Hacker News Reader

You know what they say about javascript browser crypto, but for what it's worth, it worked fine for transferring a file from my desktop to my phone (Firefox on both ends).

I wonder: when using WebRTC between two devices on a single LAN, is my ISP involved (possibly: beyond bootstrapping the process)?

View on HN

1. WebRTC is natively compiled into browsers. This app uses WebRTC's data channel to transfer files and WebRTC guarantees that the data channel is encrypted (via DTLS). So - tehcnically the crypto is not javascript based - it's native code similar to crypto over HTTPS.

2. WebRTC tries to create a P2P connection between the devices. The ISP is only involved in the initial bootstrapping of the P2P connection - the actual data packets travel over the LAN and not through your ISP. In the rare case a P2P connection can't be established, a relay might be used (though this is optional).

A minor note on 1. - rtccopy.com does use (optionally) OTR in javascript on top of the DTLS channel in order guarantee identity (something not currently guaranteed with the DTLS channel).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com