A “darknet” service that allows users to share music files anonymously on the web has been launched in Sweden.
Relakks, as the service is known, allows users to send and receive files through a heavily-encrypted connection.
It is the first commercial example of a darknet, a virtual network set up to share files between trusted users.
The service is endorsed by political group the Pirate Party which is running for election in Sweden under a banner to reform the country’s copyright laws.
“There are many legitimate reasons to want to be completely anonymous on the internet,” said Rickard Falkvinge, chairman of the Pirate Party.
“The right to exchange information in private is fundamental to the democratic society. Without a safe and convenient way of accessing the internet anonymously, this right is rendered null and void.”
Think this will piss off the RIAA — or what?
For the moment, their servers can barely keep up with registration. The same for their banking partner trying to process all the folks willing to pay 5 euros for their first month’s service.
Actually, I think the RIAA will like this step.
They’re now charging money to access the service, which means they’ll be able to pay off when sued.
I saw this on my “Google Personalized Homepage” a couple days ago, and looked into it. All it is, is another proxy IP service similar to some that were featured in PC Mag last year. It is a real simple access procedure that your wouldn’t have to access “DarkNet” to use. However who would have the courage to set one up in the US when the RIAA would fight to gain access to see who was using the said IP address at the time they “sniffed it” in their investigation proccess.
To me this is all build a better mousetrap… thinking.
Their will be ways designed to defeat this or enable this.
I work at a PC repair store, and I myself LOATH P2P and any other application that people use to STEAL protected works. The funny part is they are key in my industry, when people bring in their computer because it is crawling at snails pace, it is usally clogged with virus and spyware infections. 9 times out of 10, there is a P2P application also installed. These programs are the gateway to all the problems on their computer. Yet people fail to connect the two. I try to educate people on OPENSOURCE software, Programs like iTunes with music for only a dollar, but they don’t grasp it. Instead they charge full steam into the DARK NET and then come back, for $60.00 an hour to get their computer cleaned up. Plus add the 5 euro a month. Makes you wonder… how much do people have to pay before stealing is no longer cheaper.
Pardon me for actually reading the linked article; but, there does seem to be something enabling the charge for this service — E-N-C-R-Y-P-T-I-O-N. Serious encryption.
The problem is not the P2P apps it’s between the seat and the keyboard.
Its funny that an OLD idea hasnt been brought up.
LEt the people Police the net.
But we have to have a service to BACK it up thats FREE.
We need a button to Mark SPAM, a button to mark ADVERT sites/bots/trojans/ and the works.
An Emial program that CANT hide your location..
And if you are tagged by MANY persons you get SHUT down, or no access to the site..
Clayton Quinnell: Does the RIAA pay well these days?
I certainly agree that you should encourage open source:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/phex
http://sourceforge.net/projects/frostwire
ECA: here we go again, posting barely coherant nonsense.
“a button to mark ADVERT sites/bots/trojans/ and the works.” how exactly can a button mark a bot or trojan? were would this ‘button’ be?
“An Emial program that CANT hide your location..” what? the problem with email is not the clients. maybe you meant we need a new specification, but wtf knows
“And if you are tagged by MANY persons you get SHUT down, or no access to the site..” how exactly could you be tagged for viewing a site, i guess you mean for postings,
almost everyone of your comments is retarded.
To poster 2 , I think you’re going to find that whether you like it or not, legitimate P2P is the future of file transfer across the interweb, you’re going to have to get used to it … would anyone like that on the torrent? 😉
Who would trust this company with their credit card?!!? Thats the question..
9 times out of 10, there is a P2P application also installed.
And 10 times out of 10, Internet Explorer is installed.
I myself LOATH P2P and any other application that people use to STEAL protected works
I loath meatloaf. I don’t eat it. End of problem.
I also loath unethical companies that use lies, bribery, and corruption to support failing and obsolete business models.
This reminds me of Season 2 of HBOs show The Wire. In that season a police major conviences all the drug dealers to do their dealings in a certain location (from block x to block y), in return he looked the other way. His motivation was quite simple. Clean up the streets and put the trafficing in a controlled environment. They called the place Hamsterdam.
Welcome to Hamsterdam for the net.
Uh, question for all…
What’s wrong with an encrypted network again? Not everyone on a protected network is stealing. I personally think its great to have a protected network through a VPN 128 bit session. The technology allows it, encryption is not a crime in of itself, so what’s the problem. You guys are obviously all guilty, and so think with a guilty mind.
Now, let’s get some torrents going!!!
IN response to the people who commented on me:
1. Stealing is wrong.
2. Yes there will be legal and hopefully good use of P2P, I yet to see it. But I can think of about 100 different things at the moment that P2P good do for the good.
3. Directly to: #4, EXACTLY!
4. One of the points I was trying to make is 5 Euro’s a month (Anybody know what the Dollar exchange rate on that?) + $XX /hour to fix your computer from Spyware/Adware/Malware, Viruses, Etc. (If you of course don’t know how to do these services yourself), at what point does stealing a $0.99 song equal out?
5. I refer to open source as a solution to stealing software, say Microsoft Office = Open Office 2.0.
6. My final point,
“Its funny that an OLD idea hasnt been brought up.
LEt the people Police the net.”
My feelings on the mark, I am tired of the RIAA, just as much as I am of the Programs that the RIAA sues, the people they sue (Including the dead ones). How far into the darkness must we go before BIG BROTHER stops debating and starts to govern the Internet? I for one don’t want to see it. The laws are bad enough already, common folks lets grow up and be responsible before they take it away!
7.
My comments were off the mark.
But if you stir up those butterflys Upstairs, they might start to THINK about what I said.
I hate to spoon to you some basic knowledge to you BUT.
Do you know HOw I would combat this problem..?
I would start a corp, that would get paid by other corps, to Saturate the net with Bogus programs/Mp3/AAC and soforth. I would enbed virus, bots and trackers, and Warnings into the programs. Sence you WANT to see/listen/play the program, you will bypass ALL your Protections and say YES yo the installation of ALL these bots, and Virus and trackers.
This would make this service Obsolete and a PAIN in the BUTT to get anything you wanted that wasnt Rigged to kill your computer. AND the BEST PART… You couldnt track me, as IM into there Anonmous protection.
Remember Rumsfeld’s bit about known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns?
I think that a legit non-stealing non-terrorist user might want to use Relakks to avoid all three kinds of problems related to spying on his internet activities.
We know that companies track our search inquiries and other uses of the internet, we know we don’t know where those data could go, and we don’t know the complete list of problems that might arise from data mining.
Apologies for quoting Rumsfeld in support of my point. Hail Mary, full of grace… 🙂