[tor-talk] Tor and P2P

[meh.]

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 02:08:06AM -0400, Robert Ransom wrote:
> On 9/26/12, meh. <meh at schizofreni.co> wrote:
> 
> > After implementing the torchat protocol and seeing how bad it is, but
> > how nice the idea is, I started thinking it would be cool to have a
> > more general protocol for P2P use through hidden services.
> >
> > My question is, how would it scale and what would be the implications
> > of such a system (every user would be a hidden service and would be
> > constantly connected to other hidden services it wants to interact
> > with)?
> 
> DO NOT use implement peer-to-peer software that way.  You will make
> your users more vulnerable to some attacks, and thrash the HS
> directory system excessively, and probably overload the users' Tor
> client processes to the point that they start pounding on the Tor
> network in general (see https://bugs.torproject.org/1307 for one
> failure mode).
> 
> Some parts of the Tor hidden service protocol can be used for
> peer-to-peer communication, but that would require new client-side
> protocols (for communication between the application and the Tor
> client), as well as an overhaul of the hidden service code.  SOCKS and
> Tor's current control-port protocol are not suitable for this.

What should I do then to have anonymous and secure decentralized chat,
file sharing and the like on Tor?

I reckon it isn't what Tor was made for which is why I'm asking here
if it makes sense or would end up damaging the Tor network instead of
being something useful.
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