Open, unrestricted internet that’s owned by users.
Meet the Orchid protocol. A decentralized, open-source, uncensored internet.
We’re open-source developers who believe in the power of collaboration and community. At Orchid Labs, we’re working to ensure that everyone on Earth has unrestricted access to information and communication on the internet, without surveillance or censorship.
One of the founders of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, once said “I imagined the web as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, access opportunities, and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries.” During the first days of the web, we used the internet as a communications platform to learn, express ideas, and build communities. The internet was a tool for freedom and collaboration. There were no limits — only possibilities.
Berners-Lee’s dream of a collaborative, open-to-all internet has been replaced by today’s realities of government firewalls, ISP surveillance, and corporate data harvesting. Some of the brightest minds in the world lack access to Google and Wikipedia. And, in some countries, a blog post can get you jailed, or worse. Wherever you live, your personal data — your every click — is sold to the highest bidder. The internet doesn’t have to be this way.
At Orchid Labs, we believe:
- The internet should be decentralized and free of censorship and surveillance
- Everyone deserves access to the internet, regardless of nationality
- That everyone should be able to control their own personal data
That’s why we’ve created an open-source protocol to open the internet to the whole world. By developing a decentralized protocol that uses an overlay network built upon the existing internet, which is driven by a peer-to-peer tokenized bandwidth exchange, we’ll create a more inclusive, liberated internet.
Why we need a decentralized movement for a better internet
Today, 76% of the world lives with restricted or censored access to the internet or has no internet access at all. Our current system — a centralized internet that monitors users interactions, blocks access to information, and harvests personal data — is restricting the ability of people around the world to freely communicate and access information.
We need an internet that’s inclusive and not controlled by centralized organizations, whether that’s corporations or countries. The citizens of the world have a fundamental right to speak to each other and access information. At Orchid Labs, we’re tackling this problem by utilizing an open-source protocol that protects users from being monitored, while allowing them to access the entire internet.
In order to make this a reality, we need the help of enthusiasts, developers, policy-makers, media, and ordinary internet users who believe in the same ideals. When you join the Orchid community, you’re helping create access to a decentralized and secure internet. By sharing your expertise, your story, or your extra bandwidth, you can help your fellow citizens of the world break through the restrictive barriers of censorship and surveillance.
How the Orchid protocol works
The orchid protocol is an open-source overlay network that runs on top of the internet. Its fully decentralized, because rather than traffic being routed through central authorities — your ISP or your VPN — it’s instead routed randomly through a network of bandwidth contributors who sign up to share their surplus bandwidth and activate their internet-connected device as a “node.”
Users that want to access an uncensored internet (bandwidth consumers) pay the bandwidth contributors in Orchid tokens through a peer-to-peer exchange. Because neither the traffic nor the payments can be monitored by central authorities, both contributors and consumers of bandwidth enjoy a fully anonymous, surveillance-free experience.
We’re excited to be doing our part to help solve issues related to censorship and surveillance that have so far remained unsolved. By bringing a new approach via the Orchid network, we believe that as a community, we’ll finally be able to create an internet free of monitoring and personal data harvesting. The economic infrastructure of the Orchid network is a free market economy, driven and owned by Orchid users. We’re 100% open source. Orchid Labs have filed patents for the sole purpose of making them available in the public domain for unrestricted use. Orchid Labs will never own any other IP.
An internet for everyone
If you live in a country without censorship, you’re fortunate. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t contribute to — and benefit from — the Orchid protocol. For those of us with unrestricted access to the internet, Orchid is a chance to safely and securely share your bandwidth — and get paid for it — which helps bring internet freedom to the rest of the people on the planet.
The need for a censorship- and surveillance-free internet is clear. Throughout the world, there are dedicated, talented, passionate people fighting to make this ideal a reality. The Orchid protocol is an open-source contribution to that fight.
If you believe, like we do, that the people on this planet — regardless of nationality — deserve unrestricted, uncensored access to information and communication, then join us in this open-source movement. There’s a way for everyone to contribute. Technologists can show their support by lending their expertise. Any internet user can help by sharing extra bandwidth. You can help make the internet a space for the exchange of free ideas and information. To find out how, visit OrchidProtocol.com.
Follow us at @OrchidProtocol
