# TIWD — Trust Is What's Different. The Internet We Deserve. **The internet became what it is because greedy people got to build exploitative business models on top of it.** The technology was always neutral — HTTP, TCP/IP, email. But the companies that built on top discovered that surveillance and addiction were more profitable than utility and privacy. TIWD fixes this at the protocol level. You can't build an ad-targeting engine on encrypted peer-to-peer traffic. You can't harvest user data when there is no server to harvest it from. You can't manipulate a feed when there is no algorithm. The architecture makes exploitation structurally impossible. **A trustless, censorship-resistant, general-purpose decentralized network with built-in trust-based governance.** Every user participates in the network. Desktop and server nodes run the full stack — routing messages, storing DHT data, participating in governance. Mobile nodes run a light client — maintaining their own identity and encryption, connecting to nearby full nodes for routing. No central authority. No corporate control. No single point of failure. > *This document serves as the protocol white paper for TIWD. It describes the architecture, trust system, moderation protocol, content authenticity model, funding philosophy, and technical implementation of a new kind of internet. Feedback, criticism, and contributions are welcome.* --- ## Table of Contents ### The Problem & The Solution 1. [Vision](docs/vision.md) — Why TIWD exists, why nothing else works, the challenges ahead 2. [Why No Token, No Coin, No Monetary System](docs/no-token.md) — The most important design decision we made 3. [The Business Model of the New Internet](docs/business-model.md) — How developers make money without exploiting users ### Protocol 4. [Architecture & Protocol Specification](docs/architecture.md) — The TIWD stack, crate structure, identity, encryption, storage protocol 5. [Privacy Model](docs/privacy.md) — Your data, your control, deletion, content lifecycle, TIWD Witness 6. [TIWD Names](docs/names.md) — Decentralized identity without DNS, open TLDs, anti-squatting 7. [Trust Engine: Proof of Presence](docs/trust.md) — Trust computation, signed hash chains, EigenTrust, vouch safeguards 8. [Advanced Attack Vectors](docs/trust-attacks.md) — Slow burn infiltration, eclipse attacks, moderation capture 9. [Moderation Protocol](docs/moderation.md) — Jury system, flagging, verdicts, appeals 10. [Content Authenticity](docs/content-authenticity.md) — Defeating AI slop through structural design ### Scale & Applications 11. [Scalability](docs/scalability.md) — Will this work at 5 billion users? (Yes, here's the math) 12. [Developer Guide](docs/developer-guide.md) — SDK, app architecture, building social networks, e-commerce, search 13. [TIWD Mail](docs/tiwd-mail.md) — Spam-free decentralized email for the post-AI internet ### Project 14. [Governance & Funding](docs/governance.md) — How TIWD outlives its creators, security zones, contributing 15. [Known Limitations](docs/limitations.md) — Open problems we're honest about 16. [Implementation Status](docs/implementation.md) — What's built, roadmap, building & running --- ## Quick Start ### Prerequisites - [Rust](https://rustup.rs/) (latest stable, 1.94+) ### Run a Node ```bash cargo run --release -p tiwd-node ``` On first run, the node generates an Ed25519 identity, starts the web UI on `http://localhost:8080`, and discovers peers automatically. ### Connect to the Network ```bash TIWD_BOOTSTRAP=/ip4/185.193.125.79/tcp/9000 cargo run -p tiwd-node ``` ### Basic Commands ```bash /register myname # Register myname.tiwd /msg server hello! # Message by name /trust # Check your trust score /peers # List connected peers ``` ### Browse .tiwd Sites ```bash chrome --proxy-pac-url="http://localhost:8080/proxy.pac" http://server.tiwd ``` See the full [Implementation Status & Build Guide](docs/implementation.md) for desktop app builds, environment variables, and test results. --- ## What Is TIWD? TIWD is a **fully peer-to-peer, trust-governed, general-purpose network** designed as a platform for applications. When you run a TIWD app, your device becomes a full participant — routing messages, storing directory data, and participating in governance. There are no servers, no algorithms, and no way to buy influence. ### What Makes It Different | Feature | Current Internet | TIWD | |---------|-----------------|------| | **Infrastructure** | Corporate servers | Your devices ARE the network | | **Identity** | Email + password (owned by platform) | Ed25519 keypair (owned by you) | | **Governance** | Corporate policy teams | Trust-based jury system | | **Encryption** | Optional, often backdoored | Mandatory, end-to-end, always | | **Content discovery** | Algorithms optimizing for engagement | Trust relationships you choose | | **Cost to users** | "Free" (you pay with data) | Free (you contribute compute) | | **Censorship** | One subpoena can take it down | No single point of failure | ### The Architecture at a Glance ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ TIWD STACK │ │ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Your App │ Chat │ FileShare │ Forums │ ... │ │ │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ tiwd-sdk — The API for building apps on TIWD │ │ │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Trust Engine — Proof of Presence reputation system │ │ │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Core Network — libp2p / Kademlia DHT / GossipSub │ │ │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Identity — Ed25519 keypairs / Noise encryption │ │ │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Transport — TCP + Noise / Tor (optional) / mDNS │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` Built in **Rust** on **libp2p**. Full details in the [Architecture](docs/architecture.md) document. --- ## Key Concepts ### Trust, Not Money There is no token. Trust is earned through time and genuine participation — never purchased. A billionaire and a student earn trust at the same rate. Read more: [No Token](docs/no-token.md) | [Trust Engine](docs/trust.md) ### Privacy by Default All communication is end-to-end encrypted. Messages travel peer-to-peer and are stored only on endpoints. You can delete anything you created, and key revocation makes encrypted copies permanently unreadable. Read more: [Privacy Model](docs/privacy.md) ### Decentralized Names Register `yourname.tiwd` for free, forever. No registrar, no annual fees, no central authority. Names are tied to your cryptographic identity, not to money. Read more: [TIWD Names](docs/names.md) ### Community Moderation Randomly-selected juries of trusted peers handle moderation. No corporate content policy team. Jurors are accountable — bad calls cost trust. Read more: [Moderation](docs/moderation.md) ### Censorship Resistance Multiple redundant discovery paths (hardcoded peers, Bitcoin OP_RETURN, Tor, mDNS, QR codes). No server to seize, no domain to take down, no app store to be removed from. Read more: [Architecture](docs/architecture.md) ### Build Anything The SDK handles networking, encryption, and trust. You write application logic. Social networks, forums, marketplaces, collaborative tools — all peer-to-peer. Read more: [Developer Guide](docs/developer-guide.md) --- ## Implementation Status **155 tests passing.** Working across the internet between Windows, Linux, and macOS nodes. **What's built:** - Ed25519 identity + libp2p networking (TCP + Noise + Yamux + Kademlia + GossipSub) - Three-layer trust computation with signed hash chains - E2E room encryption (AES-256-GCM, Sender Keys model) - TIWD Names with five-layer anti-squatting - P2P web browsing (`server.tiwd` in Chrome address bar) - Desktop app (Windows + macOS), 3 server nodes - Store-and-forward, read receipts, message editing/deletion **In progress:** Background graph crawling, Android app Full details: [Implementation Status](docs/implementation.md) --- ## SCAM WARNING: There Is No TIWD Token **If you see a TIWD token, coin, NFT, or any cryptocurrency claiming to be associated with this project — it is a scam.** There is no TIWD token. There never will be. There is no ICO, presale, or airdrop. The founding team will never ask for money in exchange for tokens. Verify official communications with the GPG key in [`FOUNDING_TEAM.gpg`](FOUNDING_TEAM.gpg) (fingerprint: `DE55 6690 21AF F773 6EB3 0B00 43FC AB10 3776 B1AE`). --- ## Contributing - **Read the docs.** If something doesn't make sense, that's a bug in the documentation. - **Question the design.** Every decision should withstand scrutiny. - **Build an app.** The [SDK](docs/developer-guide.md) exists. Build something and tell us what's missing. - **Run a node.** The more nodes, the stronger the network. - **Tell people.** The internet we deserve needs people who believe in it. Contact: **tiwd2026@proton.me** --- ## License This project is released into the public domain. Use it however you want. Build on it. Fork it. Make it yours. The internet we deserve belongs to everyone.