The event for which they met was the Decentralized Web Summit, held from July 31 to August 2, hosted by the Internet Archive. Supporters of the so-called decentralized network - or DWeb - want a better new network where people can connect without having to rely on big companies that collect our data for profit and make it easier for governments to monitor.
What is DWeb?
It is supposed to be like the Internet you know but without relying on the central operators. In the early days of the World Wide Web, which came into being in 1989, I was in direct contact with your friends through desktops that talked to each other. But from the early 2000s, with the advent of Web 2.0, we started to communicate with each other and share information through the central services provided by big companies such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon.
"Our laptops are just screens", "they can not do anything useful without cloud," a platform for building decentralized applications.Webb revolves around decentralization - so we do not rely on these intermediaries to connect us Instead, users retain control over their data, communicate, interact, and exchange messages directly with others in their network.
Why we need an alternative?
Why we need an alternative?
With the current web, all user data that is concentrated in the hands of a few companies creates the risk of our data being compromised. It also makes it easier for governments to spy and censor us. If any of these central entities are closed, your data and connections are lost.
Then there are privacy concerns arising from the business models of many companies, which use our own free information to target us with advertisements.
How does DWeb work?
There are two big differences in how DWeb compares to the global network, explains Matt Zumwalt, program manager for Protocol Labs, which builds DWeb systems and tools.
First, this connection is peer-to-peer, where your computer not only requests the services but also provides them.
Second, how information is stored and retrieved in a different way.
Currently, we use http and https links to identify information on the web. These links refer to content from a site, requiring our computers to find and retrieve information and data from those sites using the http protocol. By contrast, DWeb protocols use links that specify information based on their content - rather than their location. This content-oriented approach lets you handle websites and files that are stored and transferred in many ways from computer to computer instead of always relying on one server as a single channel to share information exactly, as is the case with the torrent domain.
"[In the traditional network] the information exists in only one place," says Zumwalt. "This is where the problem comes ... because the person who controls the site controls access to information."
How does DWeb benefit from blockchain?
"[In the traditional network] the information exists in only one place," says Zumwalt. "This is where the problem comes ... because the person who controls the site controls access to information."
How does DWeb benefit from blockchain?
Blockchain technology is a secure encryption technology that works by cryptocurrency such as bitcoin and Ether. It offers a centralized, decentralized digital transaction book that tracks property safely in a trust-free environment. While the first applications of blockchain technology were for digital currency transactions, the same technology is now finding its way into DWeb development including recording data movement, recording unique user names and even storing data.
There are also exploits of cryptocurrencies and digital currencies themselves that are being deployed to help create DWeb. For example, Protocol Labs launched a digital currency under the name Filecoin in August last year after raising $ 205 million for the project. The idea is to stimulate the creation of a decentralized data storage network by creating an open market for data storage. If you have backup capacity, you can store others' data and earn Filecoin. If you want to store your additional data, you can find and pay someone on the network via Filecoin. Transactions are recorded on the blockchain.
Can you browse and work on "DWeb" now?
Decentralized Network DWeb is not yet officially available. But there are applications and programs based on the decentralized model. Many of them are experimental, but we will mention some of the more sophisticated products that have already been developed. Including OpenBazaar, Graphite Docs, Photos Photos (an alternative to Instagram to store, manage, and share images on DWeb), Matrix (which provides Slack and WhatsApp alternatives), and Dube (alternative) YouTube). There is also a new stand-alone peer-to-peer web browser called Beaker Browser. Internet Archive, a non-profit organization that saves the Web through snapshots of web pages and other media, has made a first attempt to decentralize its Web site by combining many technologies.
