a few application developers attend! In +particular I had a pretty lengthy conversation with a person named Mary about +how I2P could be used to eliminate centralization and enhance privacy in +a "Magic Wormhole" type of application. While I wasn't totally familiar with +Magic Wormhole at the time, I think most of my advice was usable. I think Mary +had some very interesting and workable ideas about sharing information in more +human-centric ways that could be interesting in I2P applications, and am looking +forward to experimenting with some of those. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +The materials I made for the application development workshop are available on +Github! https://github.com/eyedeekay/defcon Please consider it a living document, +your input is desired! As it is licensed permissively, you are free to fork it +and make it your own as well. Share your examples, your hacks, or correct my +comma use, complain about my document preparation style, or just print off your +own copy in booklet form! +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +I also talked to a guy who gives advice to the government about the differences +between I2P and Tor, why I2P is more P2P-friendly, and some scenarios in which +peers in a P2P application might want to have enhanced privacy from each-other, +and why I2P is perhaps uniquely suited to accomplish that. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +In general, both the application development workshops went well, even though +they didn't go entirely according to plan in that only a small proportion of the +audience were application developers. The impression I got was that many people +are very interested in I2P, but also many people are confused by how interacting +with I2P works. By re-focusing on their questions and by teaming off with zzz, +mhatta, and Alex we were fairly successful at dealing with our audience, which +was more varied in terms of occupation, interest, and I2P knowledge than +expected. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +Besides that, I also talked to Alex about my experimental contextual-identity +driven I2P proxy plugin for Firefox and eventually, Brave Browser. Got to talk +a little about bundling, but not too much, as it was a very busy convention. I'm +looking forward to following up with him on that soon. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +mhatta and I almost won a lobster from a claw machine, but it was a real +fighter and got away at the last second. Really thought I had it for a moment +though. :) +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +To add to zzz's notes for next time, aside from being more general I believe our +workshops would not have been as able to adapt to the needs of the audience +without the support of mhatta and Alex. Having people who can help particpants +individually or in small groups was immensely helpful, many, many thanks to both +of them for helping us out. +{%- endtrans %} diff --git a/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/foci.rst b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/foci.rst new file mode 100644 index 00000000..fa2e5a70 --- /dev/null +++ b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/foci.rst @@ -0,0 +1,79 @@ +================================================== +{% trans -%}USENIX FOCI Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +================================================== + +.. meta:: + :author: sadie + :date: 2019-08-30 + :category: release + :excerpt: {% trans %}USENIX FOCI Trip Report{% endtrans %} + +{% trans -%}USENIX FOCI Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +================================================== + +{% trans -%} +Over the past year I have had the good fortune to participate in the research +Nguyen Phong Hoang from Stony Brook University has been doing regarding I2P +censorship. The infrastructure used for this research provided numerous and +geographically diverse vantage points, and also the ability to conduct in-depth +measurements across all levels of the network stack. I2P services which were +measured for availability included official homepage, mirror site, reseed +servers and active relays. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +The presentation on Tuesday went very well, and Phong was very busy afterwards +answering questions about his work. I was busy too answering questions about +I2P and what it does. The new stickers featuring the updated logo by Ura Design +got rave reviews! It was a very positive experience and I will be looking +forward to continuing to work with Phong and monitoring I2P censorship. I would +encourage anyone who has encountered blocking, or has had success using I2P to +communicate in restricted environments to reach out if you can. I2P is +currently working on new solutions to circumvent internet blocking. Having met +people this year who have given me first hand accounts of the effects of +censorship and the need to stay connected, makes the need for I2P to be more +resilient where it needs to be and for the team to be creating guides for using +I2P in these situations. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +I will be putting together better resources for researchers interested in I2P, +as well. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +I also had the good fortune to spend time with Mhatta, who is an I2P +contributor, and to make connections for future funding. A huge thank you to +the community builders I met in Tunis who I met again and who are offering so +much support to the project. This has been an exciting year so far, and I2P has +so much work to do. Please consider donating your time or funding the project +as it needs to scale quickly to new challenges. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +If you have an opportunity to, you can read the full report Measuring I2P +Censorship at a Global Scale here +https://www.usenix.org/conference/foci19/presentation/hoang +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +Another great workshop in the measurements workshop was On the Importance of +Encrypted-SNI (ESNI) to Censorship Circumvention +https://www.usenix.org/conference/foci19/presentation/chai +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +There are so many great workshops that I attended - anyone who would like too +can access the program and related materials here: +https://www.usenix.org/conference/foci19/workshop-program +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +I will be attending Our Networks in Toronto next month https://ournetworks.ca/ +- and so should you! The program can be viewed here +https://ournetworks.ca/program/ +{%- endtrans %} + + + +Sadie diff --git a/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/freedom.rst b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/freedom.rst new file mode 100644 index 00000000..42dacaee --- /dev/null +++ b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/freedom.rst @@ -0,0 +1,50 @@ +================================================================ +{% trans -%}Internet Freedom Festival Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +================================================================ + +.. meta:: + :author: sadie + :date: 2019-08-30 + :category: release + :excerpt: {% trans %}Internet Freedom Festival Trip Report{% endtrans %} + +{% trans -%}Internet Freedom Festival Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +================================================================ + +{% trans -%} +This was my first time attending IFF, and what a great experience for I2P this +was! I met with human rights defenders, people who work on censorship metrics, +and of course UX and security professionals. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +My goal was to connect with people to further support I2P’s UX overhaul, +keeping in mind security and UX considerations for frontline workers. As it was +pointed out to me, people see I2P as a very important and powerful resource to +circumvent censorship and support safe communication, however the interface +suffers from some usability concerns. People were happy with our initial steps +to make first time users have a better experience, such as our set up wizard +and bandwidth detection tool. I also received positive reviews on our changes +to the website and /home icons. It was very encouraging to hear directly from +the community that small changes we have made are in the right direction. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +Things like having configuration happen out of the box and not having to put +people in the position where they need to rely on reading so much documentation +or chasing documentation were discussed. Also, improved documentation for +setting up outproxies and and site mirroring were requested and suggested. +Please see Mikal’s very good instructions on setting up an I2P outproxy that +came out of the suggestions this week — +https://0xcc.re/howto-setup-an-i2p-outproxy/. Another suggestion was to make +bug reporting easier. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +To this point, I truly hope that the project will secure resources to continue +the improvements to its usability that it requires to meet the growing demand +for I2P services. It is humbling to to be working with such talented people and +to be able to work together with our community during a time when people all +over the globe need all of the privacy protecting resources we as people who +develop, design and educate can offer. +{%- endtrans %} diff --git a/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/rights.rst b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/rights.rst new file mode 100644 index 00000000..3fe0b3e8 --- /dev/null +++ b/i2p2www/blog/2019/08/30/rights.rst @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +================================================ +{% trans -%}RightsCon Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +================================================ + +.. meta:: + :author: sadie + :date: 2019-08-30 + :category: release + :excerpt: {% trans %}RightsCon Trip Report{% endtrans %} + +{% trans -%}RightsCon Trip Report{%- endtrans %} +================================================ + +{% trans -%} +The messages from activists in Syria during the Access No\_! session on the +first day were deeply moving and really drove home why I work in digital +rights. We listened to the experiences of activists who are unable to travel +due to lack of status, documentation and active conflict. For these people +“the internet is the only passport (they) carry.” Human rights defenders +spoke of the importance of digital training to keep people protected when they +are communicating with family inside of the country, as well as with family and +friends who have left. They had created digital clinics to show people how to +use services securely, for instance, how to use features like Signal’s +disappearing messages so that those messages could not be used against them +when devices are searched at security check points. Continuing to pursue +education was also very important, the internet being relied on to access +resources. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +The following days we met with people who had both questions about I2P and +suggestions for potential use cases. We also discussed overhauling the project +documentation for threat models, improving guides for users with little +technical background, and ensuring that these guides are easily translatable. I +made a note that I should go through the proposals and connect then to human +use cases and solutions. This will be part of the projects’ continued effort +to improve its user guides and onboarding. +{%- endtrans %} + +{% trans -%} +The opportunity to meet face to face with people who are using I2P and have +successfully used it to circumvent internet blockages was inspiring. As the +project has began working on its own browser and is examining outproxy +packaging, it needs as much feedback and testing as possible to create secure +and frictionless experiences for people. Also, the I2P network needs more +hosted content and mirrored sites in order to expand resources for its users. +{%- endtrans %}