Loki, a privacy network which will allow users to transact and communicate privately and anonymously over the internet, has announced its partnership with Arweave, a Berlin-based data storage blockchain protocol, to launch SILO, a privacy-centric protocol for web services, where users can create and maintain totally private websites.
Combining the upcoming capabilities of the Loki network, which will facilitate private transactions and communications online, and the Arweave permaweb, an immutable, decentralized version of the internet, SILO will support the creation and maintenance of permanent, private web pages, as well as allowing users to anonymously access and communicate online. The collaborative venture will use the privacy-centric Loki platform’s transport security layer for interactions within SILO, to provide anonymous network access.
“The birth of the internet unlocked huge potential for the free flow communication and dissemination of information globally. However, the digital realm is increasingly monitored and censored by governments and corporations. As our lives move more and more online, the value derived from private and secure web access is colossal. SILO allows users to share information permanently on the internet without having to run a server. Through our recently launched permaweb, information posted and processed through SILO will be fully immutable and censorship-resistant, ensuring that third parties cannot seek to hide anything from the public in the future.”
While traditional online services remain open to third-party surveillance, and can be shut down or blacklisted from the internet, websites and data transactions created using SILO will be permanently stored on the Arweave in an encrypted state, so that the nature of the data being stored is obfuscated for anyone who does not know the human-readable SILO address of the page, which through SILO is converted into a private access key. Access and upload are all done through Lokinet, hiding the user’s IP address through this process.
“Many people will find the availability of anonymous and secure ways of engaging with the internet surprising, but technologies providing improved security for end users are constantly under development. Our collaboration with Arweave will give internet users a new avenue for totally private and censorship-resistant internet access, publishing, and online communication. This tool provides a private, safe space online where anyone can disseminate information anonymously and irreversibly. Tools like this are important for the health of democracies and individual rights all over the world.”
The launch of SILO comes ahead of the full release of Loki’s mixnet, “Lokinet”, which is currently in an open testing phase. Lokinet will allow users to browse the internet anonymously, without exposing their identity or IP address. The network will also allow developers to build and launch privacy-centric applications, called SNApps, upon the platform. These services will be free to use and will incorporate privacy by design, creating an ecosystem of anonymous web services, including forums, messenger services, and marketplaces in an effort to bolster the online rights of internet users everywhere, and provide a safe and secure space for discourse and interaction online.
“The launch of SILO to the public marks the first unique SNapp to be launched on the Loki platform. Setting a high standard through our collaboration and partnership with Arweave, we hope that it shall soon be joined by other sophisticated services in the near future, following the launch of Lokinet. We have no doubt that this is the first exciting development of many for the wider Loki ecosystem.”
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