Popcorn Time variant considers integration with anonymization network I2P

The makers of a variant of Popcorn Time are considering using the I2P anonymization network. This should provide users of the p2p video application with better anonymity in addition to the current vpn option. The makers also want to offer the meta-information in a decentralized way.

That reports Android Planet based on an interview with one of the makers of Popcorn Time, who offer their variant of the p2p streaming application through the domain popcorn-time.se. The anonymous developer says that the developers are regularly “attacked” by copyright watchdogs and that they want to take a number of steps to anonymize themselves and users.

One of the steps would be to use the I2P protocol to anonymize the exchange of data between peers via p2p. I2P offers about the same possibilities as Tor to mask the IP address of an uploader or downloader, but it is still unclear whether the protocol is fast enough to stream video due to the various anonymization steps. However, the makers of this Popcorn Time variant believe that it is possible and are considering integrating I2P into the client software. This should also solve the problem of the often overloaded vpn function in the Popcorn Time client.

In addition to possibly applying I2P, it is also examined whether metadata, such as film covers and subtitle files, can be shared with p2p users. This should prevent copyright watchdogs from taking the current servers with this content down, rendering Popcorn Hour unusable. It is not yet clear exactly how this will be implemented, but the decentralized storage of metadata should become available before applying I2P.