Exactly How Secure is Web 3

How secure is Web 3? People continue to ask like they’ve been introduced to an alien. Like hey, is this really going to work? Are you sure there will be no web 3 security issues?

Such doubt is normal. When a new thing emerges and changes the norm, people raise their eyebrows, or in the worst case, they fight back. But there are positive things about Web 3. This article will explain how a decentralized internet will enhance privacy. 

Do you remember when you couldn’t use Whatsapp for hours? That’s one of the events that have recently happened that worry the online users. On October 4, 2021, three important apps that were mostly used in the world stopped working at the same time. When Instagram, Whatsapp, and Facebook went down, Sci-fi fans would have thought that fiction was finally becoming a reality. 

Before that, it was recorded that Facebook gave out the data of millions of its users. How happy could you be to hear that someone gave out the data you trusted him to keep? These are problematic situations that beg some urgent answers. How can you protect your data from these companies' accessibility? How can we prevent important channels from blacking out when we need them?  Those were the questions that needed critical solutions, and now it seems there is an answer if decentralized internet is implemented. 

What is Web 3? 

Many websites have talked about this, so I will summarize by starting with Web 1 and Web 2. 

Web 1 is static pages that show items like things in a glass bottle. Call it "read-only". You can only see and admire it. 

Web 2 is more interactive, unlike web 1. You can make them do things even if you do not know coding or web development. For instance, you can like, share, comment with pages on Web 2.

The biggest and most used Web 2 applications or platforms are practically in the hands of giants like Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google. They have control of many users’ data. You have to agree to their users’ terms, which usually includes giving them access to your data. 

That’s why Facebook and other platforms get a lot of data about your daily activities. As a result, they know a lot about you. Every little thing you share on the internet, from the messages you communicate to the search queries to your location, is being accessed and assessed for a specific purpose. Commonly, they use the data to improve their platforms or show you advertisements that will interest you, etc. 

Lately, we have found out they could do more with the data, like selling it. But, to be honest, not everyone wants an organization to have all the information about his or her life. 

Now, Web 3?

Soon the full picture of Web 3 might be something more common. It is still in the early stages, and development is ongoing. The majority of citizens are waiting for the moment when every idea would become a complete reality. But there are core ideas that it would tackle: 

• User’s data will not be handled by one or just a couple of organizations

• The government cannot censor content

• More control falls in the hands of users

In other words, if an organization or platform crashes, we can still get the majority, if not all, of our data back because it has been decentralized. 

Think About It

In web 2, your data is with a few organizations like Twitter or Instagram. You provide them with your details before you can use the channels. They will keep getting more information about you and everything you do on their platform as you continue using it.

In web 3, your data is being distributed in many places at a time. We called these blockchains. Each blockchain only holds little information at a time, and there are thousands, even millions of them. No particular person knows the other one or where it is located. No one is holding your information in their single database, but the data is stored on many computers, a lot of them all around the world.

How Secure is Web 3

So, let's take a little step closer and look at how secure web 3 could be. Is it something like crypto where the government has no control? 

Yes, the idea is based on the same decentralized finance played in cryptocurrency. Here are the ways it could protect our privacy:

Your Data cannot be accessed easily. 

So if a person wants to access all your data and control or censor what you do on the web 3, they need access to a thousand computers or blockchains. The best part is it is impossible to have access to all of them or know where they are located. 

Changes or leakages can be traced.

One of these thousands of blockchains cannot misbehave or be tampered with. All the other thousands get notified about what’s going on. Accusing fingers can be pointed to the appropriate location. 

Internet attacks become more difficult. 

We have had situations where a simple attack on a centralized internet can lead to a total blackout. But in the case of web 3, all the thousands of computers used to decentralize the internet would need to stop simultaneously.

Nothing changes when you share it. 

Since no one has control of what you share or how you share it, you preserve the originality of your stuff. The content shared will be pure and undiluted as the original creator intended it. 

Thorns Grow Where Roses Blossom

Web 3 has its disadvantages. Since the government or business organization rarely controls what is done, all content can get shared easily with the average citizen whether the content are acceptable, hateful, or unwanted. Teenagers or adults can be exposed to malicious creation. Moreover, it won't be easy to control or track how these are transferred from one place to another. 

Let’s brace ourselves. We are going to have more privacy. There are other prices to pay as it always is.