Moxie

moxie

Web3 has quickly become one of the most exciting yet controversial ideas to emerge from blockchain. While the general concept of a truly decentralized, user-owned web is appealing, there remains a lack of concrete detail about how the paradigm would work in practice. Critics have also pointed to inconsistencies around the current implementation of early Web3 projects. A recent by the cryptographer Moxie Marlinspike, who created the instant-messaging app Signal, highlights some of these contradictions with forceful clarity. Marlinspike raises serious technical questions about the nascent Web3 industry that aren’t easily answered by blockchain platforms and ecosystems. But several of his observations align with the design of the Internet Computer blockchain, which indicates how emerging technology can help Web3 become a reality. blog post Web3’s Problems Web3 has attracted plenty of media attention because, as put it, it promises “to reduce [our] dependency on large tech companies like YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon.” At a time when , this is an outcome few could disparage. But this independence from tech giants is based on decentralization — of both governance, in the sense of users exercising certain voting and participatory rights, and networking technology. one recent overview Big Tech has become something of a bogeyman In his blog post, Marlinspike highlights various compromising flaws around Web3. Users, he points out, continue to rely on centralized servers to access blockchain platforms and protocols. A typical Web3 app might use a decentralized blockchain to store certain data, but its users still need to rely on centralized platforms and/or servers in order to interact with the app. “Almost all dApps use either Infura or Alchemy in order to interact with the blockchain,” Marlinspike writes. “In fact, even when you connect a wallet like MetaMask to a dApp, and the dApp interacts with the blockchain via your wallet, MetaMask is just making calls to Infura!” In other words, centralized middlemen are still required for the “client/server interface” — though the backend is on a blockchain, the rest of the stack is hosted on centralized infrastructure. This is similarly true of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — one of the key elements of Web3 — which Marlinspike writes do not actually store their associated digital assets or media on a blockchain. NFTs simply “contain a URL that points to the data,” with a centralized platform or server hosting the data itself. These issues demonstrate how many supposed Web3 projects are only marginally decentralized at best, with centralized servers and platforms responsible for maintaining the core infrastructure on which they operate. But while few Web3 applications actually operate entirely “on-chain,” in the sense of their frontends and backends both being deployed on a blockchain rather than just the backend, the Internet Computer offers end-to-end decentralization. This means that in addition to applications having a blockchain backend, their entire frontend and user interfaces also live on the same decentralized infrastructure. While Marlinspike rightly notes that people “don’t want to run their own servers, and never will,” the Internet Computer obviates the need for application developers to deploy their own infrastructure while eliminating dependencies on centralized hosting services. One of the key features that distinguishes the Internet Computer from other layer-one blockchains is that its protocol runs on nodes that are of independent data centers, none of which are cloud providers. The nodes form different subnet blockchains that interoperate and run that can deliver web content to browsers, providing an alternative IT stack. distributed across a network smart contract software The Internet Computer’s end-to-end decentralization also bears on Marlinspike’s complaint regarding NFTs, which generally point to digital assets that are stored on centralized platforms and servers. In his blog post, Marlinspike reports that an NFT he created was taken down on OpenSea, and that when he went to view it on his MetaMask wallet, it had disappeared. This is because MetaMask, like many other third-party wallets, relies on OpenSea — a centralized marketplace platform — to identify its NFT data. Once OpenSea removed the listing, the NFT seemed to vanish into thin air, even though it still existed on the Ethereum blockchain. The Internet Computer avoids this problem by storing the entire digital objects and not just NFT metadata directly on its blockchain network. Even if a marketplace delists or removes a particular NFT’s digital object from its platform, the NFT remains on-chain, available for anyone to retrieve. AllSeeingSeneca, , recently demonstrated this by minting her new collection on Ethereum while hosting it on the Internet Computer, ensuring that it runs on the blockchain. As reported: “Hosting the NFTs on the Internet Computer should ensure that the NFT artwork lives forever on a public blockchain without threat of a takedown or cloud-outage issues.” the lead artist of Bored Ape Yacht Club Rolling Stone Marlinspike also notes that decentralized protocols tend to develop and evolve more slowly than centralized platforms. “If something is truly decentralized, it becomes very difficult to change, and often remains stuck in time,” he writes. “A sure recipe for success has been to take a 90’s protocol that was stuck in time, centralize it, and iterate quickly.” An ability to be updated more quickly, he suggests, could allow centralized platforms to consolidate control of the emerging Web3 space. The Internet Computer’s governance is controlled by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) called the Network Nervous System. The NNS community adopts or rejects proposals to , avoiding hard forks. Hundreds of such proposals have already been adopted, enabling the Internet Computer Protocol to rapidly evolve. For example, the community adopted a proposal to begin work on integrating the Internet Computer with Bitcoin’s network last September, and is coming this year. upgrade the protocol full implementation Marlinspike describes Ethereum’s failure to specify how royalties are handled with ERC-721 (non-fungible) tokens meaning that OpenSea has taken the lead and developed its own, unilateral way of dealing with them. The Internet Computer’s adaptability gives it a better chance of avoiding such a scenario. The Future Of course, there’s no telling how technology like the Internet Computer will contribute to the maturation of Web3, to say nothing of whether innovations can manage to resolve all of the problems the new paradigm will encounter as it evolves. The central question, which Marlinspike leaves unexplored, is conceptual rather than technical: What exactly should Web3 look like? Answering this means going beyond the vaguely stated principle of ‘decentralization’ and creating effective applications that genuinely address the issues that Web3 purports to resolve. No doubt this will take time, and multiple rounds of trial and error, but in a world where Big Tech still wields far too much power, it’s a question that necessity will force us to answer sooner or later.

A Blockchain Answer to Moxie’s ‘Impressions of Web3’

Recently, the founder of Telegram was detained in France and charged with complacency with regard to the various shady activities that go on on the platform. And, while we forgo talking about people on this blog, we will talk about the implications and ideas that surround his arrest - I don’t personally have an opinion on Durov or Telegram, though there are people on both sides of the fence as to its efficacy with regard to secure communications. What I do care about is the broader concern: when we as a society start arresting people who are the creators of platforms simply because that platform is used for ill intention, I feel we need to reassess. We are talking about arresting and incarcerating the maker of the gun, not the trigger-puller. Whatever your opinion about guns is, you can start to see the slippery slope we are on. The Potential Implications What this implies would be the following: Zuckerberg should therefore be arrested and tried for his complacency in WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger and the use of these platforms for illegal activity. Tim Apple will also be arrested for his complacency in iMessage and the use of iMessage in dealing drugs or worse. Moxie will be arrested and incarcerated for his complacency in Signal and the E2E protocol they have developed. Spiegel for Snapchat. Etc. Etc. Etc. Is every Linux user next, because GPG and LUKS are baked into the OS? Does that mean Linus Torvalds for his involvement in Linux, Phil Zimmermann for PGP, or Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen for AES 256 are to be put on trial? Let alone the tens of thousands of people who have contributed to the development of these technologies and more. We are in a world in which people who don’t understand technology are making arbitrary laws about technology, and it needs to cease. Specifically, the idea of “banning encryption” and instituting backdoors everywhere - for that would really make the world a worse place were it come to pass (it won’t). Legitimate Use Cases for Encryption Encryption is necessary for the modern technological world. The legitimate use of encryption allows user data to be retained safely and kept in a way that allows services to exist. It allows for payment processing, online banking, real journalism (for which I have the utmost respect), and of course, not least of all, communication. Encryption allows people who are oppressed to communicate the atrocities against them. It permits people to really say what is on their mind. Encryption keeps far more people safe than it harms people - and that is a fact. And, if anyone understands computing technology, they will know the idea of banning it is all a sham, ill-advised, and downright stupid. The genie is long out of the bottle on technology - this is why open source needs to win in all realms of endeavor. It Is Ultimately Impossible Any scare tactic articles written in the last ten years about the potential of countries to ban encryption are written by people who don’t understand the technology - and I am not saying I do understand let me qualify - but the fact is that “intercepting communication,” as this article suggests, does not “effectively ban encryption” - encryption is done on the device, and the transmission is already encrypted. Sorry to inform you, this interception already happened. The only way to not have communication intercepted in the modern world is to send a message in a bottle, or via carrier pigeon, and we all know how reliable either of those methods are. If you live in a five-eyes country, you already have your communications intercepted. If you use Windows, you probably can’t even properly encrypt your communications in the first place. The same is highly possible for Mac, too. Interception of transmission is not “breaking encryption.” End-to-end (E2E) encryption is done on the device, and while the transmission is likely intercepted, it is like a letter that is sealed and garbled up to the point of not being understandable. The metadata is always attached to that communication - so if you are communicating with a known criminal, consider it already known. One can obfuscate his identity to the point of anonymity - but poor OpSec in the past has always been the downfall of those who are committing crimes - an internet post here, an unencrypted email there, and your cover is blown. Act as if the transmission is always going to be intercepted. And, if you do not trust the other party in your communication, the fact is that your message is as good as plain text. The Backdoor Nonsense The other suggestion of introducing “backdoors” into encryption technology is a bad one. Not only would governments have access to this information, but everyone would - because governments are notoriously bad at keeping anything secure. The inevitability would be that the keys to the castle would end up on some darknet marketplace, and then everyone is screwed. The fact is that the space is ever evolving and the game of cat and mouse will be ongoing ad nauseum. But, none of this negates the fact that you would have to ban mathematics to ban encryption - not outside the realm of question for the intelligence that be in power today, but again, impossible. The idea of banning encryption would be the same as banning locks on doors. And I don’t think anyone would want to live in that society. Encryption Is a Human Right Encryption is a human right - the right to privacy and to personal expression. Stamping on this right because some people use it for ill is the same as banning kitchen knives because people use them to stab each other - the chefs and the broader society suffer because some idiot wanted to kill someone. And, people will always find a way to do that, so the goalposts just move further and further until a society can’t have anything nice. As your right, I invite you to open a terminal and run the following: gpg --full-generate-key and do with that what you will. Until next time. Recently, the founder of Telegram was detained in France and charged with complacency with regard to the various shady activities that go on on the platform. And, while we forgo talking about people on this blog, we will talk about the implications and ideas that surround his arrest - I don’t personally have an opinion on Durov or Telegram, though there are people on both sides of the fence as to its efficacy with regard to secure communications. What I do care about is the broader concern: when we as a society start arresting people who are the creators of platforms simply because that platform is used for ill intention, I feel we need to reassess. We are talking about arresting and incarcerating the maker of the gun, not the trigger-puller. Whatever your opinion about guns is, you can start to see the slippery slope we are on. The Potential Implications What this implies would be the following: What this implies would be the following: Zuckerberg should therefore be arrested and tried for his complacency in WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger and the use of these platforms for illegal activity. Tim Apple will also be arrested for his complacency in iMessage and the use of iMessage in dealing drugs or worse. Moxie will be arrested and incarcerated for his complacency in Signal and the E2E protocol they have developed. Spiegel for Snapchat. Etc. Etc. Etc. Is every Linux user next, because GPG and LUKS are baked into the OS? Does that mean Linus Torvalds for his involvement in Linux, Phil Zimmermann for PGP, or Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen for AES 256 are to be put on trial? Let alone the tens of thousands of people who have contributed to the development of these technologies and more. We are in a world in which people who don’t understand technology are making arbitrary laws about technology, and it needs to cease. Specifically, the idea of “banning encryption” and instituting backdoors everywhere - for that would really make the world a worse place were it come to pass (it won’t). Legitimate Use Cases for Encryption Legitimate Use Cases for Encryption Encryption is necessary for the modern technological world. The legitimate use of encryption allows user data to be retained safely and kept in a way that allows services to exist. It allows for payment processing, online banking, real journalism (for which I have the utmost respect), and of course, not least of all, communication. Encryption allows people who are oppressed to communicate the atrocities against them. It permits people to really say what is on their mind. Encryption keeps far more people safe than it harms people - and that is a fact. And, if anyone understands computing technology, they will know the idea of banning it is all a sham, ill-advised, and downright stupid. The genie is long out of the bottle on technology - this is why open source needs to win in all realms of endeavor. It Is Ultimately Impossible It Is Ultimately Impossible Any scare tactic articles written in the last ten years about the potential of countries to ban encryption are written by people who don’t understand the technology - and I am not saying I do understand let me qualify - but the fact is that “intercepting communication,” as this article suggests, does not “effectively ban encryption” - encryption is done on the device, and the transmission is already encrypted. Sorry to inform you, this interception already happened. The only way to not have communication intercepted in the modern world is to send a message in a bottle, or via carrier pigeon, and we all know how reliable either of those methods are. If you live in a five-eyes country, you already have your communications intercepted. If you use Windows, you probably can’t even properly encrypt your communications in the first place. The same is highly possible for Mac, too. Interception of transmission is not “breaking encryption.” End-to-end (E2E) encryption is done on the device, and while the transmission is likely intercepted, it is like a letter that is sealed and garbled up to the point of not being understandable. The metadata is always attached to that communication - so if you are communicating with a known criminal, consider it already known. One can obfuscate his identity to the point of anonymity - but poor OpSec in the past has always been the downfall of those who are committing crimes - an internet post here, an unencrypted email there, and your cover is blown. Act as if the transmission is always going to be intercepted. And, if you do not trust the other party in your communication, the fact is that your message is as good as plain text. The Backdoor Nonsense The Backdoor Nonsense The other suggestion of introducing “backdoors” into encryption technology is a bad one. Not only would governments have access to this information, but everyone would - because governments are notoriously bad at keeping anything secure. The inevitability would be that the keys to the castle would end up on some darknet marketplace, and then everyone is screwed. The fact is that the space is ever evolving and the game of cat and mouse will be ongoing ad nauseum. But, none of this negates the fact that you would have to ban mathematics to ban encryption - not outside the realm of question for the intelligence that be in power today, but again, impossible. The idea of banning encryption would be the same as banning locks on doors. And I don’t think anyone would want to live in that society. Encryption Is a Human Right Encryption Is a Human Right Encryption is a human right - the right to privacy and to personal expression. Stamping on this right because some people use it for ill is the same as banning kitchen knives because people use them to stab each other - the chefs and the broader society suffer because some idiot wanted to kill someone. And, people will always find a way to do that, so the goalposts just move further and further until a society can’t have anything nice. As your right, I invite you to open a terminal and run the following: gpg --full-generate-key gpg --full-generate-key and do with that what you will. Until next time.

The Lockstep Toward Banning Encryption: On Durov, Telegram, and Potential Implications

Zámek k zákazu šifrování: Durov, telegram a potenciální důsledky

Το Lockstep προς την απαγόρευση κρυπτογράφησης: Στο Durov, το Telegram και τις πιθανές επιπτώσεις

El camino hacia la prohibición del cifrado: sobre Durov, Telegram y sus posibles implicaciones

Il passo deciso verso il divieto della crittografia: Durov, Telegram e le potenziali implicazioni

暗号化禁止に向けた足並みのそろい：デュロフ、テレグラム、そして潜在的な影響について

დაშიფვრის აკრძალვის ნაბიჯი: დუროვზე, ტელეგრამაზე და პოტენციურ შედეგებზე

Lockstep ໄປສູ່ການຫ້າມການເຂົ້າລະຫັດ: ກ່ຽວກັບ Durov, Telegram, ແລະຜົນກະທົບທີ່ອາດມີ

Langkah Kunci Ke Arah Melarang Penyulitan: Pada Durov, Telegram dan Implikasi Berpotensi

De stap naar een verbod op encryptie: over Durov, Telegram en mogelijke implicaties

සංකේතනය තහනම් කිරීම සඳහා වන අගුලු දැමීම: ඩුරොව්, ටෙලිග්‍රාම් සහ විභව ඇඟවුම් මත

குறியாக்கத்தை தடை செய்வதற்கான லாக்ஸ்டெப்: துரோவ், டெலிகிராம் மற்றும் சாத்தியமான தாக்கங்களில்

Şifrelemeyi Yasaklamaya Doğru Atılan Kilit Adım: Durov, Telegram ve Olası Etkileri Üzerine

A world without hierarchy is the ideal of traditional anarchism, a political philosophy against authorities that maintain unnecessary coercion over people. It often proposes a society without money as well, and that’s likely where it differs more from the Crypto-anarchism idea first proposed by the computer engineer and libertarian activist Timothy C. May in 1988. Here’s a clue: it includes cryptocurrencies. But the “crypto” part isn’t only for cryptocurrencies. Indeed, as you may have noticed already, Crypto-anarchism is a much older concept than cryptocurrencies themselves. The name comes from cryptography, a set of mathematical techniques and technologies designed to protect data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. That’s the main goal of crypto-anarchism: to protect private information against higher authorities, using cryptography for that. May visualized a future in which anonymity and financial freedom would come first for everyone. As it reads in his “ :” Crypto-Anarchism Manifesto “Computer technology is on the verge of providing the ability for individuals and groups to communicate and interact with each other in a totally anonymous manner. Two persons may exchange messages, conduct business, and negotiate electronic contracts without ever knowing the True Name, or legal identity, of the other. Interactions over networks will be untraceable (...) These developments will alter completely the nature of government regulation, the ability to tax and control economic interactions, the ability to keep information secret, and will even alter the nature of trust and reputation.” That’s just the starting point, though. This ideal would birth numerous interesting characters and technologies over the years —including cryptocurrencies. Freedom, Privacy, and Decentralization It’s easy to see why someone would deliver this political proposal. Mass surveillance is a global issue these days, as it’s been especially remarked after Edward Snowden exposed the global surveillance activities conducted by the US National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. So much power and knowledge could easily lead to civil rights abuses, as it already happened (and it’s happening right now) in numerous jurisdictions. China, for instance, is quite famous for its censorship, surveillance, and news manipulation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo_FM3mjBCY&embedable=true By using these tools, it wouldn’t matter where you are, because your online data would be safe, and you would still be able to transact with others using decentralized money (not issued by a government or central authority). Cryptography is the answer proposed by May to keep our privacy rights and freedom. Of course, decentralized money would appear later, with the first proposals (pre-Bitcoin) issued by remarkable cryptographers like Adam Back, David Chaum, Wei Dai, and Nick Szabo. Names like these would be inscribed in a new movement based on Crypto-Anarchism, started by May along with John Gilmore, Judith Milhon, and Eric Hughes. It all started like a shared mailing list by sort-of libertarian cryptographers in the early 90’s, but quickly evolved into an activism movement to defend privacy: . the Cypherpunks As we can see now in the Cypherpunk Manifesto (1993) by Hughes, they consider that the most efficient way to protect privacy is through crypto technologies. “Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age (…) We cannot expect governments, corporations, or other large, faceless organizations to grant us privacy (…) We must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any (…) Cypherpunks write code. We know that someone has to write software to defend privacy, and (…) we're going to write it.” Cryptographic Tools Crypto-anarchists and cypherpunks cryptographers have delivered a series of useful and generally free-to-use software tools to protect our privacy and freedom worldwide. Bitcoin, of course, is on the list —but it’s not even the first one, nor the only one. To mention some important ones, Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), developed by Phil Zimmermann in 1991, is an encryption program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication. It is widely used for securing email communications and files. Tor browser, even if originally developed by the US Navy, was quickly adopted and nurtured by cypherpunks. Signal, a popular encrypted messaging app, was developed by the cypherpunk Moxie Marlinspike. WikiLeaks, famous for publishing classified, censored, or otherwise restricted information and promoting transparency and government accountability, was founded by another cypherpunk: Julian Assange. The privacy-focused BitTorrent, which revolutionized P2P file sharing, was created by Bram Cohen, who was a participant in the original cypherpunk mailing list. Even Zooko Wilcox, the founder of Zcash (a privacy-focused cryptocurrency) is a supporter of this ideology. Without a doubt, more crypto tools are coming from more developers worldwide, considering that the data privacy software market to grow from $2.76 billion in 2023 to $30.31 billion by 2030. And that’s only outside the open-source world. is projected Some Concerns It's important to recognize that no system, whether centralized or decentralized, is immune to criminal activities. Crypto-anarchism is no different, and May admitted it in his Manifesto as well. It’s a bit worrisome, even, because he just states that crypto tools will change our society and preserve our privacy, but they’ll also bring crimes to the table. “The State will of course try to slow or halt the spread of this technology, citing national security concerns, use of the technology by drug dealers and tax evaders, and fears of societal disintegration. Many of these concerns will be valid; crypto anarchy will allow national secrets to be traded freely and will allow illicit and stolen materials to be traded. An anonymous computerized market will even make possible abhorrent markets for assassinations and extortion. Various criminal and foreign elements will be active users of CryptoNet. But this will not halt the spread of crypto anarchy.” No obvious solution is offered there to this potential issue, but we could check the traditional anarchism approach to crimes —or how they prefer to address it: society's harm. , that distinction is important: victimless actions like smoking weed, stealing food from the wealthy, or sharing state secrets, considered crimes by governments, wouldn’t be punished in an anarchist community. For anarchists Only serious harm like murder, rape, or violence would require attention by some security volunteers. In this specific case, we can wonder how crypto-anarchism (and cryptocurrencies) would address harmful risks like terrorism financing, money laundering, or all kinds of illegal markets in the Darknet. For now, the answer is clear: we still need to work with centralized authorities and share some of our information if we want a safer world. However, this could change in the future, with new decentralized ways of compliance. Decentralized Compliance Technologies like Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) systems provide individuals control over personal information, allowing selective disclosure for compliance, verification, or reputation. Decentralized compliance solutions are emerging in response to the challenges of regulating decentralized financial systems. Ledger forensics tools, such as those offered by companies like Chainalysis, facilitate the analysis of transactions to address compliance concerns. In that way, the public and pseudonymous nature of most cryptocurrency chains would be an advantage to trace misbehavior among participants without fully compromising privacy. In addition, utilizing and decentralized governance mechanisms can provide tools for creating self-executing agreements and transparent decision-making processes. This can help ensure that decentralized systems are used responsibly and ethically. smart contracts The terms are discussed by all parties prior to signing, and the outcome can be enforced by the code itself. Besides, on-chain governance processes contribute to self-regulation, allowing token holders to participate in decision-making. These solutions aim to balance the principles of decentralization with the necessity of compliance in an evolving regulatory landscape, providing a foundation for responsible and transparent decentralized financial ecosystems. Obyte as a Tool for Privacy and Freedom As a ledger without middlemen, is aiming to be an incarnation of crypto-anarchist and cypherpunk ideals of freedom, privacy, and decentralization. Obyte First of all, the whole ecosystem is based on a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure that eliminates the central figures of miners and validators and replaces them with much less powerful (OP). Order Providers . Once a transaction is made, it’ll stay forever on the DAG, without middlemen’s approval. No one needs “permission” to transact in the Obyte DAG, and their transactions can’t be impeded, censored, or stolen Besides, Obyte offers the best of both worlds: a transparent ledger where to transact with public tokens, and the option to use privacy coins to preserve full confidentiality. like Blackbytes These privacy tokens can be traded P2P only, and only the involved users will keep the transaction data on their own devices. If someone tries to find a trace of them in the public ledger, they’ll find nothing. is also available in the Obyte ecosystem in the form of attestations. They’re an internal feature on the wallet, where After verification, they won’t need to share personal data with third parties, but just the attestation itself. Self-sovereign ID anyone can quickly verify their real name, email, GitHub account, or investor status. By offering full decentralization, user control, privacy features, smart contracts, resistance to censorship, and global accessibility, could be a powerful tool to preserve your freedom and online rights. Obyte Featured Vector Image by Freepik

Exploring Crypto-Anarchism: From Privacy to Cryptocurrencies and Beyond

ক্রিপ্টো-নৈরাজ্যবাদ অন্বেষণ: গোপনীয়তা থেকে ক্রিপ্টোকারেন্সি এবং তার বাইরে

Erforschung des Krypto-Anarchismus: Von der Privatsphäre zu Kryptowährungen und darüber hinaus

Explorando el criptoanarquismo: de la privacidad a las criptomonedas y más allá

Explorer le crypto-anarchisme : de la confidentialité aux crypto-monnaies et au-delà

क्रिप्टो-अराजकतावाद की खोज: गोपनीयता से क्रिप्टोकरेंसी और उससे आगे तक

暗号アナーキズムの探求: プライバシーから暗号通貨、そしてその先まで

암호화폐 무정부주의 탐구: 개인정보 보호에서 암호화폐 및 그 이상까지

Explorando o cripto-anarquismo: da privacidade às criptomoedas e muito mais

Изучение криптоанархизма: от конфиденциальности к криптовалютам и не только

Kripto-Anarşizmi Keşfetmek: Gizlilikten Kripto Para Birimlerine ve Ötesine

Khám phá chủ nghĩa vô chính phủ tiền điện tử: Từ quyền riêng tư đến tiền điện tử và hơn thế nữa

探索加密无政府主义：从隐私到加密货币及其他

Our online privacy is at stake these days. Big companies are trying to get our personal information everywhere, and that could lead to data leaks, blackmailing, spam emails, phishing, scams, etc. Not protecting our data isn’t protecting ourselves. So, this time, we’ll talk about five open-source and free-to-use privacy tools that you can support via Kivach. As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, is a powerful and user-friendly charity platform based in Obyte. It’s designed to donate cryptocurrencies to open-source projects on GitHub. Besides, it possesses a unique feature: This way, the crypto donation would flow like a cascade, and expensive middlemen fees (e.g., Patreon or PayPal) would be eliminated. Kivach the recipients have the option to donate a percentage of donations to other open-source projects, automatically. Let’s look into some interesting privacy tools that you can use for free, and that may receive your . support via Kivach 1. Signal This is a highly regarded open-source messaging app known for its commitment to user privacy and security. It was launched in 2014 by cryptographer Moxie Marlinspike and Brian Acton, a co-founder. The app's user base has steadily grown over the years, reaching around 40 million users worldwide by 2022. WhatsApp Signal's standout feature is its It offers text messaging, voice, and video calls, as well as the ability to send multimedia messages. Signal also provides features like disappearing messages, group chats, and support for voice and video conferences. Its commitment to open-source development and privacy-focused design has earned Signal a loyal and expanding user base, including individuals, activists, journalists, and those concerned about their online privacy. end-to-end encryption, which ensures that only the intended recipient can decrypt and read messages. Currently, Signal is maintained by the nonprofit Signal Technology Foundation. The app is completely free to download and use on mobile devices (Android & iOS) or desktop machines (Windows, Linux, and macOS). They welcome donations in numerous national currencies and also in cryptocurrencies. You can donate to them using Kivach, where they appear as , and signalapp/signal-android signalapp/signal-desktop, signalapp/signal-server, signalapp/signal-ios. 2. GrapheneOS GrapheneOS is a privacy-focused and security-centric open-source operating system designed for mobile devices. It was created in 2014 by Daniel Micay, a highly regarded security researcher and developer. GrapheneOS places a strong emphasis on enhancing the security and privacy of Android smartphones and has gained popularity among users seeking a more secure mobile experience. includes features such as a security-hardened kernel (the connection between hardware and software), fine-grained permission controls, enhanced encryption, and regular security updates. , . For this reason, it doesn’t offer Google apps or services natively. They’re only available through a sandboxed compatibility layer. GrapheneOS It provides a more secure environment for smartphone users and aims to protect against a wide range of potential threats including surveillance and unauthorized data access Funding for GrapheneOS primarily comes from user donations, sponsorships, and community support, allowing it to remain independent and focused on user privacy and security. They accept PayPal, wire transfers, GitHub Sponsors, and several cryptocurrencies. You can help them with Kivach too: grapheneos/vanadium. 3. Pi-hole This is an ad-blocker software specially designed for small, energy-efficient devices like Raspberry Pi. It was initially created by Jacob Salmela in 2014 and has since grown into a widely used project with contributions from the open-source community on GitHub. Besides Raspberry Pi, it’s also available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and CentOS Stream. Unlike other ad-blockers, Pi-hole can block ads and tracking domains in a whole network, like a firewall. It maintains an extensive blocklist of known ad-serving domains and can be customized to filter additional content. Pi-hole's user base spans tech-savvy individuals, families, and organizations seeking to reduce the intrusion of online ads and protect against potential malware. After installation, it’s necessary to set Pi-hole as the computer’s DNS server, and it’s also possible to pair it with a VPN to use it remotely —for instance, in a smartphone. The project runs entirely on donations. They accept funds via Patreon, GitHub Sponsors, Google Play, PayPal, and several cryptocurrencies. You can use the latter option through Kivach, where you’ll find them as pi-hole/pi-hole. 4. WireGuard A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a technology that creates a secure, encrypted connection over the Internet, That’s what WireGuard does as a completely free-to-use app for Windows, macOS, Linux, Ubuntu, Android, iOS, and other operating systems. protecting your online privacy and data by masking your IP address and routing your traffic through a remote server. It was created by Jason A. Donenfeld and first released in 2015. WireGuard has rapidly gained popularity for its simplicity, robust security, and speed, making it a go-to choice for individuals and organizations seeking a reliable VPN solution. It is known for its minimalistic codebase, making it easier to audit for security vulnerabilities. That’s why a long list of commercial VPN brands have chosen it as a connection protocol. The WireGuard team accepts donations via PayPal, GitHub Sponsors, Patreon, Liberapay, Bitcoin, and Stripe. You can also send them more cryptocurrencies through the and Kivach, where they’re available as Counterstake Bridge wireguard/wireguard-go. 5. Cryptomator CryptoMator is an open-source encryption software that provides secure, client-side encryption for cloud storage services. It was created in 2014 by Sebastian Stenzel for personal use and later launched to the public with the German company Skymatic GmbH. CryptoMator's user base comprises individuals, professionals, and organizations looking to enhance the privacy and security of their files stored in the cloud. Key features of CryptoMator include end-to-end encryption, which ensures that The software is available on various platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, making it versatile for users across different devices. However, it’s important to note that only desktop versions are free to use. files are encrypted on the client side and remain private even when stored on third-party cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive. The only thing you’ll need to get started is installing the software and creating a password. No more complex steps are required. To support the free version, they accept donations via PayPal, credit card, bank transfers, and CoinPayments. If you want to avoid all the middlemen fees involved on these platforms, you can use Kivach to send them cryptocurrencies. They appear as cryptomator/cryptomator. Bonus: Blackbytes To reach a good level of privacy, you’ll need to combine several privacy tools. We offer you another one in Obyte: its privacy coin, . . To make private transactions, GBB divides the internal data of its transactions into two parts. One part is publicly available and registered in the DAG as an undecipherable hash. Blackbytes (GBB) This is an asset designed to be used exclusively for P2P, anonymously, and outside centralized cryptocurrency exchanges The rest of the related information (amount, involved addresses, dates, parent transactions, etc.) is sent directly to the recipient(s) via end-to-end encrypted private message. Therefore, only the involved users have this data on their own devices (in the form of a digital file), offline. Blackbytes can also be sent online. You can buy and sell Blackbytes through the and several integrated chatbots . Additionally, just to increase your privacy level, you can enable the browser Tor from your wallet, by adjusting your Global Preferences (Settings). Obyte wallet (Chat Tab – Bot Store – Blackbytes.io Exchange) Remember to tell them! If you’re going to send some cryptocurrencies via Kivach to any open-source project of your preference, don’t forget to tell them about the donation. Initially, they may not know that they received something. If they don’t have an Obyte wallet yet, they’ll need to download it and pass through a (Chat Tab – Bot Store – GitHub Attestation Bot) to verify their GitHub account and claim the funds. GitHub attestation Besides, consider that you can explore open-source projects on GitHub yourself and make suggestions to appear in our next list! Please comment on them below, on our , or via . You can also read our previous episodes to discover more interesting software: Telegram channel Discord Kivach Donations: 5 GitHub projects it has helped so far How You Can Support Key Open-Source Initiatives With Kivach 5 Open-source Projects You Can Support With Kivach — and Cryptocurrencies 5 Open-source Projects You Can Support with Kivach and Cryptos, Episode III Featured Vector Image by jcomp / Freepik

5 Open-Source Projects You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools

5টি ওপেন-সোর্স প্রকল্প যা আপনি কিভাচ, পর্ব IV: গোপনীয়তা সরঞ্জামগুলির মাধ্যমে দান করতে পারেন

5 Open-Source-Projekte, für die Sie über Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools, spenden können

5 proyectos de código abierto a los que puedes donar a través de Kivach, Episodio IV: Herramientas de privacidad

5 projets open source auxquels vous pouvez faire un don via Kivach, épisode IV : Outils de confidentialité

5 ओपन-सोर्स प्रोजेक्ट जिन्हें आप किवाच के माध्यम से दान कर सकते हैं, एपिसोड IV: गोपनीयता उपकरण

Kivach 経由で寄付できる 5 つのオープンソース プロジェクト、エピソード IV: プライバシー ツール

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5 projetos de código aberto para os quais você pode doar via Kivach, Episódio IV: Ferramentas de privacidade

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Kivach aracılığıyla Bağış Yapabileceğiniz 5 Açık Kaynak Proje, Bölüm IV: Gizlilik Araçları

5 dự án nguồn mở bạn có thể quyên góp thông qua Kivach, Tập IV: Công cụ bảo mật

您可以通过 Kivach 捐赠的 5 个开源项目，第四集：隐私工具

186 Stories To Learn About Web3.0

148 Stories To Learn About Web

GM. This is Crypto Player One, the daily newsletter on crypto gaming, NFTs, and the Metaverse. We are the protein bars of crypto gaming - sweet and nutritious. This Wednesday comes with: Daily Trivia. Bloomberg's top finance writer talks NFTs and the Metaverse. In Other News. Meme of the Day. Daily Trivia What's the name of the first interactive analog computer game? Scroll down to find out the answer. Bloomberg's Top Finance Writer Talks NFTs and The Metaverse Matt Levine, one of the best finance writers in the world, wrote an entire 40,000-word issue of Bloomberg Businessweek covering all things crypto. This is the second time in the history of Bloomberg that a writer has written a cover-to-cover issue of the magazine. So, as fans of Matt, we had to read it. While he talked about a bunch of stuff that's outside of the scope of this newsletter, he discussed NFTs, the Metaverse, and online communities. Here are the best bits: 1. NFTs Matt points out that most NFTs don't live on the blockchain. How could that be? Well, Matt refers to a by the founder of Signal, Moxie Marlinspike. blog post In the piece, Moxie explains how NFTs contain an URL that points to the data storing your image, but that data doesn't live on-chain. So the NFT links to a server that stores its image, title, and description. And anyone with access to that server can change the NFT. So what does that mean for the NFT space in general? , intellectual property rights and royalties are not enforceable on the blockchain. As we recently found out Many NFT companies sell their projects by offering image rights to the IP or promising to transfer those rights to the holders. But all of that happens off-chain, and it's not legally enforceable. So, in the end, when you buy an NFT, you get a pointer to a piece of digital art. Matt puts it beautifully: "These NFTs may not represent ownership in any particularly binding sense, but they represent a feeling of ownership. The technological and legal connections between blockchain and JPEG and ownership are a bit thin, but the connections are enforced culturally." He gives an example with Bored Apes. It's an online community with its own real-life events and social norms (using a monkey NFT as your Twitter profile pic.) 2. The Metaverse Matt doesn't know what the Metaverse is. Let us help you, Matt. It's a term describing a potential future. A future in which we all live, work and play digitally. He does mention that if indeed that's the future, buying, monitoring, and distributing digital goods online will be important. And we can make all of these goods scarce with NFTs. 3. Online Communities Mark Zuckerberg built one of the most valuable companies in the world, Meta, by focusing on human connection. And now, his pivot to the Metaverse goes to show that his vision is that most, if not all, parts of our lives will take place online. And if crypto has taught us something is that the human social life going online has a sh*t ton of economic value. People form communities online, making them valuable and getting some of that value for themselves. Want to read the entire 40 000 word article? Click here! In Other News The Web3 ticketing company, YellowHeart, launched a metaverse music venue. Oasys, the blockchain focused on crypto gaming, launched its mainnet. Seba Bank has started offering institutional-grade, certified, and audited hot and cold storage custody for blue-chip NFTs. Meme of the Day Answer Tennis for Two Want to Stay On Top of All Things Crypto Gaming and NFTs? Sign up for the daily newsletter - it’s free!

🎮 Bloomberg's Top Finance Writer On NFTs and The Metaverse

There is no way for mankind to actually build another habitable planet that resembles Earth, so if climate change, nuclear warfare, or some other catastrophe does affect our environment to the point that it becomes uninhabitable, we will all need to have an alternative place to live and survive. This is where the idea of becoming an interplanetary species becomes valuable. Of course,  without technology, this would be impossible. So, it is important to understand where we stand today - in terms of what technology we already have, and what we would still require to have a chance at surviving on another planet that does not provide us with the same protections as Earth. First, it is important to acknowledge the great lengths air travel has gone to since its beginnings on a North Carolina beach in 1903. Man first ventured into space in 1961 when Soviet Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, orbited the Earth, and then just eight years later, in 1969, Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the Moon. Now, nearly 120 years later, we have machines roving about the surface of Mars, learning about the planet to ascertain the possibilities of human habitation there in the future. It is clear that we have the technology to send machines to other planets and conduct a wide array of experiments. But do we have the technology to land on Mars and sustain life there, perhaps indefinitely? Let us assume we have already resolved the issue of traveling 39 million miles through space for nine months just to reach Mars as it orbits nearest the Earth (called Mars Close Approach) and landing safely on the surface. Since Mars’ atmosphere is 96 percent carbon dioxide, the first challenge is ensuring a safe and lasting supply of oxygen without which we would die within about 15 seconds, as we either freeze or asphyxiate; our blood boils and our lungs rupture. So oxygen is our number one need. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, which continues to persevere in its quest to explore the red planet, has a lunchbox-size instrument onboard called MOXIE, which has successfully converted carbon dioxide to oxygen. Scientists believe a much larger version of MOXIE could be used to produce oxygen in quantities sufficient for human survival on the planet. The second challenge is ensuring a lasting water supply. Mars has two polar ice caps made of water ice clouds, CO2 ice clouds, and solid water ice. Water also exists as permafrost in the in the planet’s soil at mid- to high latitudes across the planet. It does snow on Mars, on occasion, but the tiny Martian snowflakes are made of carbon dioxide rather than water. NASA is developing an excavator device named (Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot) designed to mine water, fuel, and ice from Mars’ planetary soil. A water extractor will then be used to heat the soil and capture the evaporated water, which can then be condensed and stored for future use. RASSOR Food is the third challenge. Astronauts are limited as to how much they can bring with them to Mars. The obvious answer is to find a solution to growing plants on Mars with the help of technology. published an article in 2019 detailing some of the challenges including how much land could be practically used. “…when you think about land, you’re really talking about building an enclosed structure. You have to pressurize it, you have to heat it, and you have to light it to protect against the Martian environment. There’s almost no atmosphere. It’s very cold. So, the land turns out to be the most important driver. The more land you have to use to grow food, then the more construction, the more power, et cetera.” Smithsonian Magazine The author of the article notes that humans on Mars will likely need to live off lab-grown meat, products made with insect protein, and vegetables grown on Mars. This leads us to the fourth challenge. Without a magnetic field, Mars is bombarded by radiation, which makes it highly dangerous for humans. All of the technical aspects of traveling to Mars and surviving with food and water are irrelevant if we cannot protect ourselves from deadly radiation. Galactic cosmic rays damage DNA and increase our risk for cancer. So, without a protective magnetic shield and a thick atmosphere like we have on Earth, we are dead meat on Mars. NASA’s Curiosity rover, , carried an instrument called the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD). Its purpose was to learn about radiation on the planet and prepare scientists for future human visits and habitation there. RAD has helped scientists determine that there are ways to reduce the risk of radiation exposure. The central idea as of now is to burrow 15-20 feet into the ground and build shelters there. which landed on Mars in 2012 These shelters will protect inhabitants from extreme radiation as well as the extreme cold that permeates Mars. Temperatures average -81 F but could reach as low as -220 F. Regardless of where they spend most of their time and sleep, Mars’ inhabitants will need to venture out at least occasionally so the need for radiation-proof spacesuits and vests is paramount. Many more challenges exist of course and there will need to be many layers of contingency for emergencies, but most people seem to agree that the challenge is conquerable and Mars is inhabitable. One day and that day will come, mankind will become an interplanetary species. Famed science fiction writers Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, among others, will be proud. The next Mars Close Approach will take place soon on Dec. 8, 2022. Look up in the sky. It may very well be the future home for your great-grandchildren.

Can Mankind Survive as an Interplanetary Species? 

¿Puede la humanidad sobrevivir como especie interplanetaria?

L'humanité peut-elle survivre en tant qu'espèce interplanétaire ?

क्या मानव जाति एक अंतरग्रहीय प्रजाति के रूप में जीवित रह सकती है?

人類は惑星間種として生き残ることができますか?

A humanidade pode sobreviver como uma espécie interplanetária?

Loài người có thể tồn tại như một loài liên hành tinh?

人类可以作为星际物种生存吗？

Evolution of Communication From ancient antiquity to the present, we have been using different modes of communication. It started with letters. Conveying a message to others took days, sometimes even a month. Later on, technology evolved, and that changed the way we communicate. Today, messages are the default way to communicate with other people. We usually chat with others with the help of messengers. These changes have brought a significant impact on communications. Each evolution has changed the speed of communication. Let us discuss the messaging methods we have used from the past to the present. It is one of the oldest methods. From early BC, people used this method to pass information. This method was relatively slow, and if the weather conditions were terrible, our letter wouldn't reach the other destination. People find it difficult. So the letter was replaced by the telegraph. Letters: The telegraph made long-distance communication (inter-continental) easier. This was the first form of electric communication in which sounds and visual representations were used. However, it became time-consuming and difficult to decipher the messages that were transmitted. Thus, telephones succeeded in telegraphs. Fax and telegraph machine: Telephones were the marvel of their time. The prospect of hearing a loved one’s voice even when they were thousands of miles away made everyone go barmy. But at first, the telephone was widely used in government sectors, and then slowly, adopted by people in their households. Telephone: Enter text messaging. Pagers were widely used in the 1980s. People found it useful because it was small and portable. They could carry it everywhere and send messages to others. Some pagers had the option to send voice notes. But as technology further developed, pagers also became delayed messaging services. Pagers: Mobile phones used wireless networks to send SMS near-instantly. In fact, SMS is an acronym for Short Message Service. After the evolution and adoption of mobile phones, SMS became the go-to standard for text-based communication. However, the latency of the messages was dependent on the strength and availability of the wireless network. If there are any network issues, there may be a delay in sending and receiving messages. SMS: Instant messengers are the messengers that we use today - Facebook messenger, Instagram messenger, Whatsapp, Viber, Threema, Telegram, Wickr Me, Wire, Apple iMessage, Signal, Element, Session, BChat. People can send and receive messages in real-time with their friends and family. Instant messaging has also become popular by adding additional features such as voice calls, video calls, sharing files, voice notes, images, videos, payments, etc. But there’s a catch. They profit by commoditizing your data. Let’s explore this. Instant messaging: Web2.0 Vs Web3.0 At present, most of us are using Web2.0 applications. Web2.0 applications are predominantly centralized. Users of Web2.0 applications need to provide their personal details in order to use them. These details are stored in centralized servers. Centralized architectures, due to their innate nature, are susceptible to hacks that lay bare your personal details for the world to see. Moreover, these apps bend the rules for governments and regulatory bodies. Besides, your personal data is handled by people who work for the firm. By submitting your age, date of birth, gender, social security number, bank details, and credit card details on the application, you’re providing a digital footprint of yourself to the insiders of the company, hackers, and government agencies. Each centralized application tracks and collects your device’s IP address, location, and other sensitive metadata, which is then shared with third parties. For example, with the help of your location data, local vendors may promote their business by sending targeted ads to your inbox. Due to these issues, centralized applications came under the scrutiny of for-privacy NGOs, privacy-enthusiasts, the media, and the general public. People who have become aware of this are looking at alternatives to centralized apps. As a result, centralized applications began implementing end-to-end encryption as a means of protecting user data. But what is encryption and how does it protect our data? Let’s take a look at it. History of Encryption The Hebern Rotor Machine There are many kinds of encrypted applications that are used. In the early 1900s, the Hebern Rotor Machine, an electronic device, was used to send encrypted messages from one person to another. The person on the other end can decrypt the message using another Hebern rotor machine. Here, a polyalphabetic substitution cipher was used. The Enigma The Enigma was developed by Hugo Koch in 1919. It was the device used by  Nazi Germany during the Second World War to send and receive encrypted messages. These encrypted messengers played a significant role in sending secret messages during the war. Encryption in Enigma was done by using the iterative cipher. Data Encryption Standard (DES) In the late 1900s, a better version of encrypted messengers evolved. The American government adopted the Data Encryption Standard (DES) developed by IBM. The algorithm takes the plain text in 64-bit blocks and converts them into ciphertext using 48-bit keys. DES uses the symmetric Feistel network, which divides the block into two halves before going through the encryption steps. Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange is an underlying technology used in current cryptography. It was developed by Ralph Merkle. Each user will generate a public and private key pair and distribute the public key. After obtaining an authentic copy of each other's public keys, users can establish shared secrets offline or through an insecure channel. Here, a symmetric key cipher is used. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) The Advanced Encryption Standard or Rijndael was adopted by the U.S. in 2001. It was standardized for the encryption of messages by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). AES uses symmetric block encryption with a block size of 128 bits, which involves using only one secret key to cipher and decipher the information. Here, a symmetric block cipher is used. Elliptic Curvey Cryptography In the year 2005, Elliptic Curve Cryptography was introduced. It is more robust than the current RSA algorithm. Like the Diffie-Hellman key, it also uses public and private keys. These keys are used to encrypt and decrypt the data. TextSecure Protocol Later on, in 2014, Text Secure Protocol (Signal Protocol) was created by Open Whisper Systems and is currently used by the Signal and Whatsapp centralized messengers. This is the protocol that is used even in decentralized messaging applications like Session and BChat. Centralized messengers: was launched in 2009. It is an end-to-end encrypted messenger. WhatsApp is free and offers simple, secure, and reliable messaging and calling, available on phones as well as a desktop version too. It supports sending and receiving a variety of media like text, photos, videos, documents, and location, as well as voice and video calls. It is used by billions of people from all over the world. The major issue with WhatsApp is that users need to provide their phone numbers to create an account and all users' data will be stored on centralized storage servers. WhatsApp was acquired by Meta (formerly Facebook) for $19 billion in 2014. Ever since then, and vice versa. This data includes, but is not limited to your phone numbers, transactional data, and other service-related information. Whatsapp: WhatsApp user data is shared with Meta was launched in 2014 by WhatsApp’s founder Brian Acton and security researcher Moxie Marlinspike. It is also an end-to-end encrypted messenger. In fact, WhatsApp uses the encryption protocol developed by Open Whisper Systems, the foundation that backs Signal. Signal is a messaging app like WhatsApp that allows you to send text, images, files, GIFs, and make voice and video calls. The Signal Android app can be used as an alternative to your SMS application. However, Signal lacks a cloud backup feature, so your chat history would be lost if your phone was stolen or damaged. It is possible to get them to a new phone using the chat backup feature, but it must be the same type as your current phone. Signal: Signal was launched in 2012. Users need to pay money to download this application. It doesn't store your data on a central server; your data is only stored on your local device and uses a client-server protocol. As it does not require a phone number or any other personally identifiable information, this helps anonymize the users. It is an open-source end-to-end encrypted messenger. Mostly used for business purposes, they need to purchase credentials before using the application. Threema asks for your GPS location upon installation. It is an unknown reason why they collect users' locations. The app forces a new ID with each login of a new mobile device, so old history cannot be recovered. No password is required to delete an account, so anyone can delete your account without your knowledge. Threema: Threema Why Were Centralized Messengers Replaced By Decentralized Messengers? Although centralized and decentralized messengers sometimes use similar encryption protocols, decentralized messengers are more secure than centralized ones. In decentralized messengers, you don't need to submit any personal details to create an account. Let's see a few examples of decentralized messengers. is a decentralized application launched in 2017. It is a mobile-friendly dApp that uses the whisper V5 protocol. Here, the messages sent by the user will be encrypted. The status dApp is developed on the Ethereum blockchain. Users can trade SNT and ETH tokens and make peer-to-peer transactions on the Status dApp. Status: Status The Secretum dApp is yet to be launched. It is built on the Solana blockchain. They use the ALF protocol. The primary use case of the Secretum dApp is to make crypto trading easy. An OTC desk is built-in within the dApp. Users can trade crypto directly without the need for a centralized exchange or NFT marketplace. Secretum is powered by the SER token. Secretum: is built on the oxen blockchain. Here they use Text Secure Protocol by Signal or encryption. This protocol is used to initiate, maintain, modify, and terminate real-time communication between users. The Session dApp was launched in 2020. The dApp is end-to-end encrypted, and users can create an account anonymously. The Session ID is an alpha-numeric code, which is the user’s public key. Users can share this public key with others to send them a message in session. It is a secure messaging platform for those who seek privacy. Though the OXEN token isn’t a utility in-app, it is used to secure the oxen servers that provide storage and relay messages. Session: Session is built on the Beldex blockchain. Bchat also uses Text Secure (Signal) Protocol for encryption. The dApp is yet to be launched, however, BChat has a built-in crypto wallet that allows you to trade the platform’s native cryptocurrency BDX right from their chatbox. The masternodes on the Beldex network act as the storage server and route messages from source to destination. BChat does not collect personal data or metadata. Users' IDs (BChat IDs) are used to communicate with others. So, user anonymity is preserved. BChat: BChat To Conclude: As of now, we are using centralized applications and losing our privacy. Privacy is a basic right in one's life. Without our consent, no one has the right to know or use our personal data. It's time to think and move to secure alternatives. Decentralized messengers are not entirely perfect, they’ve got constraints of storage and latency. But they’re evolving and certainly protect your privacy. They do not have a large user base now, but with centralized organizations and ad companies using people’s data for personal gain, the privacy that these messengers offer will surely attract billions of people in times to come. "If you care about privacy, switch to decentralized messengers."

Why are Decentralized Messengers Better than Centralized Messengers?

Where does the term Web3 come from? According to , the term came from Ethereum¹ network developer Gavin Wood in an April 2014 blog post: . Wikipedia ĐApps: What Web 3.0 Looks Like The first paragraph sets out very clearly the motivations for a web redesign, below with my emphasis: As we move into the future, we find increasing need for a zero-trust interaction system. Even pre-Snowden, we had realised that However, post-Snowden the argument plainly falls in the hand of those who believe that large organisations and governments routinely attempt to stretch and overstep their authority. Thus we realise that . The chance of an organisation not meddling with our data is merely the effort required minus their expected gains. Given the realist will realise that the potential for convert misuse is difficult to overestimate. entrusting our information to arbitrary entities on the internet was fraught with danger. entrusting our information to organisations in general is a fundamentally broken model they tend to have an income model that requires they know as much about people as possible A possible summary of this vision, back in 2014, would be something along the lines of — , well, now that we have Bitcoin² we can rethink whether the model of financing the web by selling personal data remains acceptable. Those were exciting days that brought conversations about the foundations of this possible new world. Two essential texts from this same year are Michael Goldstein’s “ ”, in September, and “ ”, by Nick Szabo, in December (which I mentioned before in on my Portuguese blog in 2015). Everyone’s a Scammer The dawn of trustworthy computing another post about smart contracts In both linked on Wikipedia and in from Ethereum’s website, the values of are two major components of this promise of a reimagined web. Galvin’s interview the materials decentralization and minimization of trust In this utopian world, the term Web3 carries a promise of replacing a need for trust in the powerful few (big techs on Web2) with something more widespread, auditable, censorship-resistant, accessible (in the sense of ), and managed by the participants themselves. “ ” permissionless Less trust, more truth. But what about NFTs? Isn’t web3 something related to monkey JPEGs? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8f-BQFo7lw Crypto Curious — South Park Rereading those old texts today, many years later. One might ask herself what led the idea of a post-Snowden web to with image collections, a marketing tool for opportunists, a full of vapourware, centralized projects, scammers, and frauds of all kinds. In short, it is a super harmful and dystopian . become synonymous gold rush hype it seems worth thinking about how to avoid web3 being web2x2 (web2 but with even less privacy) with some urgency. Moxie Marlinspike — My first impressions of web3 If you have two hours and want to know a very skeptical opinion of the NFTs I recommend watching this video: “ ” (at 1.5 speed it’s pretty easy). But if you’re short on time, just watch chapter 4, which is an excellent summary of NFTs in 20 minutes: Line Goes Up — The Problem With NFTs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g Line Goes Up — The Problem With NFTs Perhaps it is the natural course of buzzwords that carry great promises, to be co-opted by the marketing rush, and become meaningless. Is there any wheat in this mountain of tares? Does a hype as big as this still deserve attention? If you follow where is going, and also the flow of talents (the real scarce asset) between startups in the technology area, this is a case of a wave “too big to overlook,” in the words of journalist Kevin Roose in his for the New York Times. He writes (and I agree): venture capital guide to crypto I’ve also learned, in my career as a tech journalist, that when so much money, energy and talent flows toward a new thing, it’s generally a good idea to pay attention, regardless of your views on the thing itself. By comparison, during the , the euphoria and fear of missing out directed fortunes to . The subsequent burst of the bubble brought great lessons to our society. But not everything was a failure; projects like and the were born during this period. And other major survivors, like Google and Amazon, seem to have enjoyed some benefits from being there from the start. dot-com bubble several wrong bets Wikipedia Internet Archive I consider it important to observe, know and even participate with discretion, in the subcultures, memes and technologies that are part of the lives of young people and early-adopters today. For this generation, buying shitcoins, getting hacked, losing money, embarking on bogus ventures, dreaming of Lamborghini, spending their allowance on game items and skins, is part of the path of finding each other, finding peers, living, and growing. In a way, all these bad experiences are also . schools A young woman who learns to write on Solana, or some other today, will not have totally wasted her energy, she will end up with important knowledge in her bag. The same goes for someone who installed Metamask to collect kittens and was disappointed with the price of “gas”. This person had contact with , had some training and had to stop to think about individual sovereignty. Rust smart contract altcoin BIP39 A CEO, CTO, or company director interested in some because someone in a suit sold him a “solution”, may eventually stumble upon and start his own individual journey towards the orange pill. And so on… Attempting things and failing is still more educational than not trying at all. Or in the words of the military John Paul Jones, father of the US Navy: “ ”. permissioned ledger Antonopoulos videos those who do not risk cannot win Reclaiming the term To close, I think it is important to claim back this — to be once again synonymous with some ideas of autonomy, independence, sovereignty, privacy, freedom of expression — and direct our efforts toward a world with less concentrated power, more free software, more home servers, more robust and initiatives, in short, a , after all, as André Staltz says, in his response by Moxie Marlin: “ ”. buzzword self-hosted true Post-Snowden Web to a generalization some people want to run their own servers I like : this tweet Appendix: Retrospective of the last eight years From the origin of the term Web3, in those first years after Satoshi's gift to the world, until today, a lot has happened. In the Ethereum field, we had tokens ; the wave of ; the ; ; ; second layer networks like Polygon, other and alternate networks… ERC-20 ICOs "The DAO" hack crypto-kittens ERC-721 EIP-1155 forks, In the field of Bitcoin, with which I particularly have a greater alignment of values, there were the ; the UASF ( ), and movements that ensured important in the protocol; has flourished, and continues to evolve (see recent entry ); -focused and ; open projects of and homemade with a focus on usability; ; about home mining; ; Brazilian communities … block size wars BIP148 No 2x upgrades layer 2 Lightning Network Taproot privacy wallets exchanges hardware wallets full nodes space satellite demystification El Salvador are talking more And, of course, the help that certain gave to accelerate awareness that the separation of money and state is important. political arbitrariness Footnotes Ethereum: an “ ” that purports to be a “decentralized” computer, or, in the words of Gavin Wood: “ ”. altcoin a completely generalized global transaction processing system You have to consider the context, Gavin Wood’s text was written at a time when people were looking for a “ ”, he himself believed that Ethereum was this evolution and was selling this idea that his competing network was supposedly better. In my summary, I took the liberty of using Bitcoin, as it was the project that actually gave us what was not there before, it was the one that solved the problem of transferring value in cyberspace. Bitcoin 2.0 Originally published in Portuguese at . Egoismo Duplicado Header photo by on . Wioleta Zakrzewska Unsplash English translation by and revised by me. Marcio Galli

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