Tribler - open source peer-to-peer decentralized BitTorrent client with built-in TOR network

[Millard]

Tribler - an open source P2P decentralized BitTorrent client for watching videos with built-in TOR network created by the researchers at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands:

The Tribler client has been around for more nearly a decade already, and during that time it’s developed into the only truly decentralized BitTorrent client out there.

Even if all torrent sites were shut down today, Tribler users would still be able to find and add new content.

But the researchers want more. One of the key problems with BitTorrent is the lack of anonymity. Without a VPN or proxy all downloads can easily be traced back to an individual internet connection.

The Tribler team hopes to fix this problem with a built-in Tor network, routing all data through a series of peers. In essence, Tribler users then become their own Tor network helping each other to hide their IP-addresses through encrypted proxies.

“The Tribler anonymity feature aims to make strong encryption and authentication the Internet default,” Tribler leader Dr. Pouwelse tells TF.

Source:
TRIBLER MAKES BITTORRENT ANONYMOUS WITH BUILT-IN TOR NETWORK

This lack of fast, unlimited and free anonymous BitTorrent options is what the Tribler team at Delft University of Technology are hoping to change. Their Tribler client has been around for more than half a decade already, and during that time it’s developed into the only truly decentralized BitTorrent client out there.

Unlike traditional BitTorrent clients, Tribler does not rely on central servers or third-party sites. Users can search, download and moderate files from within the application itself, based on pure peer-to-peer communication. Quite a remarkable achievement, but it’s also just the beginning for the research team.

During a talk at the Stanford University this week, Dr. Johan Pouwelse talked about the past and the future of Tribler, announcing the ambitious play to add make BitTorrent transfers more private.

Talking to TorrentFreak, Pouwelse explained that the idea is to add a proxy layer where proxies act as “caches” of content. This can hugely improve downloads speeds, but also makes BitTorrent downloads more private.

Source: RESEARCHERS TO RELEASE AN ANONYMOUS BITTORRENT CLIENT