IPv8 proposes 64-bit backward-compatible network protocol

IPv8 is a radical attempt to "reset" the internet's plumbing by favoring operator familiarity and backward compatibility over IPv6's clean-slate complexity, but it risks creating a centralized surveillance nightmare.

• –100% backward compatibility with IPv4 removes the multi-decade "flag day" burden that has plagued the transition to IPv6.
• –ASN-based routing bounds the global BGP table to one entry per organization, potentially resolving the long-standing prefix deaggregation crisis in core routing.
• –Integrated OAuth2 JWT authentication for every packet provides massive security wins but effectively ends network anonymity by mandating identity-based egress validation.
• –Critics have labeled the highly detailed draft as "AI slop" or "vibe-drafting," suggesting it may be a sophisticated thought experiment or satire rather than a practical engineering standard.
• –The "Zone Server" architecture simplifies local network management but introduces a single point of failure that could disrupt all local connectivity if cloud-based authentication sinks become unreachable.