BitTorrent Inc, the company behind the popular file-sharing client uTorrent, is working on a P2P powered browser. Dubbed Project Maelstrom, the browser will be able to "keep the Internet open" by serving websites with help from other users.

BitTorrent Inc. announced a new project today, a web browser with the ambition of making the Internet “people powered.”

Project Maelstrom, as it’s called, is in the very early stages of development but BitTorrent Inc. is gearing up to send out invites for a closed Alpha test.

The company hasn’t released a feature set as yet, but it’s clear that the browser will serve websites and other content through users.

According to BitTorrent Inc. this can not only speed up websites but also boost people’s privacy. In addition, it should be capable of bypassing website blockades and other forms of censorship.

“If we are successful, we believe this project has the potential to help address some of the most vexing problems facing the Internet today,” BitTorrent CEO Eric Klinker notes.

“How can we keep the Internet open? How can we keep access to the Internet neutral? How can we better ensure our private data is not misused by large companies? How can we help the Internet scale efficiently for content?”

The idea for a BitTorrent powered browser is not new. The Pirate Bay started work on a related project a few months ago with the aim of keeping the site online even if its servers were raided.

The project hasn’t been released yet, although it would have come in handy today.

Interestingly, BitTorrent’s brief summary of how the browser will work sounds a lot like Pirate Bay’s plans. The company shared the following details with Gigaom.

“It works on top of the BitTorrent protocol. Websites are published as torrents and Maelstrom treats them as first class citizens instead of just downloadable content. So if a website is contained within a torrent we treat it just like a normal webpage coming in over HTTP.”

More details are expected to follow during the months to come. Those interested in Project Maelstrom can sign up for an invite to the Alpha test here.