Marabunta
Encyclopedia
Marabunta is a fully distributed software application for anonymous P2P
. The main goal is the fight against internet censorship
and assuring the freedom of speech
. It is a peer-to-peer
platform for information exchange among nodes in an anonymous
way based on several communication algorithms called "Order and Chaos" which can be found in massive social organizations such as ant colonies
.
The project was founded at the University of Zaragoza
, Spain
, developed and promoted by students of computing engineering although development teams and users from many different places have shown interest, perhaps attracted by the ideological aims of the project. The software is available only in Spanish
, but the website is also available in English
.
Marabunta uses the Qt
graphical widget toolkit
, allowing it to be used on both Linux
and Microsoft Windows
. Released under the GNU General Public License
, Marabunta is free software
.
in the net works as a host and as a server
.
There are four message distribution lists, so receivers only receive messages sent to the list they are interested in: General, Technology
, Philosophy
, and Politics
.
Content filters are allowed so only messages with certain patterns are displayed. This is specially useful when searching for some specific information because Marabunta just selects potentially interesting messages.
/IP
protocols. Avoiding setting up connections between nodes lets more traffic flow in the network and the operational redundancy of every node can be used. Moreover, the UDP protocol could be seen as increasing the anonymity in the net because there is no need to validate source hosts to receive a datagram
.
, and users behind NATs
have to establish a port forwarding
route to let the router know to which port and node of the internal net it should forward the arriving datagrams.
Anonymous P2P
An anonymous P2P communication system is a peer-to-peer distributed application in which the nodes or participants are anonymous or pseudonymous...
. The main goal is the fight against internet censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and assuring the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. It is a peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
platform for information exchange among nodes in an anonymous
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
way based on several communication algorithms called "Order and Chaos" which can be found in massive social organizations such as ant colonies
Ant colony
An ant colony is an underground lair where ants live, eat and mate. Colonies consist of a series of underground chambers, connected to each other and the surface of the earth by small tunnels. There are rooms for nurseries, food storage, and mating...
.
The project was founded at the University of Zaragoza
University of Zaragoza
The University of Zaragoza or sometimes Saragossa University is a university located in Zaragoza, in the Aragon region of Spain...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, developed and promoted by students of computing engineering although development teams and users from many different places have shown interest, perhaps attracted by the ideological aims of the project. The software is available only in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, but the website is also available in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Marabunta uses the Qt
Qt (toolkit)
Qt is a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface , and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers...
graphical widget toolkit
Widget toolkit
In computing, a widget toolkit, widget library, or GUI toolkit is a set of widgets for use in designing applications with graphical user interfaces...
, allowing it to be used on both Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. Released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
, Marabunta is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
.
Purpose
Marabunta is an implementation of the ideas explained in the "Free Nets project APEIRON (only in Spanish)" and it has been developed with these ideas in mind:- Avoiding censureCensureA censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spiritual penalty imposed by a church, and a negative judgment pronounced on a theological proposition.-Politics:...
: Communication between people avoiding central servers is allowed. So it is free from censure attacks, which are commonly launched from many governments and corporations that want to control the communications. - AnonymityAnonymityAnonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
: A degree of anonymous communication is made possible, such that information can be accessed without knowledge of its original source. - Motives and development: Marabunta is the first project of this kind developed in Spain. Still, the software has potential use by people anywhere in the world, especially in countries with little or no freedom of speech.
Features
There are many potential services that can be run on top of Marabunta. Text message interchange is the first service. It could be taken as a platform for telegram distribution, where each computerComputer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
in the net works as a host and as a server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
.
- As a host: Messages are sent, active nodes are sought, etc.
- As a server: Text messages and requests to increase the connectivity between nodes are routedRoutingRouting is the process of selecting paths in a network along which to send network traffic. Routing is performed for many kinds of networks, including the telephone network , electronic data networks , and transportation networks...
to the network using a broadcastBroadcasting (networks)right|250pxIn telecommunication and information theory, broadcasting refers to a method of transferring a message to all recipients simultaneously...
forwarding method.
There are four message distribution lists, so receivers only receive messages sent to the list they are interested in: General, Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, and Politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Content filters are allowed so only messages with certain patterns are displayed. This is specially useful when searching for some specific information because Marabunta just selects potentially interesting messages.
Connections
All generated traffic uses the UDPUser Datagram Protocol
The User Datagram Protocol is one of the core members of the Internet Protocol Suite, the set of network protocols used for the Internet. With UDP, computer applications can send messages, in this case referred to as datagrams, to other hosts on an Internet Protocol network without requiring...
/IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
protocols. Avoiding setting up connections between nodes lets more traffic flow in the network and the operational redundancy of every node can be used. Moreover, the UDP protocol could be seen as increasing the anonymity in the net because there is no need to validate source hosts to receive a datagram
Datagram
A datagram is a basic transfer unit associated with a packet-switched network in which the delivery, arrival time, and order are not guaranteed....
.
Port-forwarding on NATs
Marabunta does not yet support UDP hole punchingUDP hole punching
UDP hole punching is a commonly used technique employed in network address translator applications for maintaining User Datagram Protocol packet streams that traverse the NAT...
, and users behind NATs
Network address translation
In computer networking, network address translation is the process of modifying IP address information in IP packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device....
have to establish a port forwarding
Port forwarding
Port forwarding or port mapping is a name given to the combined technique of# translating the address and/or port number of a packet to a new destination# possibly accepting such packet in a packet filter...
route to let the router know to which port and node of the internal net it should forward the arriving datagrams.
External links
- Marabunta home page (software in Spanish only)