eQualite has released version 2.0.0 of the mobile web browser CENO (CEnsorship.NO), designed to facilitate access to information under censorship, traffic filtering, or disconnection of internet segments from the global network. The browser is built on the GeckoView engine (used in Firefox for Android) and is enhanced with the capability of data exchange through a decentralized P2P network, where users participate in redirecting traffic to external gateways that provide access to information bypassing filters. The project’s developments are distributed under the MIT license. Ready builds are available on Google Play.
The P2P functionality has been moved to a separate library called Ouinet, which can be used to add circumvention tools to arbitrary applications. The CENO browser and the Ouinet library allow access to information in conditions of active proxy server blocking, VPN, gateways, and other centralized traffic filtering circumvention mechanisms, even up to complete internet disconnection in censored areas (when content is fully blocked, it may be served from cache or local storage).
The project utilizes caching content on each user's side while maintaining a decentralized cache of popular content. When a user opens a website, the downloaded content is cached in the local system and becomes available to participants of the P2P network who cannot access the resource directly or to the gateways for circumventing blocks. Each device only retains data directly requested from that device. Identification of cached pages is done using a hash of the URL. All additional data related to the page, such as images, scripts, and styles, are grouped and delivered together under a single identifier.
To gain access to new content that is blocked from direct access, special proxy gateways (injector) are used, which are placed in external parts of the network that are not subject to censorship. Information between the client and the gateway is encrypted using public key encryption. Digital signatures are used to identify gateways and prevent the introduction of malicious gateways, while the keys of the project-supported gateways are included in the browser distribution.
To access the gateway under conditions of its blocking, a chain connection through other users is supported, who act as proxies to route traffic to the gateway (data is encrypted with the gateway's key, which prevents transit users, through whose systems the request is transmitted, from intercepting the traffic or determining its content). Client systems do not send external requests on behalf of other users, but either return data from the cache or are used as a link to establish a tunnel to the proxy gateway.
Normal requests are first attempted to be delivered directly by the browser; if the direct request fails, it searches the distributed cache. If the URL is not in the cache, the information is requested through a connection to the proxy gateway or by accessing the gateway through another user. Confidential data, such as cookies, are not stored in the cache.
Each system in the P2P network is assigned an internal identifier used for routing within the P2P network, but it is not tied to the user's physical location. The authenticity of the transmitted and cached information is ensured through the application of digital signatures (Ed25519). The transmitted traffic is encrypted using TLS. A distributed hash table (DHT) is used to access information about the network structure, participants, and cached content. If necessary, µTP or Tor can be used as transport in addition to HTTP.
At the same time, CENO does not provide anonymity, and information about sent requests is available for analysis on participants' devices (for example, a hash can determine that a user accessed a specific website). For confidential requests, such as those requiring a connection to one's email account or social media, it is recommended to use a separate private tab, during which data is requested only directly or through the proxy gateway, without access to the cache and without being stored in the cache.
Among the changes in the new release:
- The design of the panel has been changed, and the configurator interface has been revamped.
- It is now possible to define the default behavior of the Clear button and remove this button from the panel and the menu.
- The configurator now includes the ability to clear browser data, including selective removal from the list.
- Menu options have been regrouped.
- Options for interface customization have been moved to a separate submenu.
- The Ouinet library has been updated to version 0.21.5, and the Ceno Extension (1.6.1), GeckoView engine, and Mozilla libraries have been synchronized with Firefox for Android 108.
- Localization for the Russian language has been added.
- Settings have been added to manage theme customization and search engine parameters.
Source: opennet.ru
