We’ve come a long way from the early days of simple HTML pages and text-only emails of Web 1.0. Every day there seems to be some novel use for the internet, whether it’s food delivery or turning on your air conditioner with your smartphone, as our current internet, Web 2.0, becomes increasingly more global.
Many experts believe we’re at the threshold of a new era of the internet, affectionately called Web 3.0. Powered by Blockchain technology, Web 3.0 promises to overcome the limitations of the internet as we know it today, ushering in a new age of open connectivity, trust and security, creating a faster, more intuitive and user-centric internet.
Let’s take a look at how Web 3.0 will surpass the limits of Web 2.0.
Making ‘data gatekeepers’ obsolete
One of the biggest facets of the current internet is the need for some kind of central authority to manage all interactions and data exchanges between users.
Many of these gatekeepers offer their services for free, but there is a hidden cost: the privacy of our user data. Data privacy concerns and practices that involve mining, trading and selling user data without consent are rampant and a major issue in the way the internet works today.
Blockchain technology, the backbone of Web 3.0, removes the need of gatekeepers and intermediaries by making data truly private and user-owned, rendering it inaccessible to unauthorised parties.
Lowering the risks of data leaks
The last ten years have seen a massive increase in data leaks and hacks across all sorts of digital services, thanks to the advancements in hacking technology and inadequate data security practices.
But since Web 3.0 takes a decentralised approach to data security, that means no single organisation would be hoarding your data. When data is distributed across a Blockchain-powered network, data leaks and hacks become far less likely.
Putting a stop to unethical Data trading
User data and databases are incredibly valuable. That data can be used by advertising companies to actively profile customers and individuals, and target specific ads to specific types of users. This allows advertising companies to digitally follow their prospective audiences, showing them relevant ads at relevant places. This also means that no one’s data is truly ‘private’. Any kind of data leak or irresponsible data handling can put a massive number of users at risk. The way Web 3.0 is structured, this kind of data collection would basically be impossible to carry out. The decision to share your data would be completely up to you.
Building a more transparent, trust-driven internet
In an ideal world, there would be no need for sophisticated security systems and institutions to regulate and manage our data transactions.
Unfortunately, at this time we have to rely on such institutions to safeguard our data, a job that is not always done in our best interests.
Web 3.0, supported by Blockchain technology, offers an alternative: a truly decentralised internet that promises full privacy, anonymity and data security.
Thanks to its secure encryption and self-regulating nature, no centralised data institutions would be necessary. Websites and apps will be free to focus on the interests of their users, as opposed to catering to the agendas of the massive data companies that currently dominate the world wide web.
This transition will take some time. But as the underlying distributed ledger technology of Blockchain becomes more widely adopted, we will slowly but surely see a new kind of open, fair-use, trust-driven internet emerge. The age of Web 3.0 would finally have arrived.
Top comments (1)
Apparently my understanding of blockchain is lacking. I thought it worked off information being recorded in a distributed fashion, this would mean a lack of control on the information in the system.