Is there any P2P private file storage?

Question

I would like to upload my private encrypted files to the cloud. However I don't want to rely on a company to do this, such as Dropbox. If I share it on a P2P network (such as using torrents) nobody would copy my files.

I am willing to copy other people's files if they do the same for me. Is there such a P2P network for private encrypted files?

Answer 1

There are two solutions that I know of that provide this:

• Crashplan – you can trade storage with your friends.
• Buddybackup – ditto.

http://skeptu.com/p2p-backup-software keeps an updated list of such software.

Answer 2

Freenet is the one project that springs to mind.

Freenet is free software which lets you anonymously share files, browse and publish "freesites" (web sites accessible only through Freenet) and chat on forums, without fear of censorship. Freenet is decentralised to make it less vulnerable to attack, and if used in "darknet" mode, where users only connect to their friends, is very difficult to detect.

Otherwise there is a list of distributed file storage systems at http://www.infoanarchy.org/en/Distributed_file_storage

It appears that a number of the projects are dead though, MNet was last updated in 2005... not sure about any of the others.

Answer 3

We have also BuddyBackup

http://www.buddybackup.com/about/how-buddybackup-works.aspx

Also Microsoft's Live Mesh is similar, but limited to your machines and the central storage

http://www.techcrunchit.com/2008/07/21/live-mesh-rolls-out-p2p-storage/

As for research projects, we also have:

• Microsoft's PAST (2001-2010) http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/antr/PAST/
• National Tsing Hua University's Malugo (2009) http://ir.lib.nthu.edu.tw/handle/987654321/17890
• Nanyang Technological University's CrowdStore (2009-2012) http://sands.sce.ntu.edu.sg/p2pstorage/

Answer 4

Some on I2P were playing around with Tahoe-LAFS, and there is a plugin for I2P.

Answer 5

Check out another open source distributed p2p backup system - BitDust.

It is in testing stage at the moment and you can download and use the software.

The web site is http://bitdust.io

Short video preview about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP0KeeO-zRY

Answer 6

You could perhaps try Quiknets.com (Windows/ IE). When you register there you get a Private Box, InBox, email, Workspaces, ability to make a folder to share with named others chat, etc. Under Extra Content, you can download some FCRLite encryption. That allows you to make "self extracting" encrypted files/folders. When the user enters a password (any password you choose and convey to him), even if he doesn't have the encryption program. Files are always stored as you send them and are encrypted under a password only you know. You can send to any email address, as well as transferring an encrypted object to any Quiknets member privately.

In addition, you can right-click any file/folder in Quiknets and "copy the link", and then use that url to make a "login link" to it in Netsso.com. From any PC, Netsso will then bring you direct to the file, including logging in your Quiknets credentials, when you simply double-click the link.