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Show HN: ipfsearch, a decentralized search engine

ipfsearch.xyz

11 pointshoschicz4 comments

> It is impossible to take down an index after it is uploaded to IPFS

That's not true, at least based on the projects goals. IPFS wants to be able to submit to authorized takedown notices for illicit and I assume illegal content.

If, eventually, IPFS has that capability than theoretically no data is safe from takedown notices unless they're running non-compliant IPFS nodes.

Yes, it's against the IPFS projects goals to help spreading of illegal content. However, this is not technically achievable without one central authority that would dictate all nodes what content is illegal. It is also against the IPFS projects goals to have a central entity that can take down anything -- who decides? which jurisdiction is valid?

What is possible is to give an ipfs node a blacklist of content it shall not fetch. This blacklist is picked and edited by node operator. I would assume that there is a large bl(a/o)cklist behind the public ipfs.io gateway.

I'm the node operator behind ipfsearch.xyz. I will block all illegal content that I have been notified of from passing through my node. However, nothing prevents somebody from running their own IPFS node, loading the ipfsearch.xyz webapp and fetching the content they wish from the IPFS network.

> Yes, it's against the IPFS projects goals to help spreading of illegal content. However, this is not technically achievable without one central authority that would dictate all nodes what content is illegal. It is also against the IPFS projects goals to have a central entity that can take down anything -- who decides? which jurisdiction is valid?

That sounds like a question for IPFS in general haha, I don't know to be honest. I just know that, as you said, they want to abide by local laws/etc. Which means that if they follow their own goals, somehow content can be removed.

Likewise, IPFS content can be taken down by simply not being hosted anymore. So not only could IPFS content be requested to be taken down, but wording it that it cannot be taken down after it is uploaded implies a certain level of longevity. Of which IPFS does not guarantee in the slightest.

I'm not trying to bash ipfsearch, I love IPFS, I just think it's important to understand limitations of the technology. Especially in the face of bad actors.

> However, nothing prevents somebody from running their own IPFS node, loading the ipfsearch.xyz webapp and fetching the content they wish from the IPFS network.

Yea, I said exactly that when I mentioned running non-compliant nodes. However if you're running a non-compliant node with blacklisted content, compliant nodes wouldn't be able to see it right? So it's only partially on IPFS at that point as normal IPFS users could not see it. Again, just making clarifications.

> 404 page not found

Failure or existential statement?

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