Access Denied Unless Netizens Opt-in

I live in a "Democracy" where the voice of the people gets constantly censored. We constantly live in a fear that if we raise our voices and speak anything against the supreme leaders in the country, we are looking at dozens of charges, fines, or jail time.

Well, you must have guessed what country am I talking about.

"The Grizzly Bear is huge and wild; He has devoured the infant child. The infant child is not aware It has been eaten by a bear." - A.E. Housman

If you are from the same country as me then you would know we are living under an illusion of democracy, the government controls everything - from media, judiciary, electoral to even our basic rights. The infant child is our country and you can guess who the Grizzly Bear is.

Twitter has removed more than 50 tweets critical of the Indian government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and did so at the request of the Indian government. The government even went as far as asking WhatsApp to comply with its " IT laws."

It's pretty ironic and funny that a company known to have sketchy privacy laws in 1st world countries is advocating for privacy in ours.

It isn’t the first time that Twitter has bowed to pressure from the Indian government. During protests by farmers in February, the company permanently blocked more than 500 accounts and removed others from being visible within India.

India isn’t the only culprit. China, Cuba, Iran, Syria, and so many more countries would simply suppress the voice of its people. Many claims to be a democracy but basic right such as free speech is denied to the people. It’s possible to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent blocked websites, but local governments often have the power to shut down VPNs if they choose, making them an imperfect solution to internet censorship.

It's a worldwide problem.

The government’s censoring technology has become so advanced, China was able to block information about one of the biggest news events about the virus spreading in the world, happening in their own country.

It is a fundamental constitutional issue. An issue that impacts each one of us on having freedom of thoughts and expressions.

Decentralized internet you say? That really looks promising...

The Web should be a key space for civic debate and the current battleground for protecting freedom of expression.

We need a decentralized internet.

So what is decentralized internet? Is it possible or just a concept?

It is supposed to be like the web you know but without relying on centralized operators.

It is real. Not next week, probably not next year, but it's increasingly likely that we're about to undergo a huge shift in the way the internet works at its lowest levels.

Blockchain seems to be a driving force of the next-generation Internet, what some refer to as the Web3. Blockchain reinvents the way data is stored and managed. It provides a unique set of data that is collectively managed by everyone, the people.

It is a vision, to create a peer-to-peer Internet that is free from firewalls, government regulation, and spying. Where me, you, and anyone can raise their voices against the "supreme leaders" without worrying about our lives. Where we can freely browse the internet without becoming a product for the tech giants. This could be our chance to take back control of our data. Power to the people.

Yes, there is unlawful unethical content that needs to be removed from the platform to create a safe space. But such actions have to be transparent to everyone.

We the people of the Internet do hereby pledge that we will be a part of the #decentralized-internet movement and its commitment to an open, free and safe space for its netizens.