IPFS is a peer-to-peer distributed storage system that allows to save and access images, files or any other digital data in a decentralized way. Each piece of content is defined by a CID (Content Identifiers) which, like a label, indicates how to find the information. For more details on IPFS: https://docs.ipfs.tech/concepts/what-is-ipfs/
To use IPFS several solutions are proposed:
IPFS Desktop: an application to be installed on the computer that allows to save and access content. This option can work to access content while respecting your privacy, but it is possible to retrieve the IP address with which you are connected to IPFS and track your actions. The other problem is that if you turn off your computer the content you have shared may no longer be accessible.
IPFS Gateway: this is a free or paid service that allows to store or access content hosted on IPFS without having to install IPFS Desktop for example. It can be interesting to use this kind of service because the gateway will make sure that the shared content will be accessible, but when you interact, traces (=metadata) will be left, like for example file size, from where it is uploaded and its content eventually.
In the 2 solutions presented there is always a problem of privacy, everything is public and IPFS does not offer a solution for that. This is a will on their part because the technology is evolving and they don’t want to limit the development by imposing a layer that protects the privacy. So there is a problem to be solved here: to propose a solution that allows everyone to host content on IPFS while respecting their privacy and limiting the traces to do so.
The mixnet can solve this problem of traces left by the interaction with IPFS when you want to access or store information. In the case where an IPFS gateway proposes to go through Nym, your ISP will not even know that you interact with IPFS, only that you “talk” with a server but neither the content, the frequency of sending or the type of file for example that you send can be identified.
Pastenym and IPFS
How it works when retrieve a paste
Pastenym.ch offers the possibility to host pastes on IPFS. This feature is still experimental.
IPFS upload
When the paste is sent, the message will be transported through the mixnet and it is the pastenym.ch server that will store the content of the paste on IPFS so neither your IP address and therefore location to leak as well as the information you wanted to share. Thanks to mixnet for offering us this solution! Not only your data is on IPFS but they are encrypted (by default) and No Trust Verify ensures the availability of your content.
For example, if you take a paste represented by the CID bafkreid4d5adf22y5fj3fmvevmnaqk67j3r7lpjhxxzhn5d7vofzvpnuua, it can be seen by:
- An IPFS gateway like https://ipfs.io/ipfs/bafkreid4d5adf22y5fj3fmvevmnaqk67j3r7lpjhxxzhn5d7vofzvpnuua
Paste on IPFS
or
Paste on pastenym
What is interesting with this approach is that the stored content is not database dependent, in case pastenym.ch disappears and you have kept the CID, your data could still exist.
**To finish
**Thanks to pastenym and the mixnet you can store your pastes while ensuring your privacy. Since the first days of pastenym, the development towards a limitation of centralization is wanted and we go in this direction.