Kicksnet? What's that?
Kicksnet is a fork of the Sneakernet protocol with explicit safeguards in place (both human & software) to ensure a safe space to exchange knowledge & care. A sneakernet is an offline protocol for sharing information. In short, running a Sneakernet is as simple as putting your sneakers on and meeting up with a friend to hand them the information you want to share, perhaps using a device such as a USB thumb drive or CD-ROM. Kicksnet was first developed in response to rising legislative attacks on Queer & Trans histories and critical race theory learning in public classrooms alongside widespread use of content monitoring and blocking software on school devices and WiFi networks.
What's a Sneakernet?
A Sneakernet is an offline protocol for sharing information. In short, running a Sneakernet is as simple as putting your sneakers on and meeting up with a friend to physically hand them the data you want to share. As simple as the concept sounds there are some really large & complex use-cases of it globally, for example El Paquete Semenal in Cuba which distributes a terabyte of data to millions of Cubans every week, supplying them with a bunch of digital media in light of low rates of internet access. It is also commonly used in labs, manufacturing floors, and by big tech corporations to transfer large amounts of data quickly and securely, without eating up outbound network bandwidth.
Network Map
Why change the Sneakernet protocol?
While Sneakernet is regarded as secure in its resistance to common network-based attacks (i.e. packet sniffing, man-in-the-middle), there are still vulnerabilities observed by computing scholars. Namely, sneakernet is still liable to breaches in confidentiality and integrity, as the physical transfer of data might still require intermediaries. It also suffers from unpredictable latency due to the volatility of physical transport. Thus there is a need for an added layer of trust, encryption, and timely handshakes at the human and software level. Kicksnet seeks to address these vulnerabilities by updating sneakernet with core standards that foster trust at both a human and software level.
System Diagram
What's the difference between Kicksnet & base Sneakernet?
Well Kicksnet is a Sneakernet with a few intentional features that make it more ideal for a specific use-case - sharing sensitive information among within vulnerable communities. By setting up trusted, physical access points for sensitive data within local community spaces, equipping data carriers with secure, customizable tools for moderation, and sustaining the network over a clear and open community guidelines document, Kicksnet aims to be a mode of knowledge sharing that is by and for the people who use it, paticularly those most targeted by over-surveillance and censorship risks.
Key improvement areas include:
(1) Stewardship roles and training for data maintenance
(2) Design of private and comfortable access points that can be deploted to local community spaces (e.g. book stores, community spaces, venues)
(3) Lightweight and secure moderation software that can be deployed to a wide range of data carrier devices.
User-Flow Sketch
