Nostr

Nostr (“Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays”) is an open protocol for censorship-resistant global social networks created by fiatjaf.

For a complete guide to Nostr visit this link.

My Personal Opinion
As of now Nostr is promising and work is in progress and, therefore, require time to mature. Most Nostr compatible relays and clients partially implement Nostr NIPs (Nost Implementation Possibilities) and hence compatibility is an issue. NIP-05 maps Nostr keys to DNS-based internet identifiers.

The approach of Nostr is completely different from ActivityPub based Fediverse and it is not worth comparing.

I am quoting my major concerns regarding Nostr from this Reddit link.

“What if you exposed your private key after years of using Nostr with a lot of notes and followers?”
“Is it possible to change your key? If not what are the best steps to do?”
“Even if you give up your followers and notes and create a new account, isn’t there a risk that someone will take over your old account and post on your behalf?”

If one limits itself to one browser based web app or one mobile app, there are less hassles in managing private keys. Everybody may not be comfortable with private keys which, otherwise, needs effort to manage. The usability of NIP-07 based desktop browser extensions is still not for an ordinary user with limited relevant technical exposure.

There are known headaches with Fediverse. I do not know how many Fediverse servers have blocked this instance of Fediverse. This concern or frustration does not exist with Nostr. Apparently, it is comparatively easier to build Nostr relays and clients.

At present, I find Fediverse more usable with relatively matured clients. The Nostr free relays do not perform consistently. Most probably the paid relays are better though I have not availed them.

#Nostr #ActivityPub #Fediverse #NIP

cc: @srijit

@srijit@akko.chir.rs @srijit > I do not know how many Fediverse servers have blocked this instance of Fediverse

Why is this not a problem on Nostr? Can relays not block each other?

@schizanon

Can relays not block each other?

In Nostr relays blocking each other are not effective (or do not make sense) as per the attached diagram. As mentioned here:

“A relay can block a user from publishing anything there, but that has no effect on them as they can still publish to other relays. Since users are identified by a public key, they don’t lose their identities and their follower base when they get banned.”

cc: @srijit

@srijit@akko.chir.rs @srijit but if the relays that my audience use block me then I'm just as hosed.

How does a Nostr user know if the relays they are using actually have all the content? Do they just have to use as many relays as they can find?

@srijit@akko.chir.rs @srijit > Since users are identified by a public key, they don’t lose their identities and their follower base when they get banned.

If the relays that my followers use have blocked my public key then I have effectively lost my follower base. Just like on the fediverse, I can go set up my own relay, but I can't make my audience follow it.

@schizanon

Your observations are apt. However I have a very limited understanding of Nostr till now.

The section titled “Users getting banned and servers being closed” in How does it solve the problems the networks above can’t? does attempt to address your concerns.

• Instead of requiring users to manually type new relay addresses (although this should also be supported), whenever someone you’re following posts a server recommendation, the client should automatically add that to the list of relays it will query.
• If someone is using a relay to publish their data but wants to migrate to another one, they can publish a server recommendation to that previous relay and go.
• If someone gets banned from many relays such that they can’t get their server recommendations broadcasted, they may still let some close friends know through other means with which relay they are publishing now. Then, these close friends can publish server recommendations to that new server, and slowly, the old follower base of the banned user will begin finding their posts again from the new relay.
• All of the above is valid too for when a relay ceases its operations.

I have not understood the concept of “server recommendation” till now. There may be explanation in one of NIPs. Similarly, I am not sure to what extent the ActivityPub based Fediverse experts will agree with the topic “The problem with Mastodon and similar programs”. The Fediverse ecosystem is vast and diverse and it will need time and effort to get a detailed understanding.

Till now the ActivityPub based Fediverse ecosystem works well for me and is mostly user friendly.

#Nostr #ActivityPub #Fediverse #NIP

cc: @srijit

Though Nostr enables censorship-resistant global social networks, it may give a false perception that there are no privacy issues in the protocol as on today

This article, dated 27 Dec 2022, highlights a few privacy issues with Nostr protocol and apps related to privacy. The author unambiguously states that the post is not an attempt to create FUD and, instead, the objective is to make more users aware of the problems and possible solutions. The following aspects are highlighted:

1. IP leak using profile image
2. Metadata leak in encrypted DM
3. Issues and concerns with contact lists, relays and encrypted channels

#Nostr #Privacy

cc: @srijit