Interviews with people building the Next Generation Internet
There are many issues with today's internet. In this interview series we asked free and open source developers about the issue that particularly bothers them and how their project addresses it. Each interview provides insight in a particular project and the people behind them. Taken together the interviews present an overview of issues with today's internet, and concrete answers to address them.
Ten technology layers of NGI
As a sorting mechanism, the interviews are mapped on the ten technology layers of NGI.
L1: Trustworthy hardware and manufacturing
L2: Network infrastructure, P2P and VPN
pi-lar - Neuropil-DHT
DHT based overlay network
Issue
Data protection is in our opinion the world's current concern. Without protecting privacy of everybody, there is no information security.
Data protection is in our opinion the world's current concern. Without protecting privacy of everybody, there is no information security.
Project's answer
Neuropil-DHT is an opinionated solution how security and privacy by design networks should be build.
Neuropil-DHT is an opinionated solution how security and privacy by design networks should be build.
robur collective - MirageVPNT
Robust OpenVPN client and server, and QubesOS client
Issue
The locked-in apps and multinational corporations that have access to your data. We strive for a more decentralised Internet.
The locked-in apps and multinational corporations that have access to your data. We strive for a more decentralised Internet.
Project's answer
By developing a VPN service, we have, apart from already established web services and DNS servers, another leg of what you can run as a MirageOS unikernel :).
By developing a VPN service, we have, apart from already established web services and DNS servers, another leg of what you can run as a MirageOS unikernel :).
L3: Software engineering, protocols, cryptography
Szilárd Pfeiffer - CryptoLyzer
Cryptographic settings analyzer library
Issue
Internet protocols designed to be secure - such as TLS and SSH - suffer from implementation and configuration issues.
Internet protocols designed to be secure - such as TLS and SSH - suffer from implementation and configuration issues.
Project's answer
Cryptolyzer is a tool designed to support end users in choosing the right cryptographic settings in order to make communication on private and public networks more secure.
Cryptolyzer is a tool designed to support end users in choosing the right cryptographic settings in order to make communication on private and public networks more secure.
Michael Baentsch - oqsprovider
Post-quantum/quantum-safe cryptographic algorithms for OpenSS
Issue
The gulf between users of cryptography and "hard-core cryptographers", resulting in complicated-to-use crypto applications or even insecure ones.
The gulf between users of cryptography and "hard-core cryptographers", resulting in complicated-to-use crypto applications or even insecure ones.
Project's answer
oqsprovider aims to be a technological bridge for one particular problem area in this space, namely the integration of post-quantum cryptography into the TLS and X.509 internet standard protocols with minimum change/introduction of new risks at maximum ease of use.
oqsprovider aims to be a technological bridge for one particular problem area in this space, namely the integration of post-quantum cryptography into the TLS and X.509 internet standard protocols with minimum change/introduction of new risks at maximum ease of use.
Philippe Ombredanne - FOSS Code Supply Chain Assurance
Mitigate attacks through software dependencies
Issue
Security: a sophisticated malware attack on FOSS can be disastrous for developers and users, companies and countries, industries and sectors.
Security: a sophisticated malware attack on FOSS can be disastrous for developers and users, companies and countries, industries and sectors.
Project's answer
Our project improves the security of FOSS packages by ensuring that the different FOSS components used in various software are genuine.
Our project improves the security of FOSS packages by ensuring that the different FOSS components used in various software are genuine.
L4: Operating Systems, firmware and virtualisation
Merlijn Wajer - Maemo Leste
Modernise open source real-time communications stack
Issue
The majority of mobile devices are controlled by a duopoly of Google and Apple, who by the nature of a duopoly mostly control how users access the Internet on their mobile devices.
The majority of mobile devices are controlled by a duopoly of Google and Apple, who by the nature of a duopoly mostly control how users access the Internet on their mobile devices.
Project's answer
Maemo Leste, an independent mobile operating system, aims to provide an alternative to users who do not want to be at the mercy of either Google or Apple.
Maemo Leste, an independent mobile operating system, aims to provide an alternative to users who do not want to be at the mercy of either Google or Apple.
L5: Measurement, monitoring, analysis and abuse handling
L6: Middleware and identity
Mark Burgess - Promise Theory
Measure on-going trust between interacting agents
Issue
We tend to focus just on building whatever we feel like but don't think enough about the impact of these technologies on human society.
We tend to focus just on building whatever we feel like but don't think enough about the impact of these technologies on human society.
Project's answer
The project is part of a wide ranging effort to understand trust in network socio-technical systems.
The project is part of a wide ranging effort to understand trust in network socio-technical systems.
Andrea D'Intino - Signroom
Zenroom based signature and credential platform
Issue
Privacy and security, more than ever! Document signatures work with 30-year-old standards (X.509) and most of the software available is closed source.
Privacy and security, more than ever! Document signatures work with 30-year-old standards (X.509) and most of the software available is closed source.
Project's answer
A web-based, mobile-friendly solution to offer signatures and verification of documents.
A web-based, mobile-friendly solution to offer signatures and verification of documents.
L7: Decentralised solutions
Esther Payne & Brett Sheffield - Librecast
End-to-end encrypted multicast
Issue
The increasingly centralized nature of our unicast Internet makes us more vulnerable to surveillance and censorship and risks our privacy.
The increasingly centralized nature of our unicast Internet makes us more vulnerable to surveillance and censorship and risks our privacy.
Project's answer
The Librecast Project is building the software required to rebuild our Internet using multicast, with privacy, accessibility, and efficiency as design goals from the outset.
The Librecast Project is building the software required to rebuild our Internet using multicast, with privacy, accessibility, and efficiency as design goals from the outset.
Aljoscha Meyer & Sam Gwilym - Earthstar + Willow
P2P protocol and APIs for collaborative and social applications
Issue
The key issue we see is fragility. Most networked services are built in a tightly coupled way where a single component failure can bring the whole service down, and users regularly lose access to their data.
The key issue we see is fragility. Most networked services are built in a tightly coupled way where a single component failure can bring the whole service down, and users regularly lose access to their data.
Project's answer
Devices using Willow can connect to each other directly, with no privileged intermediary infrastructure like a data centre; and that they can disconnect from the network, yet still be able to read and write data.
Devices using Willow can connect to each other directly, with no privileged intermediary infrastructure like a data centre; and that they can disconnect from the network, yet still be able to read and write data.
Niko Bonnieure - NextGraph
Interlinked data graphs, with privacy, security, data locality, and interoperability in mind
Issue
Big Tech is maintaining a Giant Global Graph of data inside their proprietary silo's/data centres, where all our personal and sensitive information is stored. But we have no access to this graph.
Big Tech is maintaining a Giant Global Graph of data inside their proprietary silo's/data centres, where all our personal and sensitive information is stored. But we have no access to this graph.
Project's answer
NextGraph addresses both issues of privacy and availability: its graph is open and can be queried by anyone, if the permission to do so has been granted by the owners of the data.
NextGraph addresses both issues of privacy and availability: its graph is open and can be queried by anyone, if the permission to do so has been granted by the owners of the data.
L8: Data and AI
L9: Services + Applications
L10: Vertical use cases, Search, Community
