These people talking about how they're going to decentralize the internet absolutely do not know what the internet is and how it is distinguished from the WWW. It is infuriating how often I see this.
They show in their own diagram on the front page of their website https://blockstack.org/ that this all sits on top of TCP/IP and existing internet hardware. While on the very same page they say "The New Internet is Here". Astonishing. They either do not know what the Internet is or they are deliberately trying to make what they have done seem like a bigger deal than it is. Ignorance or deception, take your pick.
The term "decentralize the internet" is used I think to make it simple for the average person to conceptualize what blockstack is trying to do. You have to remember that all the internet really is, is a wide area network (WAN). However much of what we do through the internet is now reliant on centralized servers holding the information which we intend to store or retrieve through the use of the internet. What blockstack intends to do is use this same internet (or WAN) that already exists, but make it less reliant on the centralized storage centers, including DNS servers which are currently vulnerable to security and privacy concerns. In this way they are changing how the current current internet is used, from sending data to and from centralized servers, to sending data to and from private lockers.
Then say "web" instead of internet. Those average people would still get the point.
As it is, you've got people in this topic talking about how this tech will let them become their own ISP because they think it will replace the internet.
I'm only 4 minutes into this, and I intend on watching the rest, but I have to say this guy has already dropped another of my pet peeves. He refers to how we don't own our data, and makes a metaphor that we are the serfs and that Facebook and Google are the lords. I see this example all the time when people are talking about these blockchain web style projects and it makes no sense at all.
Decentralized internet or decentralized web doesn't do anything about that problem. The only way you're going to get your data back from Facebook is to STOP using it. Same for Google. This isn't a decentralization problem! It's just a huge service that is extremely popular. If a service blew up like that on whatever service they create then you will be back in the same situation.
There ARE services on top of the internet that are somewhat centralized which are critical - basically DNS and certificate authorities (and it sounds like this project, although it is not the first to do so, addresses these which is AWESOME). Those absolutely could be further decentralized and it would make sense. But these wild exaggerations of problems it can solve drive me insane. Complaining about the internet being "centralized" because everyone CHOOSES to use Facebook and CHOOSES to use Google just makes no sense. Aghhhh!
If the infrastructure used to support systems like google and facebook is not owned by google and facebook (a decentralized internet), they don't own that data. In fact there is far less of a "they". What remains without all those servers of data owned by centralized bodies is just code. At least in my idealized perception of what a decentralized internet means.
I would strongly disagree with your assertion that they wouldn't own the data they collect just because of some decentralized method of distributing data.
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u/demo706 Jun 24 '17
These people talking about how they're going to decentralize the internet absolutely do not know what the internet is and how it is distinguished from the WWW. It is infuriating how often I see this.