Shoalsteed
commented
2 years ago What Does Hidden Mode Mean?
When an I2P router is placed in hidden mode, its connection and interaction with the network change in three ways:
- It will no longer publish a routerInfo to the NetDB.
- It will no longer accept participating tunnels.
- It will reject direct connections to routers in the same country that it is in.
These defences make these routers more difficult to enumerate reliably, and prevent them from potentially being in violation of restrictions on routing traffic for others.
The Project ( I2P Java) relies on the research provided by civil and digital rights organizations in order to make decisions that offer protections for its users. In this case, the ongoing research provided by Freedom House has been referenced. General guidance is to include countries with a Civil Liberties (CL) score of 16 or less or an Internet Freedom score of 39 or less (not free) on a Strict Countries List and automatically be placed into "Hidden" mode.
To see the countries currently included in this list visit: https://geti2p.net/en/about/restrictive-countries
So If you're able to safely run an I2P router in non-hidden mode, you're probably able to safely donate a Snowflake long-term.
Should there be a link to "strict countries" https://geti2p.net/en/about/restrictive-countries and an explanation of how and why people are in Hidden Mode? We should define as best as possible what it means to be able to safely run an I2P router in non-hidden mode.