An Empirical Study of the I2P Anonymity Network and its Censorship Resistance

Tor and I2P are well-known anonymity networks used by many individuals to protect their online privacy and anonymity. Tor's centralized directory services facilitate the understanding of the Tor network, as well as the measurement and visualization of its structure through the Tor Metrics project. In contrast, I2P does not rely on centralized directory servers, and thus obtaining a complete view of the network is challenging. In this work, we conduct an empirical study of the I2P network, in which we measure properties including population, churn rate, router type, and the geographic distribution of I2P peers. We find that there are currently around 32K active I2P peers in the network on a daily basis. Of these peers, 14K are located behind NAT or firewalls. Using the collected network data, we examine the blocking resistance of I2P against a censor that wants to prevent access to I2P using address-based blocking techniques. Despite the decentralized characteristics of I2P, we discover that a censor can block more than 95% of peer IP addresses known by a stable I2P client by operating only 10 routers in the network. This amounts to severe network impairment: a blocking rate of more than 70% is enough to cause significant latency in web browsing activities, while blocking more than 90% of peer IP addresses can make the network unusable. Finally, we discuss the security consequences of the network being blocked, and directions for potential approaches to make I2P more resistant to blocking.Comment: 14 pages, To appear in the 2018 Internet Measurement Conference (IMC'18

The affordances of mobile learning for an undergraduate nursing programme: A design-based study

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe global use of mobile devices, and their connectivity capacity, integrated with the affordances of social media networks, provides a resource-rich platform for innovative student-directed learning experiences. Technology has become embedded in the daily lives of students, who become more approachable when technology is used within the higher education context. In 2014 the Educause Centre for Analysis and Research partnered with 213 higher education institutions across the United States of America. It was established that 86 percent of undergraduate information technology students owned a smartphone and half of that percentage owned a tablet. A systematic review on mobile learning in higher education focusing on the African Perspective in 2017 concluded that there was an increase in the use of mobile learning in higher education. Higher education institutions continue to move away from traditional, lecture-based lessons towards new, innovative teaching and learning methodologies to facilitate emerging pedagogies and strategies, thereby enhancing student learning. The adoption of technological innovation could promote the unfolding of a social process that over time could enhance social connectedness among young students and their older adult educators. Mobile learning is fundamentally defined as “learning with mobile devices” and it has the potential to extend the philosophies of learning through innovation It was identified that research in the field of m-learning can be divided into four areas, namely: pedagogy; administrative issues and technological challenges; ensuring sustainable development in education using m-learning; and the impact of new applications. With the increased need for nursing professionals, promoting the quality and effectiveness of nursing education has become crucial. It is thus important to establish learning environments in which personalised guidance and feedback to students regarding their practical skills and the application of their theoretical knowledge within clinical learning environments is provided