Previously posted on Reddit by the owner of MuWire. Source
I wrote a short piece on why MuWire is needed and why I'm working on it. It is available here
Some of the features mentioned (like messaging) are not released yet, but will be very soon. (Now available from v0.8.3)
About MuWire MuWire is a file publishing and networking tool that protects the identity of its users by using I2P technology. Anyone with a desktop computer and an internet connection can create a unique anonymous online persona and publish information of any kind without fear of censorship or persecution.
Users can then use their MuWire identities to publish files, search for files published by others, subscribe to each other’s publications and communicate through chat and messaging. Furthermore, users can establish trust-based relationship with each other where they assign a “trust level” to their contacts.
Example use case An example use case is that of Alice, a whistle-blower that wishes to remain anonymous in order to publish sensitive material on an ongoing basis. She creates a MuWire identity (which cannot in any way be linked to her real-world identity) and uses it to distribute information. Alice adds the files containing the sensitive material to her MuWire library and leaves MuWire running.
Bob is a journalist who does not know anything about Alice, but is interested in the type of material she publishes. Furthermore, Bob doesn’t want Alice to know his real-world identity either. He creates a MuWire identity and uses MuWire to search for relevant keywords. Alice’s MuWire node receives those queries and responds with results automatically. Bob then downloads the material from Alice’s MuWire node and verifies that it is genuine and of interest to him. Alice publishes regularly, so Bob subscribes to her publication feed and his MuWire node fetches automatically everything that Alice has made public. MuWire also offers mailbox messaging and chat functionality, so Bob can ask Alice for specific material and even have a real-time chat with her.
The relationship between Alice and Bob is completely anonymous and neither party can learn more about the other without consent.
Behind the scenes MuWire uses the I2P network which is known to work even during the strictest internet clampdowns in countries like China and Iran. The technology provides protection against Deep Packet Inspection firewalls and other tools used by state surveillance. From an outside observer the traffic that MuWire/I2P generates is indistinguishable from random static.
Motivation My motivation for creating MuWire is to enable every human being to share information without fear. MuWire is just a tool, use it for good!