Author: Riccardo Spagni 2015-07-17 08:00:13
Published on: 2015-07-17T08:00:13+00:00
In a discussion about balancing privacy, censorship resistance, and centralization in the bitcoin ecosystem, it was argued that limited proxies for DNSCrypt increase centralization and go against the goals of the ecosystem. However, state-level attackers would not compromise 50+ DNSCrypt servers, rather they can get the information on lookups more easily. Instead, protecting users from man-in-the-middle attacks where data is sniffed is important.To provide a solution, it is suggested that OpenAlias could provide general appeal for non-technical users while those who are highly privacy conscious could use VPN or DNSCrypt themselves. The idea of DANE is also praised as optional versus mandatory. Additionally, it is explained that using a single lookup under OpenAlias may create extra, unnecessary traffic, cause privacy leakage, and be an amplifier for DDoS attacks. Furthermore, the argument that DNSSEC is hard to implement is called out as a "boogey man" and instructions for implementing it are being developed. This would help improve security and protect users from man-in-the-middle attacks where data is sniffed.Netki, a blockchain startup that provides Open Name System (ONS) services for the Bitcoin blockchain, has been criticised for being too centralised. Netki's ONS service is designed to allow users to register an easy-to-read alias to use in place of their complex wallet address. Critics argue that the system is not completely decentralised as it layers complexity on top of a convenience service. Furthermore, Netki's service does not yet have DNSSEC support.In response, Netki argues that it provides users with a variety of options and that its system has always been open so that anyone can serve names or do lookups without ever touching Netki's servers. While there are criticisms of Netki's approach, it still offers a convenient solution for users to simplify their wallet addresses and remains an option for those who choose to use it.
Updated on: 2023-06-10T02:38:11.831451+00:00