[tor-bugs] #6978 [Website]: Create Magnet links for download

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#6978: Create Magnet links for download
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 Reporter:  ioerror      |          Owner:     
     Type:  enhancement  |         Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |      Milestone:     
Component:  Website      |        Version:     
 Keywords:               |         Parent:     
   Points:               |   Actualpoints:     
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 I've been talking with a lot of Free Software projects about how they
 don't want to serve stuff up over HTTPS - especially bulk data. I've heard
 a lot of user blaming, balking at even trying to be secure, the point of
 gpg signatures, etc.

 I think that there is a middle ground and it is probably worthwhile to
 explore. We could also use it as a test - it seems like an easy test too.

 Basically, I propose that over HTTPS, we have a page that links to all of
 our downloads, with GPG signatures and the file they wish to download as
 BitTorrent Magnet links.

 Here's one I created that has no seeders and no need for them, I might
 add:

 magnet:?xt=urn:btih:696513360665ad8bc398126cba2e688d882ed5cd&dn=TorBrowser&as=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.torproject.org%2Fdist%2Ftorbrowser%2Flinux
 %2Ftor-browser-gnu-linux-x86%5F64-2.3.22-alpha-1-dev-en-
 US.tar.gz&as=http%3A%2F%2Fj6im4v42ur6dpic3.onion%2Ftor-package-
 archive%2Ftorbrowser%2Ftor-obfsproxy-browser-2.3.22-alpha-1%5Fen-
 US.exe&as=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.torproject.org%2Ftor-package-
 archive%2Ftorbrowser%2Flinux%2Ftor-browser-gnu-
 linux-x86%5F64-2.3.22-alpha-1-dev-en-US.tar.gz

 The nice thing about that Magnet URN is that it includes (three) urls as
 backups - so anyone who clicks on it will fetch it over a .onion via HTTP
 or via two different HTTPS urls. I think that means that merely by
 offering the files our first users will get a normal download via HTTPO or
 HTTPS. They then become the seeders - no seeding box needed!

 I think it should be rather straight forward to automate the creation of
 urls for our use too.

 The main question for me is how well the 'as=' ( see
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_URI#Normal_.28as.29 ) field actually
 works. Do BitTorrent clients actually download it over HTTPS properly?

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/6978>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online