Introducing I2P To Digital Trainers: Revealing Gaps In Usability and Onboarding
In this last part of our interviews with the digital security trainers, we will share the impressions that people provided about the I2P website and of the Java desktop software.
Impressions: I2P Core Software
I have just learned about 12P and depending on what I’m reading, it seems to be one of the privacy tools I have been looking for.
I have not used l2P before and do not have a detailed knowledge of this network. I was faced with the problem of access to the site and was able to enter only through a VPN. According to the description it is very good tool. However, for untrained users it is still very difficult to understand what it is and how it works. It is necessary to make the most simple, clear explanation of what the project is and how it works, what it can give the user and when it should be used.
(I2P) Will give you this space where you take privacy into your own hands. Forget everything you know. This tool takes your communications to another level. Especially if people are looking for a place to work completely off the grid.
it’s a very rooted solution to privacy which I think is amazing and gives me perhaps more confidence in encryption that happens outside of my client side control system. I would say that it comes off maybe a bit too technical for someone who is searching and wants to implement network privacy solutions (specifically in the website copy). So I’m not too sure if the con would be I2P’s customer implementation framework. Basically: if it’s possible to communicate its simplicity, then that would be great!
…I would be interested in knowing how my traffic flows. Sometimes why people give up on tools is if you have several bridges for it, traffic flows through, it can still be a little bit slower. Main interest is wanted to see how I2P routes my traffic, delays not too much. I see it relies a lot on peers.
The most important thing is to make easy installation and setup for the user. I would be happy to participate in a live demonstration of l2p in the form of a webinar, for example.
Didn’t fully understand how I2P works. Downloaded it and got an app on my computer. Got to the part “sharing bandwidth” and was completely confused. Don’t know how that works. I was trying my best to understand. How is this different from Tor? Not a browser like how Tor works but apart from that how is it different. Not super easy to understand.
Considerations and Next Steps
There are legacy issues with the comparison of I2P and Tor Browser, that has resulted in misinformation and confusion for people over the years about what the I2P software does.
In 2020, the new user onboarding was rewritten to address the fact that the I2P network and the software are two different things. It was also specified that in cases where a person is looking for a browser that provides what Tor Browser does, that they should use Tor browser. The benefits of the I2P protocol and network are present when using the network.
It is clear however that there is still further refinement needed, and we are happy to have the feedback and opportunity to make improvements.
The Java I2P software offers visibility into the full scope of how a person can interact with the network. This is on one hand perfect for system administrators, or people who want to take a more hands-on approach to configuration or hidden service management. However, as an introduction to what I2P is, there has been a disconnect for users. It is a big ask to present high level networking capabilities and things like bandwidth sharing. There is also language and interactions that have little familiarity that should not persist in if a privacy application wants wider adoption.
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