AI
Peer-to-Peer Routing Without Servers
Veilid is an open-source application framework written in Rust that routes all traffic through a privately encrypted network with no central servers. Unlike Tor, it has no exit nodes. Apps built on Veilid stay inside Veilid. Nodes run on Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS, communicating over UDP, TCP, websockets, and secure websockets. They handle mid-connection network changes like switching from cellular to Wi-Fi. A browser session can spin up a full Veilid node with no dedicated hardware.
Built to Remove the Incentive to Sell Your Data
The Veilid Foundation runs on small donations and t-shirt fundraisers. No one on the core team gets paid. The anti-capitalist structure is intentional: if no one profits from user data, no one is pressured to collect it. Developers building on Veilid get the same deal. They do not need to run ads or sell user data to keep a service running. The founders compared Veilid to Pied Piper from Silicon Valley, noting that Pied Piper failed because it had to answer to a board.
DHT Rehydration and Signed Bootstrap
Since the 2023 DEF CON debut, Veilid’s core protocol gained DHT rehydration. Aging data from a local node can now be redistributed across the network before it expires. Signed bootstrap adds light authentication when first joining the network. The only centralized piece remaining is a single DNS TXT record. The Veilid team deliberately does not track how many nodes are running. Knowing would expose the foundation to the same visibility risks as any other centralized service, so the design keeps them blind by default.
Privacy for Everyone Means Everyone
Building a privacy tool attracts users you would rather not have. Bowden called it the Nazi problem and described multiple incidents of bad actors joining the Discord, befriending core contributors, then turning out to be dangerous. The response has been active community management, starting with eight people moderating from day one, and deliberate marketing toward inclusive groups. Veilid also named a broader challenge: Tor and Signal both suffered when media framed encryption as something suspicious. Veilid is working to control that narrative before it starts.
Community-Built Apps and the 1.0 Roadmap
Several community-built apps now run on Veilid. Stigmerge handles file transfers, pushing several tens of gigabytes across the network with no issues. Reunicorn is an iPhone and Android app for private location and contact sharing with configurable circles of trust. V-ne spins up a Veilid node directly in a browser session. The flagship Veilid Chat is in beta. Post-quantum encryption support is in progress, the block store for media files is months away, and the team is targeting version 1.0 by DEF CON 34.
Notable Quotes
Yeah we don’t it’s your it’s your data not ours Katelyn Bowden · ▶ 10:08
Encryption is the same as cigarette smoke and lead paint. Katelyn Bowden · ▶ 13:56
let’s change the world together. Paul Miller · ▶ 23:04
Key Takeaways
- Veilid routes all app traffic inside its own network, removing exit nodes and making traffic harder to filter.
- The project runs on small donations with no monetization incentive, removing pressure to collect user data.
- Privacy tools inevitably attract bad actors; dedicated moderation from day one is not optional.
- Post-quantum encryption, distributed block storage, and version 1.0 are all targeted for the next year.
- Apps on Veilid already include private file transfer, location sharing, and a beta messaging client.
About the Speakers
Paul Miller is the founder and community organizer of hackers.town, a Mastodon instance, and the founder of Projekt:ONI (Optimistic Nihilists Inc.). An infosec professional and passionate privacy advocate, he has worked to show the ways a centralized internet has harmed culture and the future. He believes collectively we can restore the promise the internet once offered.
Katelyn Bowden is a hacker, activist, and member of the Cult of the Dead Cow who embraces the human side of hacking and tech. She has dedicated her life to fighting non-consensual pornography and educating users on security. Her alignment is chaotic good, with a hard emphasis on the chaos. She also creates strange Furby art and has over 60 dead things on display in her house.