I only barely found out about Bitcoin- What else do I not know about?

[Atheros]

I discovered Bitcoin in May 2011 by seeing a post on Reddit with only 88 upvotes. I only barely came across it and if I hadn't, in all likelihood, I still wouldn't have heard about Bitcoin. Bitcoin caused me to learn about and use TrueCrypt, Tor, and PGP(GPG). But it almost never happened! So that has me worried: What other technologies should I really be aware of and using that I am not using (or that most people are not using)?

Here are the big ones I know about so far:

Bittorrent - Fast peer to peer file distribution
Bitcoin
IRC - Old chat protocol still used
GPG - Message encryption, doesn't rely on any third parties
SSH - Encrypted TCP connections & tunnels between you and a server
TrueCrypt - Easy full-disk encryption and file-container encryption for Windows
Tor - Anonymous TCP connections and connections to hidden-services

I suppose that TrueCrypt is not a protocol but rather a tool, and if we are including tools on this list, then it gets much bigger. But that's Okay! What are your invaluable protocols and tools and what do they do?

EDIT: added links and descriptions per request

[smithy]

Facebook.

[Taz]

It would be a great thread if you added a little description to each and maybe a link.
I'll be watching this, thanks.

[rjk]

Learn about the essential protocols that glue the internet together - we can always use people that know this stuff!

Figure out how TCP/IP works, and why VPNs that use IPSEC work the way they do.
An interesting one is BGP and its variants. BGP makes it possible to route your data anywhere in the world.
Learn about DNS, and the DNSSEC security extensions.
Read about SSL and the CA system, and why it is at risk.
Discover the alternate roots and VPN-based dark routing schemes that piggyback the Internet as we know it.

Pick one and become an expert, or learn them all and become a network administrator!

[Stephen Gornick]

What other technologies should I really be aware of and using that I am not using (or that most people are not using)?

Read:
 - http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/07/19/5-essential-privacy-tools-for-the-next-crypto-war/

TextSecure (from same developer as RedPhone), for instance, might be another:
 - http://www.whispersys.com/updates.html

Do a rough assessment of your risks.  If your ISP were to cut your connection to your home, for instance,, how disruptive would that be?  Then perhaps technologies relating to a neighborhood mesh network that doesn't use that ISP would be of interest:
 - http://commons.thefnf.org

[mb300sd]

What other technologies should I really be aware of and using that I am not using (or that most people are not using)?

Read:
 - http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/07/19/5-essential-privacy-tools-for-the-next-crypto-war/

TextSecure (from same developer as RedPhone), for instance, might be another:
 - http://www.whispersys.com/updates.html

Do a rough assessment of your risks.  If your ISP were to cut your connection to your home, for instance,, how disruptive would that be.  Then perhaps technologies relating to a neighborhood mesh network that doesn't use that ISP would be of interest:
 - http://www.commons.freenetworkfoundation.org

"RedPhone is now Open Source!"

FINALLY some news! I thought it was dead forever after twitter bought them...

[Atheros]

Thank you guys!

I've installed Redphone and I'm thinking about TextSecure. At least I know about it now in case I ever want to use it.

I've installed Jitsi and will be getting a friend to use it too so that we can chat securely and use its voice and video features. I had previously installed the OTR plugin for Pidgin but this seems superior.

What are the best / most widely used dark routing systems currently in use? It seems to me that if bittorrent was modified to connect to only Tor Hidden Service bittorrent clients, it would be unstoppable.

[rjk]

Thank you guys!

I've installed Redphone and I'm thinking about TextSecure. At least I know about it now in case I ever want to use it.

I've installed Jitsi and will be getting a friend to use it too so that we can chat securely and use its voice and video features. I had previously installed the OTR plugin for Pidgin but this seems superior.

What are the best / most widely used dark routing systems currently in use? It seems to me that if bittorrent was modified to connect to only Tor Hidden Service bittorrent clients, it would be unstoppable.

Please don't use Tor for torrents. It degrades the network and makes it slow.

[Atheros]

Please don't use Tor for torrents. It degrades the network and makes it slow.

What if it used its own network? Would people voluntarily give up some of their bandwidth to help route traffic seeing as it would be zero-risk?

[rjk]

Please don't use Tor for torrents. It degrades the network and makes it slow.

What if it used its own network? Would people voluntarily give up some of their bandwidth to help route traffic seeing as it would be zero-risk?

I doubt it would be zero-risk.

[randomguy7]

For torrents you might want to look at I2P. It basically works very similar to Tor but you can't download torrents from non-i2p sites/trackers.
I2P is what brought me into bitcoin 

[01BTC10]

Another darknet: https://freenetproject.org/

[UPENtXF]

Seems like some useful soft to know about at University of Waterloo.

SkypeMorph, for example...

[payb.tc]

I discovered Bitcoin in May 2011 by seeing a post on Reddit with only 88 upvotes. I only barely came across it and if I hadn't, in all likelihood, I still wouldn't have heard about Bitcoin. Bitcoin caused me to learn about and use TrueCrypt, Tor, and PGP(GPG). But it almost never happened! So that has me worried: What other technologies should I really be aware of and using that I am not using (or that most people are not using)?

Here are the big ones I know about so far:

Bittorrent - Fast peer to peer file distribution
Bitcoin
IRC - Old chat protocol still used
GPG - Message encryption, doesn't rely on any third parties
SSH - Encrypted TCP connections & tunnels between you and a server
TrueCrypt - Easy full-disk encryption and file-container encryption for Windows
Tor - Anonymous TCP connections and connections to hidden-services

I suppose that TrueCrypt is not a protocol but rather a tool, and if we are including tools on this list, then it gets much bigger. But that's Okay! What are your invaluable protocols and tools and what do they do?

EDIT: added links and descriptions per request

good list.

is there anything as simple and easy to use as "Teamviewer" but which doesn't rely on a centralized company (that can possibly snoop)?

something 2 individuals can more easily verify as being private communication.

[bitcoinbear]

I never used IRC until I started reading these forums and people kept talking about it.

[imanikin]

I think all should know about Diaspora!

[nimda]

1. Today -- find a suitable darknet. For example, Freenet. Find some peers to connect to and a community you can talk to securely.
This is protection against government snooping and website takedowns.
2. Tomorrow -- look at the existing meshnet projects. They're not ready yet, but they're coming. Project Meshnet is a good start.
This is protection against a larger scale internet blackout.

These things are like Bitcoin; the government is powerless to stop them, no matter how good the excuse or strongly worded the legislation. Protect your first amendment rights and your privacy because they're already slipping away.
http://dundundun.net

[Distribution]

This is a cool thread. I always feel like I'm in the same position as Atheros. It inspired me to write a blog entry on some of the things I had found (and like him, it was due to Bitcoin). When I posted the article to see what people thought, I got enough suggestions for a part 2, which I still haven't written. Also, check out this article in PC World. The PirateBox is really fun to build, and is my latest obsession.

[payb.tc]

perhaps people reading this thread might be interested to know about howtovanish.com if they have never heard of it.

it's worth a brief look over anyway.

[max in montreal]

I discovered Bitcoin in May 2011 by seeing a post on Reddit with only 88 upvotes. I only barely came across it and if I hadn't, in all likelihood, I still wouldn't have heard about Bitcoin. Bitcoin caused me to learn about and use TrueCrypt, Tor, and PGP(GPG). But it almost never happened! So that has me worried: What other technologies should I really be aware of and using that I am not using (or that most people are not using)?

Here are the big ones I know about so far:

Bittorrent - Fast peer to peer file distribution
Bitcoin
IRC - Old chat protocol still used
GPG - Message encryption, doesn't rely on any third parties
SSH - Encrypted TCP connections & tunnels between you and a server
TrueCrypt - Easy full-disk encryption and file-container encryption for Windows
Tor - Anonymous TCP connections and connections to hidden-services

I suppose that TrueCrypt is not a protocol but rather a tool, and if we are including tools on this list, then it gets much bigger. But that's Okay! What are your invaluable protocols and tools and what do they do?

EDIT: added links and descriptions per request

good list.

is there anything as simple and easy to use as "Teamviewer" but which doesn't rely on a centralized company (that can possibly snoop)?

something 2 individuals can more easily verify as being private communication.

crossloop, google it.