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The founders of the Internet envisioned the Internet as a decentralized entity. But over time, internet traffic has concentrated on a few websites.
According to Ahrefs.com, most of the world's internet traffic is directed to multiple websites. Sites like YouTube, Facebook and Amazon get the most out of it. Every Internet user has become addicted to such mega-corporations. Namely, Facebook for communication, Amazon for shopping, and Google for information access. Do you have questions about how this decentralized internet system became centralized?
Read on to find out.
From decentralized to centralized
Using the Internet, anyone can access an unlimited amount of information from anywhere. All you need is an internet connection.
Nowadays, the Internet is used for almost everything, such as shopping, paying bills and ordering groceries. You can even take part in the safari while sitting at home. The Internet has become a necessity for every person. If the internet goes down for a few seconds, it will wreak havoc on the world.
But all this development is happening due to the fact that the Internet is losing its decentralized identity. There used to be a time when anyone could publish anything on the Internet, regardless of a third party service provider. The Internet provides an equal opportunity for everyone with a level playing field.
It is true that no one still owns any significant part of the Internet infrastructure that connects us to the world wide web. But by using innovative ideas and providing easy-to-use platforms, companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon have taken over most of the internet's traffic. Several tech giants are now dominating the Internet with their services. Over the years, these tech companies have established a monopoly in their field. They also have control over what can be accessed over the Internet.
Mass distribution of the Internet
The massive spread of the Internet is the main reason that multiple websites dominate the web.
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) invented the earliest form of the Internet. They invented the Internet to provide computer communications in the event of a disaster or war. The Internet was designed to be decentralized to help access information even if one part of the network goes down.
Later, many institutions and organizations contributed to making the Internet what it is today.
The following inventions led to the massive adoption of the Internet.
1. The World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee changed the Internet forever by inventing the World Wide Web and HTML. Users can now access websites using the provided hyperlinks.
This whole system became known as the World Wide Web (WWW), so we must use “www” before entering the domain name we want to visit.
2. Browsers
The development of browsers helped make the Internet the reality it is today. With the invention of browsers, Internet access has become less complex and convenient.
Microsoft Internet Explorer, released in 1995, expanded the use of the Internet. Later, many browsers appeared that made Internet access convenient and user-friendly.
3. Search engines
When the Internet became popular, many websites appeared. The need for a search engine to index all websites was inevitable.
Many web search and indexing systems have emerged, such as Yahoo. But, as the undisputed leader in the search market, Google didn't emerge until the late 1990s.
Google has become super popular with its simple user interface and fast search results. Many people use the word "google" as a verb instead of searching the Internet.
4. Internet service providers
The Internet was now ready for mass adoption. All that was needed were service providers who could bring the Internet to people's homes. This is how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) appeared.
Internet service providers have begun to provide Internet access via dial-up modem at a speed of 14-28 kbps. With the development of technology, the data transfer rate is now approaching 100 Mbps.
Internet commercialization
With the advent of Internet service providers, Internet connections have become stable and reached the masses. Many businesses have started using the Internet, and many Internet applications have emerged. This was an important moment when the Internet became commercialized and Web 1.0 was born.
Microsoft has played an important role in expanding Internet use and commercialization. It all started with the launch of Internet Explorer built into Windows 95. Microsoft introduced the Internet to many novice users.
Slowly but steadily, the Internet gained momentum as many new users joined it. This has led to the exchange of large amounts of information on the Internet. This further enhanced the commercial aspects of the Internet.
And with commercialization, the process of centralization began.
As the Internet has become more commercially viable. Many new platforms have emerged that have allowed users to access information, communicate with ease and shop online.
This was the birth of Web 2.0 as the Web user interface became easy to navigate and users were able to access the Internet from a variety of devices.
Many companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google have come up with innovative ideas. They provided services that helped them dominate the internet.
These companies have now grown so much over the years that they account for the largest share of user attention and data. These data refer to modern oil, which is constantly being produced. The data is then sold to third-party companies, providing them with an advertising platform.
Undoubtedly, these companies only got so big by providing platforms to meet user needs. The problem is that they have become so big that it is almost impossible for new entrants to compete with them. They have tremendous power over what users can see and what they can't.
Facebook has grown so much over the years that it has acquired many smaller companies like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus. Providing a variety of services, from social media platforms to virtual reality devices. It's hard to find someone right now who hasn't used any of Facebook's products.
Likewise, Google has acquired many platforms over the years, making Google a multi-service giant. Google has Gmail, Google Maps, Gdrive, YouTube, and many other services. Almost everyone who has access to the Internet uses one or another Google service.
These platforms have access to a huge amount of user data. From where you go to what you like to watch.
Other platforms like Amazon, Twitter, and Snapchat dominate other demographics. Thus, the centralization of the Internet as the Internet became limited to a few service providers. The question arises: what is wrong with the centralized internet? if we receive quality services and stable Internet access.
What's wrong with the centralized internet?
We can define a centralized system as a system with concentrated power and authority. You might wonder if you can still use the Internet to create your own website and publish what you want.
Yes, you can do it. But you won't get traffic to your site if it's not indexed by Google. Or without a social media presence on one of Facebook's owned platforms. This is where everything becomes centralized.
The dominance of Facebook and Google has also led to behavioral changes in the way people access information. Previously, if a user wanted to read news, they would go to their favorite news site or blog. But now everything has changed.
Most people I know rely on Twitter microblogging sites for news or social media platforms like Facebook or WhatsApp for information.
Facebook alone has 2.70 billion monthly active users, and another 3.14 billion users are active on other Facebook-owned platforms.
Likewise, Google is a super popular search engine that processes about 5.8 billion searches every day. Google has become the only place most people go to to access information.
This has led to a transfer of power into the hands of a few, who have made them custodians of information that users can access. Related Fact: Facebook even tried to introduce a free internet service for first time users in India, which aims to make them think Facebook is the Internet.
Leakage and misuse of user data
By accessing these platforms, users give these platforms access to a large amount of their personal information. They know where you dined or watched a movie. They know your birthdays and anniversaries. Data is collected on an ongoing basis and will be used by third parties to serve you advertisements.
Every internet company uses a centralized system in which all information is stored in its own data centers. These centralized data centers face a serious threat of data security breaches.
Powerful Facebook recently suffered a data breach in which hackers exposed 530 million users' personal data. Almost every month, there is news of a data breach or data sale on the darknet.
The centralized data store provides hackers with a single target for accessing information. These centralized data centers of large technology companies are subject to many DDoS attacks.
User data is also misused by major tech companies or third-party advertisers to manipulate people. There have been cases of election manipulation where data was used to target voters through advertising to influence their voting decisions.
There was also a case where the government monitored its citizens and political dissidents using this data.
Fear of one-point failure
Centralized architectures are widely used for data management and storage. Having centralized data centers can lead to a single point of failure. There may be hacker attacks or technical problems that can cause the system to crash.
There is always news related to this or that service, faced with interruptions in work. When a centralized service such as Amazon Web Services goes down, many websites hosted using the services go down.
Likewise, an issue with Google servers can crash YouTube, Gmail, or Gdrive.
There have been many cases of single point failure. It makes people suffer from global disruption due to technical failures in some data centers.
You might think that if we are currently using a centralized internet. Then what is a decentralized internet and how to achieve it?
What is the Decentralized Internet?
The Decentralized Internet, as you might guess from the name, is an Internet system that does not have one owner. The decentralized Internet will have many owners who will keep a copy of the information that users can access.
The decentralized Internet can also fail, but it will not cause Internet failures like the centralized Internet. Since the data will be in many places, users can access it even if one or more servers fail. For example, torrent systems are used to exchange data. It uses a similar peer-to-peer exchange where many users share the same data.
Cryptocurrency is another example of what a decentralized system is capable of. Nowadays, everyone is talking about bitcoin, dogcoin or other newbies. Even if you are not interested in cryptocurrency, the system behind it must be blockchain.
Yes, blockchain is a technology that will help us make the Internet decentralized again. The idea put forward by many experts is to create a peer-to-peer internet network. When the community controls the system, not one ISP.
The decentralized system will create hundreds of access points or nodes through which users can access the Internet. This can only become a reality using blockchain. This is why Blockchain is the core concept envisioned for Web 3.0.
Decentralized Internet: Web 3.0
When the Internet came along, websites were static HTML sites called Web 1.0. Then the Internet evolved into Web 2.0, which led to the emergence of dynamic, user-driven websites. Web 2.0 spawned social media and companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google.
The definition of Web 3.0 is still evolving, but it will rely on peer-to-peer technology such as blockchain. Web 3.0 is an attempt to return to the original Internet, where people could control what they wanted to publish. An Internet where ISPs have no control over what you see and there is no single point of failure for the Internet.
Web 3.0 aims to overcome constant surveillance, targeted advertising, and crowding out the centralized tech giants that control much of the Internet. It will also allow users to control their data and decide who will have access to it and who will not.
Web 3.0 won't work without centralized servers, making it secure and free of a single point of failure.
Benefits of a Decentralized Internet
The Decentralized Internet offers many benefits. You will find a few of them here.
1. safe
Undoubtedly, decentralized internet networks will be one of the most secure networks. Blockchain technology guarantees the security of your data with encryption. In the blockchain, data from neighboring blocks is needed to validate the data. This means high-level encryption that cannot be broken.
2. Censorship
Decentralized Internet means very little censorship as opposed to centralized Internet. In the current system, service providers choose what to show to users. Since there is no central authority on the decentralized internet, it will be less censored by government or technology companies.
3. Effective viewing
Web 3.0 with a decentralized system can greatly improve web browsing by providing a more user-friendly interface. With a smarter algorithm and the use of artificial intelligence, users will be able to filter manipulated search results. And users receive only the most relevant information.
4. The data cannot be changed.
The use of blockchain technology means there will be no chance of unauthorized alteration or deletion of data. All change records are kept throughout the blockchain, even changes made by an authorized person.
5. Lack of centralized control
Thanks to the decentralized internet, data is no longer stored on centralized servers, which are at risk of corruption or DoS attacks from hackers. Since there will be several points of access to the Internet, it becomes almost impossible to stop the free flow of information.
Future
The future of Web 3.0 looks bright as the number of Internet connections grows around the world. The chances that blockchain-based internet will become a reality have increased. The Internet will be truly decentralized, as it was when the world wide web was first invented.
In the future, the Internet will be free of several tech giants dominating the Internet. Web 3.0 will provide a level playing field and allow users to control content rather than ISPs or technology companies.
The decentralized Internet may face some challenges as it becomes widespread. But as soon as it goes mainstream, users will regain full control over their data and personal data.
Output
Innovative services provided by ISPs and tech giants like Google and Facebook have fueled the growth of the Internet. But this left power in the hands of a few, and the Internet was controlled by governments and technical service providers.
Decentralized internet using blockchain can solve these internet problems. Thus, Decentralized Web 3.0 will provide secure internet connections with uncensored information flow.
According to Ahrefs.com, most of the world's internet traffic is directed to multiple websites. Sites like YouTube, Facebook and Amazon get the most out of it. Every Internet user has become addicted to such mega-corporations. Namely, Facebook for communication, Amazon for shopping, and Google for information access. Do you have questions about how this decentralized internet system became centralized?
Read on to find out.
From decentralized to centralized
Using the Internet, anyone can access an unlimited amount of information from anywhere. All you need is an internet connection.
Nowadays, the Internet is used for almost everything, such as shopping, paying bills and ordering groceries. You can even take part in the safari while sitting at home. The Internet has become a necessity for every person. If the internet goes down for a few seconds, it will wreak havoc on the world.
But all this development is happening due to the fact that the Internet is losing its decentralized identity. There used to be a time when anyone could publish anything on the Internet, regardless of a third party service provider. The Internet provides an equal opportunity for everyone with a level playing field.
It is true that no one still owns any significant part of the Internet infrastructure that connects us to the world wide web. But by using innovative ideas and providing easy-to-use platforms, companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon have taken over most of the internet's traffic. Several tech giants are now dominating the Internet with their services. Over the years, these tech companies have established a monopoly in their field. They also have control over what can be accessed over the Internet.
Mass distribution of the Internet
The massive spread of the Internet is the main reason that multiple websites dominate the web.
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) invented the earliest form of the Internet. They invented the Internet to provide computer communications in the event of a disaster or war. The Internet was designed to be decentralized to help access information even if one part of the network goes down.
Later, many institutions and organizations contributed to making the Internet what it is today.
The following inventions led to the massive adoption of the Internet.
1. The World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee changed the Internet forever by inventing the World Wide Web and HTML. Users can now access websites using the provided hyperlinks.
This whole system became known as the World Wide Web (WWW), so we must use “www” before entering the domain name we want to visit.
2. Browsers
The development of browsers helped make the Internet the reality it is today. With the invention of browsers, Internet access has become less complex and convenient.
Microsoft Internet Explorer, released in 1995, expanded the use of the Internet. Later, many browsers appeared that made Internet access convenient and user-friendly.
3. Search engines
When the Internet became popular, many websites appeared. The need for a search engine to index all websites was inevitable.
Many web search and indexing systems have emerged, such as Yahoo. But, as the undisputed leader in the search market, Google didn't emerge until the late 1990s.
Google has become super popular with its simple user interface and fast search results. Many people use the word "google" as a verb instead of searching the Internet.
4. Internet service providers
The Internet was now ready for mass adoption. All that was needed were service providers who could bring the Internet to people's homes. This is how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) appeared.
Internet service providers have begun to provide Internet access via dial-up modem at a speed of 14-28 kbps. With the development of technology, the data transfer rate is now approaching 100 Mbps.
Internet commercialization
With the advent of Internet service providers, Internet connections have become stable and reached the masses. Many businesses have started using the Internet, and many Internet applications have emerged. This was an important moment when the Internet became commercialized and Web 1.0 was born.
Microsoft has played an important role in expanding Internet use and commercialization. It all started with the launch of Internet Explorer built into Windows 95. Microsoft introduced the Internet to many novice users.
Slowly but steadily, the Internet gained momentum as many new users joined it. This has led to the exchange of large amounts of information on the Internet. This further enhanced the commercial aspects of the Internet.
And with commercialization, the process of centralization began.
As the Internet has become more commercially viable. Many new platforms have emerged that have allowed users to access information, communicate with ease and shop online.
This was the birth of Web 2.0 as the Web user interface became easy to navigate and users were able to access the Internet from a variety of devices.
Many companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google have come up with innovative ideas. They provided services that helped them dominate the internet.
These companies have now grown so much over the years that they account for the largest share of user attention and data. These data refer to modern oil, which is constantly being produced. The data is then sold to third-party companies, providing them with an advertising platform.
Undoubtedly, these companies only got so big by providing platforms to meet user needs. The problem is that they have become so big that it is almost impossible for new entrants to compete with them. They have tremendous power over what users can see and what they can't.
Facebook has grown so much over the years that it has acquired many smaller companies like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus. Providing a variety of services, from social media platforms to virtual reality devices. It's hard to find someone right now who hasn't used any of Facebook's products.
Likewise, Google has acquired many platforms over the years, making Google a multi-service giant. Google has Gmail, Google Maps, Gdrive, YouTube, and many other services. Almost everyone who has access to the Internet uses one or another Google service.
These platforms have access to a huge amount of user data. From where you go to what you like to watch.
Other platforms like Amazon, Twitter, and Snapchat dominate other demographics. Thus, the centralization of the Internet as the Internet became limited to a few service providers. The question arises: what is wrong with the centralized internet? if we receive quality services and stable Internet access.
What's wrong with the centralized internet?
We can define a centralized system as a system with concentrated power and authority. You might wonder if you can still use the Internet to create your own website and publish what you want.
Yes, you can do it. But you won't get traffic to your site if it's not indexed by Google. Or without a social media presence on one of Facebook's owned platforms. This is where everything becomes centralized.
The dominance of Facebook and Google has also led to behavioral changes in the way people access information. Previously, if a user wanted to read news, they would go to their favorite news site or blog. But now everything has changed.
Most people I know rely on Twitter microblogging sites for news or social media platforms like Facebook or WhatsApp for information.
Facebook alone has 2.70 billion monthly active users, and another 3.14 billion users are active on other Facebook-owned platforms.
Likewise, Google is a super popular search engine that processes about 5.8 billion searches every day. Google has become the only place most people go to to access information.
This has led to a transfer of power into the hands of a few, who have made them custodians of information that users can access. Related Fact: Facebook even tried to introduce a free internet service for first time users in India, which aims to make them think Facebook is the Internet.
Leakage and misuse of user data
By accessing these platforms, users give these platforms access to a large amount of their personal information. They know where you dined or watched a movie. They know your birthdays and anniversaries. Data is collected on an ongoing basis and will be used by third parties to serve you advertisements.
Every internet company uses a centralized system in which all information is stored in its own data centers. These centralized data centers face a serious threat of data security breaches.
Powerful Facebook recently suffered a data breach in which hackers exposed 530 million users' personal data. Almost every month, there is news of a data breach or data sale on the darknet.
The centralized data store provides hackers with a single target for accessing information. These centralized data centers of large technology companies are subject to many DDoS attacks.
User data is also misused by major tech companies or third-party advertisers to manipulate people. There have been cases of election manipulation where data was used to target voters through advertising to influence their voting decisions.
There was also a case where the government monitored its citizens and political dissidents using this data.
Fear of one-point failure
Centralized architectures are widely used for data management and storage. Having centralized data centers can lead to a single point of failure. There may be hacker attacks or technical problems that can cause the system to crash.
There is always news related to this or that service, faced with interruptions in work. When a centralized service such as Amazon Web Services goes down, many websites hosted using the services go down.
Likewise, an issue with Google servers can crash YouTube, Gmail, or Gdrive.
There have been many cases of single point failure. It makes people suffer from global disruption due to technical failures in some data centers.
You might think that if we are currently using a centralized internet. Then what is a decentralized internet and how to achieve it?
What is the Decentralized Internet?
The Decentralized Internet, as you might guess from the name, is an Internet system that does not have one owner. The decentralized Internet will have many owners who will keep a copy of the information that users can access.
The decentralized Internet can also fail, but it will not cause Internet failures like the centralized Internet. Since the data will be in many places, users can access it even if one or more servers fail. For example, torrent systems are used to exchange data. It uses a similar peer-to-peer exchange where many users share the same data.
Cryptocurrency is another example of what a decentralized system is capable of. Nowadays, everyone is talking about bitcoin, dogcoin or other newbies. Even if you are not interested in cryptocurrency, the system behind it must be blockchain.
Yes, blockchain is a technology that will help us make the Internet decentralized again. The idea put forward by many experts is to create a peer-to-peer internet network. When the community controls the system, not one ISP.
The decentralized system will create hundreds of access points or nodes through which users can access the Internet. This can only become a reality using blockchain. This is why Blockchain is the core concept envisioned for Web 3.0.
Decentralized Internet: Web 3.0
When the Internet came along, websites were static HTML sites called Web 1.0. Then the Internet evolved into Web 2.0, which led to the emergence of dynamic, user-driven websites. Web 2.0 spawned social media and companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google.
The definition of Web 3.0 is still evolving, but it will rely on peer-to-peer technology such as blockchain. Web 3.0 is an attempt to return to the original Internet, where people could control what they wanted to publish. An Internet where ISPs have no control over what you see and there is no single point of failure for the Internet.
Web 3.0 aims to overcome constant surveillance, targeted advertising, and crowding out the centralized tech giants that control much of the Internet. It will also allow users to control their data and decide who will have access to it and who will not.
Web 3.0 won't work without centralized servers, making it secure and free of a single point of failure.
Benefits of a Decentralized Internet
The Decentralized Internet offers many benefits. You will find a few of them here.
1. safe
Undoubtedly, decentralized internet networks will be one of the most secure networks. Blockchain technology guarantees the security of your data with encryption. In the blockchain, data from neighboring blocks is needed to validate the data. This means high-level encryption that cannot be broken.
2. Censorship
Decentralized Internet means very little censorship as opposed to centralized Internet. In the current system, service providers choose what to show to users. Since there is no central authority on the decentralized internet, it will be less censored by government or technology companies.
3. Effective viewing
Web 3.0 with a decentralized system can greatly improve web browsing by providing a more user-friendly interface. With a smarter algorithm and the use of artificial intelligence, users will be able to filter manipulated search results. And users receive only the most relevant information.
4. The data cannot be changed.
The use of blockchain technology means there will be no chance of unauthorized alteration or deletion of data. All change records are kept throughout the blockchain, even changes made by an authorized person.
5. Lack of centralized control
Thanks to the decentralized internet, data is no longer stored on centralized servers, which are at risk of corruption or DoS attacks from hackers. Since there will be several points of access to the Internet, it becomes almost impossible to stop the free flow of information.
Future
The future of Web 3.0 looks bright as the number of Internet connections grows around the world. The chances that blockchain-based internet will become a reality have increased. The Internet will be truly decentralized, as it was when the world wide web was first invented.
In the future, the Internet will be free of several tech giants dominating the Internet. Web 3.0 will provide a level playing field and allow users to control content rather than ISPs or technology companies.
The decentralized Internet may face some challenges as it becomes widespread. But as soon as it goes mainstream, users will regain full control over their data and personal data.
Output
Innovative services provided by ISPs and tech giants like Google and Facebook have fueled the growth of the Internet. But this left power in the hands of a few, and the Internet was controlled by governments and technical service providers.
Decentralized internet using blockchain can solve these internet problems. Thus, Decentralized Web 3.0 will provide secure internet connections with uncensored information flow.
