Glynx, not to be confused with the recently released Ginx, is taking a peer-to-peer approach to identity management and in the process promises to help its users take back control of their online identities. After downloading the Glynx software to either a PC or a Mac, you have a Plaxo-like contact manager for online contacts, email addresses and phone numbers, except there is no central directory. Instead, Glynx has a directory it calls the “Blackpages” that exists spread out on user’s computers. You can look up specific IDs of people you know by entering their email addresses or mobile numbers, but you can’t do browse it indiscriminately (this feature is supposed to make it more difficult for spammers to exploit the directory).
Glynx allows you to import your contacts from Outlook, Skype, and Facebook. It also offers a rich presence management tool that tells you when your Glynx contacts are online and the best way to contact them at any given moment. Finally, your Glynx ID also serves as an OpenID, making it easier to maintain a single identity across the Web.
Here is how the company describes the main benefits of its software:
Without Glynx, the web sites and service providers pretty much control how your information is used. They are in a position to watch your relationships and monitor what information you are sharing, and with whom. Your e-mail and messaging is increasingly full of SPAM and attempts to defraud you or steal your online identity. And your mobile connectivity and productivity is at the mercy of your service provider
. . . With Glynx your information stays on your PC. Unless, of course, you wish to share it with someone else – in which case it gets sent directly from your PC to theirs. No middle-men. But even before you share information, Glynx lets you know who you are dealing with. And you can know what each of your contacts is up to as soon as they do.
Glynx encrypts all entries to its distributed directory, and claims that nobody controls the directory. Thus, nobody knows what is in it other than the entries they have put into it or discovered in a piecemeal fashion.
Is this what phishers and spammers have reduced us to—looking for ways to hide in our own private Internet?
I already joined glynx. It’s awesome application i think.
If they were to make and open API for it, a decentralised architecture also has the benefit of being a bit less ‘big brother’ a la google, facebook et al
agily.com is a p2p company and they have open API.
I don’t think this is going to work.
not a bad idea.
I use “akapost” to protect my email identities. It’s easy to use and it works well. I would like to try glynx.
Glynx is an good application.
As a person behind one of the most popular p2p client in the US I think this app will fail simply because people don’t like installing applications and this particular application doesn’t give enough perks to users to convince them it’s worth the effort (like Skype has done).
Sorry guys.
I like the thought process behind the development of Glynx.. Kudos to them.
Giving a choice of downloading an app or using a browser/mobile app..
I opp in for
http://Twitr.Me and
http://InternetID.ws (alpha)
this is too many in china
i don’t get it; why would i care about protecting my email address? i want people to contact me; and if it’s spam; it’s filtered. p2p for this is weird.
Well done Glynx on the launch of your product. I will download it and give it a go
Too technical. Not web-based.
They should make a hosted application server that an ISP or business can run, with web access and Outlook integration
Glynx this is a great idea, nice app.
I’ve downloaded Glynx and its working well.
Great concept.
I’d love to leave my comment but don’t trust any web site with my identiy
A truly nice application. The thing I like most about them is that they are emphasizing on the privacy. That’s very important and is the thing which will make them popular imo.