Inspired by Dylan’s tweets, I decided to look into my stored data on Google through google.com/takeout and found out how much information they have about me, which is indeed worrisome…
In recent years, we have found big companies like Facebook and Google violate privacy by exploiting vast databases of users. As web users become more and more conscious they want to use the internet without any interference and manipulation by the these tech pillars.
Such concern gave birth to Web 3 – the idea of a decentralized internet.
What exactly is Web 3?
World Wide Web has gone through 2 stages of evolutions – Web 1 and Web 2, which makes the next big thing Web 3.
During Web 1 – the first stage of the development, the internet is a collection of read-only pages with no interactivity. It was mostly personal and small companies’ sites.
During Web 2, the current phase of the internet, websites are more interactive. The end users can comment, like, share and modify pages. Technology giants such as Google and Facebook take control over commonly used applications, which allows them to gather a huge database and take advantage of user information.
Web 3, on the other hand, embraces the idea of decentralizing the storage of data by applying blockchain. Consider the internet as an editorially collaborative document, open to everyone. Anyone can edit the document, and any modifications are stored in a new sheet and recorded in the history. No one can modify the locked history, but the newest “ledger” only. In Web 3, the document data and history is kept in the individual’s servers instead of the central server. Besides, no one has access to the other’s location and database.
Based on the application of blockchain, Web 3 is expected to protect user’s cyber privacy and security.
The future of privacy and security
1. Decentralized Ownership of Data Storage
In Web 3, the user’s data is no longer stored in data centers owned by tech companies. Hence, unless someone has access to thousands of computers or blockchains, no one can use your data or controls your cyber activities.
2. More difficult for cyberattack
It also makes a cyber attack more challenging as it is not an attack on a centralized database. In Web 3, hackers must attack thousands of computers using a decentralized network simultaneously.
3. Any changes can be noticed
Since the blockchains constantly update and check each other for modifications, no single change can be made without notice. That being said, neither party can take down applications or websites at their convenience.
Last Thought
There are many controversies about Web 3. Many people worry about its lack of authorized control, especially the government. Anything can be shared even if it may spread unwanted content. In addition, the anonymity of Web 3 can open windows for criminal activities.
Web 3 is still a blurred picture in the early stage of drafting. More or less, privacy-oriented is a worth-considering direction for the development of the World Wide Web.
How do you think about Web 3? Share your thought in the comment sections below!
References:
Boyd Cohen, P. D. C. E. O. I. M. (2018, April 23). Urban mobility: Web 2.0 (uber) vs. web 3.0 (iomob). Medium. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://boydcohen.medium.com/urban-mobility-web-2-0-uber-vs-web-3-0-iomob-2e424a99f8bd
Crider, M. (2017, December 13). What is a “blockchain”? How. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.howtogeek.com/335814/what-is-a-blockchain/
Curran, D. (2018, March 24). Twitter. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://twitter.com/iamdylancurran/status/977559925680467968
Litwack, S. (2020, May 6). Is a decentralized ‘web 3.0’ the answer to our privacy concerns? Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://iapp.org/news/a/is-a-decentralized-web-3-0-the-answer-to-our-privacy-concerns/
Ogunmokun, A. (2022, January 13). Exactly how secure is web 3. HackerNoon. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://hackernoon.com/exactly-how-secure-is-web-3
O’Sullivan, F. (2022, January 14). What is web3? . How. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.howtogeek.com/779970/what-is-web3%C2%A0/
Sharma, M. (2021, November 8). Web 1.0, web 2.0 and web 3.0 with their difference. GeeksforGeeks. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/web-1-0-web-2-0-and-web-3-0-with-their-difference/
Excellent article Ahn,
Do you think that decentralization is safer than having large bodies (such as facebook,amazon,google etc.) manage information?
Wouldn’t it be more difficult to enforce laws to individuals than corporations?
Thanks!
I do think that enforcing laws to individuals is very complicated. However, letting tech pillars control the game is already a nightmare for user’s privacy and security. As they own the platform, they own our data, not us. Since Web3 is still in its early stage of development, its idea is still vague. Enforcing laws is now one of its main downside. However, I have a positive hope for decentralized internet as the control of data is no longer belongs to for-profit organizations.
Hi,
Very interesting article. I wonder about the timeline of transitioning towards Web3, and the possible downsides of using it.
There are some companies applying Web3 system. However they are still in an early stage of development. I believe that not until Web3 is fully applied in the internet infrastructure, we cant see its true potential.
Nice post. On paper, I do find some of the advantages of Web 3.0 to be beneficial such as more freedom with being able to create and post content without censorship from a centralized third-party. As you mentioned, there are also concerns regarding a lack of authority towards this, and so this type of freedom could also be considered a double-edged sword.
You are right! Fairly speaking, every system is a double-edged sword. However, it is still soon for us to know the full idea of Web3. I still stand a hope that when it is fully developed, there will be a way to minimize its downsides.
Hi,
Great post! I think web3 is so interesting. One thing that I always remind myself and other web3 enthusiasts is that most ‘web3’ projects are not entirely decentralized. That is to say that the companies that fund projects and a core team of members have control. Much like a Business today but using blockchain networks and marketing as decentralized.
Thanks for pointing out one of the controversary about Web3. Since there is possible to hack into a blockchain system, there may be a way to monitor the system. However, as it is stated in the post, it is very hard since you need to have thousands distributed nodes under control. As far as I know, there is no proof about the influence of anyone over Web3. Anyway, as conscious users, we should keep a skeptical but optimistic view about developing the World Wide Web in consideration of user’s privacy and security.
Hello,
Great post on Web3! I’m all for the entire movement of moving away from a centralized internet where only a select few companies hold a lot of the services. However, I still hold some skepticism on Web3. For starters, there have been reports stating that most of the blocks for Web3 are owned by a a select few silicone valley executives, which completely contradicts the whole purpose of a decentralized internet. Overall, I’m curious for what the future of the internet holds.
Thanks for reading the post! I also have some doubts about whether Web3 make any difference from Web2 in terms of decentralization. However, as far as I know, there is no proof that silicon valley or anyone has the authority to control a blockchain system.
I’m glad I could come back to this article and give it a read because Web 3 has become the new buzzword in the tech industry recently. I see Web 3 as a great idea to capitalize on evolving outlooks of decentralized web development. It not only serves to protect users’ data from the vulnerabilities of companies but also from cyberattacks (two birds, one stone), which Web 2 currently fails to do. However, I will stay cautiously optimistic for Web 3 because no matter how hard you try to implement decentralized planning in web spaces, there is always some form of corporate authority that still has influence.
Yup it is definitely the case since there is always someone try to take advantage of a system. However, since it is a decentralized system, it is still unclear how individual party can influence it. Just like you, I also cautiously wait for the development of Web3 in the future.
Great post to read! I have never heard of term Web3 before and it was very useful to read that article and be familiar with it. I would agree referring to the blockchain, technology will have the potential to remake Organizations. As I believe that blockchain-based technology is used for trust verification, and will include privacy protection.Overall, Thanks for writing that post!!
Thanks for sharing your thought! In regardless of its downside, Web3 is promising to protect users’ data because data is no longer stored in a centralized center.
Hello, this was a really interesting post. I have heard and read that web3 protects consumers’ data from company accountability against cyberattacks, which Web2 failed to achieve. I was also thinking about the drawbacks it has along with it.
Thanks for reading! Web3 has pros and cons just like other system. Optimistically, the idea of developing World Wide Web toward privacy-conscious orientation is a good sign of developers’ intention to protect user’s privacy.
This is a good summary to introduce Web 3 and its potential (from the good it offers to its controversies). Like Web 1 and 2, I imagine that there will be many concerns over Web 3 even though it does offer new opportunities for protecting our personal data. The concerns are not unwarranted, but I think that since Web 3 is in its early stages of conceptualization, further clarity will be brought forward in the coming years on what it will look like. My main concern is how cyber groups will try to adapt to this as it does appear, since much more responsibility could be put onto the user’s shoulders, due to Web 3’s decentralization. At the end of the day, the user is the primary target of the hacker and new strategies can be developed by the hacker to trick the user. Even today, hackers are creating new malware and viruses to infect our electronics, even as we are pushing for greater security and resiliency in IT.
I must say you have a very good point on the user’s responsibility. Since there are still many downsides, Web3 is not a fully developed concept yet. I am glad that my post gives a simple introduction to Web3 so that we can all aware of what may come in the future.
I first heard of web 3 in my favorite TV show called Silicon Valley. I recommend that you all check it out sometimes. A decentralized web seems like a very interesting concept and could promote cooperation in places to which we did not previously have access. I would not be surprised if the entire web ran on block smart or similar technology. However, at the same time, I wonder if there are some very smart individuals who can somehow make a profit using Web 3. Alternatively, give rise to the Sky-net and bring back the terminators!! My question to you is what would you like to see in Web 3 and what improvement do you think should be made to circumvent the problems posed by web 2?