Adoption Of Blockchain and the Internet

Blockchain 50 list, but they are also often found at the root of a number of privacy and data scandals. 

Data, and the protection of individual data, has become a very hot topic recently. This is in reaction to the uncovering of the way in which data is mined and misappropriated by some of these major companies that attract billions of users a day to their sites. 

Data has become the new oil, and its value is ever skyrocketing. Its value is also only just started to be realised by those who produce it – the internet-using individuals. However, the companies that have been mining it for years have been well aware of the power they wield with it. 

The evolution of data as a viable commodity is all part of the advancement of technology. And thus, so has the protection and valuing of data also evolved in recent times. We are now at a stage where people are valuing their data more than they are the services provided by the likes of Google, Facebook, and even Amazon, and this is causing these companies to start pivoting. 

In order to stay relevant, and at the top of the curve, these major internet companies have started looking to the future. In that forward-looking they have identified Blockchain technology as a pivotal cog in the next evolution of the internet – Web 3.0 – but this has also forced them to understand where blockchain technology came from. 

Blockchain technology, as it stands today in the enterprise space, may well be far removed from its early days as the technology underlying Bitcoin, but its root purpose is still prevalent. Even Bitcoin has evolved since its inception, but again, the whole notion behind this entire space is decentralization.

Decentralization, especially in terms of the internet, is a fascinating concept, and one that is gaining traction today. It takes away a lot of the power and influence from centralized figures – such as Facebook and Google – and sees the running of internet applications done on a decentralized basis. 

The advantage for individuals is evident, especially in an age of data protection, but it seems to be counter-intuitive for internet companies. However, the fact that these companies are getting vested in decentralized platforms means that they could well be aiding in the demise of data collection and accumulation. 

Tim Berners-Lee, an early web enthusiast and the inventor of the World Wide Web, is convinced — having been originally created as a truly decentralized medium — the web should go back to its fundamentals.

“The individual was incredibly empowered. It was all based on there being no central authority that you had to go to to ask permission,” he said, “That feeling of individual control, that empowerment, is something we’ve lost.”

Are Facebook and Google ready to help bring on Web 3.0? Are they happy to bend with a change of individual sentiment that calls for decentralized internet? And could this actually be a way for them to survive amid the massive data scandals that keep racking up? 

Google getting called out

A good example of where the worlds of decentralized internet and the current model have clashed came towards the end of last year when it emerged that Brave, the privacy browser that has a decentralized aspect to it with its BAT cryptocurrency, uncovered that Google was using a mechanism by which Google appeared to be circumventing its purported GDPR privacy protections. 

This was followed on from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announcing a major GDPR probe into “suspected infringement” by Google’s “DoubleClick/Authorized Buyers” advertising business. The probe was triggered by a formal complaint from Dr Johnny Ryan, Chief Policy Officer at Brave.

The latter evidence revealed a surreptitious mechanism that raised additional data protection concerns about Google’s “DoubleClick/Authorized Buyers” advertising system. This system is active on 8.4 million websites.

However, Google claimed to prevent the many companies that use its real-time bidding ad (RTB) system, who receive sensitive data about website visitors, from combining their profiles about those visitors. It also announced that it had stopped sharing pseudonymous identifiers that could help these companies more easily identify an individual, apparently in response to the advent of the GDPR.

But, Brave revealed Google allowed not only one additional party, but many, to match with Google identifiers. The evidence further revealed that Google allowed multiple parties to match their identifiers for the data subject with each other.

This led to Google being fined $57 million for its breach of GDPR with a French regulator saying the world’s biggest search engine lacked transparency and clarity in the way it informs users about its handling of personal data and failed to properly obtain their consent for personalized ads.

It appears as if the internet giant’s drive, even in a world where GDPR has shaken up privacy protection, was still focused on sapping data from its users. However, as more of these stories emerge, and more fines are dished out, the question remains how much longer Google can get away with it?

More so, the question is also what will Google’s next step be? They have shown their decentralized leanings with an interest in blockchain technology when it was integrating its BigQuery data analytics platform with Chainlink, allowing data from outside sources to be used in applications built directly on the blockchain. The partnership is said to help process futures contracts, settle speculative bets and even make transactions more private.

But does this necessarily mean Google will move towards a decentralized internet in the long term?

Patrick Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Boogle, explains the driving forces towards a decentralized internet.

“With the numerous media reports of data breaches and privacy infringements over the years, it is encouraging to see people becoming more informed and actively searching for better alternatives to better protect their data. Data was, is, and always will be valuable,” he said.

“Governments and enterprises are always on the lookout for more ways to mine data to convert into meaningful information, or to protect these important data from their competitors or rivals. This remains true even with the decentralisation of the internet.”

Worrying times from Facebook

Facebook has been in the news recently too because of its data policies and the now infamous Cambridge Analytica data breach. More so, on the cryptocurrency side of things, the social media giant has faced tremendous uphill on its major project Libra. 

Part of that uphill has come directly because of its poor handling of data privacy with the US regulators especially concerned that Facebook would not be able to handle the responsibility of keeping financial data private.

However, it again comes down to how much does Facebook want to give up in a quest towards a more decentralized internet? As a social media platform, it has been heavily accused of data breaches, and its quest to continue staying relevant with Libra seems to indicate it should aim to be more hands-off. 

There are arguably already contenders in the decentralized social media space that are looking to show what they can do in competition to Facebook. The likes of Steemit, now on the TRON platform, is one such decentralized option that also incentivises data with financial reward in cryptocurrency. 

“While it’s nice to receive praise and comparisons to well established social media platforms, we have a much different objective, and that is to remove the element of centralization or the single point of authority, and give the power, influence and rewards back to the people,” former CEO Ned Scott said of Steemit.

Of course, Brave, the privacy browser, also looks to be trying to overcome the need to sell off data and take advantage of its users by incentivising with BAT tokens and offering tailored adverts in order for people to be rewarded for their data. 

Many feel that this is the way in which the next generation of decentralized internet will go – and for Facebook, if it does launch its own Libra cryptocurrency, it would do well to take a leaf out of Brave’s book. 

“Brave is allying with our users to give them what they want in ad/tracking-blocked speed and privacy, without the intolerable compromises on user experience that arise from most other browsers’ conflicts of business interest between what users want and what their tracking ad-tech businesses or partnerships require,” Chief of Communications at Brave, Catherine Corre, explained.

“Brave blocks trackers and invasive ads by default, which otherwise slow down page load; this enables Brave to load twice as fast on desktop, and up to eight times faster on mobile. This speed advantage, along with Brave’s built-in privacy and security features, put the browser in a unique place to attract new users who are becoming increasingly aware of privacy scandals.”

“Privacy may have been a niche four years ago when we started, but privacy by default is now a huge draw. Brave puts users first in ownership and control of their data.”

"Additionally, Brave features Brave Ads and Brave Rewards. Brave Ads reward users for their online attention with Basic Attention Tokens. Brave Rewards enables users to in turn seamlessly support their favourite content providers by donating or tipping tokens. Users who choose Brave get excited about playing a role in fixing the Web and the currently broken ad ecosystem, which mainly now benefits intermediaries at the expense of creators and publishers.”

However, despite Brave’s rapid growth, it is still just a drop in the bucket compared to general internet usage. It seems strange that there is such an uproar about privacy, and there is alternative browser, like Brave, search engines, like Boogle, and social media sites, like Steemit, and yet they remain very niche. 

“Change is hard. People are comfortable and used to existing platforms, finding it difficult to tear themselves away from, especially when their friends and families are all on it. However, we are beginning to see a paradigm shift; a movement towards embracing data privacy. As we continue to bring more and more of our daily life to the digital world, let’s make it our responsibility today to really care about privacy, enough to break old habits. Let’s update our definition of privacy, recognize the value and power of data, and fight back,” added Lee.

“I believe we’re making slow and steady progress towards a decentralised internet, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Many decentralised applications in the market are having trouble hitting significant user numbers due to a combination of scalability limitation, lack of marketing and user experience flaws for the common consumer.”

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Fb, Google and Amazon not solely make up three of the 5 largest tech giants on this planet, they usually not solely all seem collectively on Forbes’ not too long ago launched second Blockchain 50 record, however they’re additionally usually discovered on the root of numerous privateness and knowledge scandals. 

Information, and the safety of particular person knowledge, has grow to be a very popular subject not too long ago. That is in response to the uncovering of the best way wherein knowledge is mined and misappropriated by a few of these main firms that appeal to billions of customers a day to their websites. 

Information has grow to be the brand new oil, and its worth is ever skyrocketing. Its worth can also be solely simply began to be realised by those that produce it – the internet-using people. Nonetheless, the businesses which were mining it for years have been nicely conscious of the facility they wield with it. 

The evolution of knowledge as a viable commodity is all a part of the development of know-how. And thus, so has the safety and valuing of knowledge additionally developed in latest occasions. We at the moment are at a stage the place persons are valuing their knowledge greater than they’re the companies supplied by the likes of Google, Fb, and even Amazon, and that is inflicting these firms to start out pivoting. 

With the intention to keep related, and on the high of the curve, these main web firms have began seeking to the long run. In that forward-looking they’ve recognized Blockchain know-how as a pivotal cog within the subsequent evolution of the web – Net three.zero – however this has additionally compelled them to know the place blockchain know-how got here from. 

Blockchain know-how, because it stands at this time within the enterprise area, could be far faraway from its early days because the know-how underlying Bitcoin, however its root function continues to be prevalent. Even Bitcoin has developed since its inception, however once more, the entire notion behind this complete area is decentralization.

Decentralization, particularly when it comes to the web, is an enchanting idea, and one that’s gaining traction at this time. It takes away a whole lot of the facility and affect from centralized figures – akin to Fb and Google – and sees the operating of web purposes carried out on a decentralized foundation. 

The benefit for people is obvious, particularly in an age of knowledge safety, but it surely appears to be counter-intuitive for web firms. Nonetheless, the truth that these firms are getting vested in decentralized platforms implies that they may nicely be aiding within the demise of knowledge assortment and accumulation. 

Tim Berners-Lee, an early net fanatic and the inventor of the World Huge Net, is satisfied — having been initially created as a very decentralized medium — the online ought to return to its fundamentals.

“The person was extremely empowered. It was all based mostly on there being no central authority that you just needed to go to to ask permission,” he stated, “That feeling of particular person management, that empowerment, is one thing we’ve misplaced.”

Are Fb and Google prepared to assist convey on Net three.zero? Are they completely satisfied to bend with a change of particular person sentiment that requires decentralized web? And will this really be a approach for them to outlive amid the large knowledge scandals that preserve racking up? 

Google getting referred to as out

instance of the place the worlds of decentralized web and the present mannequin have clashed got here in the direction of the tip of final 12 months when it emerged that Courageous, the privateness browser that has a decentralized side to it with its BAT cryptocurrency, uncovered that Google was utilizing a mechanism by which Google gave the impression to be circumventing its purported GDPR privateness protections. 

This was adopted on from Eire’s Information Safety Fee (DPC) saying a serious GDPR probe into “suspected infringement” by Google’s “DoubleClick/Licensed Patrons” promoting enterprise. The probe was triggered by a proper criticism from Dr Johnny Ryan, Chief Coverage Officer at Courageous.

The latter proof revealed a surreptitious mechanism that raised extra knowledge safety considerations about Google’s “DoubleClick/Licensed Patrons” promoting system. This method is lively on eight.four million web sites.

Nonetheless, Google claimed to stop the numerous firms that use its real-time bidding advert (RTB) system, who obtain delicate knowledge about web site guests, from combining their profiles about these guests. It additionally introduced that it had stopped sharing pseudonymous identifiers that would assist these firms extra simply determine a person, apparently in response to the appearance of the GDPR.

However, Courageous revealed Google allowed not just one extra social gathering, however many, to match with Google identifiers. The proof additional revealed that Google allowed a number of events to match their identifiers for the information topic with one another.

This led to Google being fined $57 million for its breach of GDPR with a French regulator saying the world’s largest search engine lacked transparency and readability in the best way it informs customers about its dealing with of private knowledge and didn’t correctly receive their consent for personalised adverts.

It seems as if the web big’s drive, even in a world the place GDPR has shaken up privateness safety, was nonetheless centered on sapping knowledge from its customers. Nonetheless, as extra of those tales emerge, and extra fines are dished out, the query stays how for much longer Google can get away with it?

Extra so, the query can also be what’s going to Google’s subsequent step be? They’ve proven their decentralized leanings with an curiosity in blockchain know-how when it was integrating its BigQuery knowledge analytics platform with Chainlink, permitting knowledge from exterior sources for use in purposes constructed immediately on the blockchain. The partnership is alleged to assist course of futures contracts, settle speculative bets and even make transactions extra personal.

However does this essentially imply Google will transfer in the direction of a decentralized web in the long run?

Patrick Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Boogle, explains the driving forces in the direction of a decentralized web.

“With the quite a few media reviews of knowledge breaches and privateness infringements over time, it’s encouraging to see folks changing into extra knowledgeable and actively trying to find higher alternate options to raised shield their knowledge. Information was, is, and all the time can be worthwhile,” he stated.

“Governments and enterprises are all the time looking out for extra methods to mine knowledge to transform into significant data, or to guard these essential knowledge from their rivals or rivals. This stays true even with the decentralisation of the web.”

Worrying occasions from Fb

Fb has been within the information not too long ago too due to its knowledge insurance policies and the now notorious Cambridge Analytica knowledge breach. Extra so, on the cryptocurrency aspect of issues, the social media big has confronted large uphill on its main challenge Libra. 

A part of that uphill has come immediately due to its poor dealing with of knowledge privateness with the US regulators particularly involved that Fb wouldn’t be capable of deal with the duty of preserving monetary knowledge personal.

Nonetheless, it once more comes right down to how a lot does Fb wish to quit in a quest in the direction of a extra decentralized web? As a social media platform, it has been closely accused of knowledge breaches, and its quest to proceed staying related with Libra appears to point it ought to intention to be extra hands-off. 

There are arguably already contenders within the decentralized social media area that want to present what they will do in competitors to Fb. The likes of Steemit, now on the TRON platform, is one such decentralized choice that additionally incentivises knowledge with monetary reward in cryptocurrency. 

“Whereas it is good to obtain reward and comparisons to nicely established social media platforms, we’ve got a a lot totally different goal, and that’s to take away the ingredient of centralization or the only level of authority, and provides the facility, affect and rewards again to the folks,” former CEO Ned Scott stated of Steemit.

After all, Courageous, the privateness browser, additionally seems to be making an attempt to beat the necessity to unload knowledge and make the most of its customers by incentivising with BAT tokens and providing tailor-made adverts to ensure that folks to be rewarded for his or her knowledge. 

Many really feel that that is the best way wherein the subsequent technology of decentralized web will go – and for Fb, if it does launch its personal Libra cryptocurrency, it will do nicely to take a leaf out of Courageous’s e book. 

“Courageous is allying with our customers to provide them what they need in advert/tracking-blocked pace and privateness, with out the insupportable compromises on consumer expertise that come up from most different browsers’ conflicts of enterprise curiosity between what customers need and what their monitoring ad-tech companies or partnerships require,” Chief of Communications at Courageous, Catherine Corre, defined.

“Courageous blocks trackers and invasive adverts by default, which in any other case decelerate web page load; this permits Courageous to load twice as quick on desktop, and as much as eight occasions sooner on cellular. This pace benefit, together with Courageous’s built-in privateness and security measures, put the browser in a novel place to draw new customers who’re changing into more and more conscious of privateness scandals.”

“Privateness could have been a distinct segment 4 years in the past after we began, however privateness by default is now an enormous draw. Courageous places customers first in possession and management of their knowledge.”

“Moreover, Courageous options Courageous Adverts and Courageous Rewards. Courageous Adverts reward customers for his or her on-line consideration with Primary Consideration Tokens. Courageous Rewards permits customers to in flip seamlessly help their favorite content material suppliers by donating or tipping tokens. Customers who select Courageous get enthusiastic about enjoying a task in fixing the Net and the at present damaged advert ecosystem, which primarily now advantages intermediaries on the expense of creators and publishers.”

Nonetheless, regardless of Courageous’s fast progress, it’s nonetheless only a drop within the bucket in comparison with common web utilization. It appears unusual that there’s such an uproar about privateness, and there’s different browser, like Courageous, engines like google, like Boogle, and social media websites, like Steemit, and but they continue to be very area of interest. 

“Change is difficult. Individuals are snug and used to present platforms, discovering it troublesome to tear themselves away from, particularly when their buddies and households are all on it. Nonetheless, we’re starting to see a paradigm shift; a motion in the direction of embracing knowledge privateness. As we proceed to convey an increasing number of of our day by day life to the digital world, let’s make it our duty at this time to essentially care about privateness, sufficient to interrupt previous habits. Let’s replace our definition of privateness, acknowledge the worth and energy of knowledge, and struggle again,” added Lee.

“I imagine we’re making sluggish and regular progress in the direction of a decentralised web, however we nonetheless have a whole lot of work forward of us. Many decentralised purposes available in the market are having hassle hitting vital consumer numbers as a consequence of a mix of scalability limitation, lack of selling and consumer expertise flaws for the frequent client.”