The notion of decentralization has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, due in large part to the gross irresponsibility of some of the world’s leading technology companies, but decentralization has a long and robust history, and even has entire political movements built around the concept.
"Decentralization has, not only an administrative value, but also a civic dimension, since it increases the opportunities for citizens to take interest in public affairs; it makes them get accustomed to using freedom. And from the accumulation of these local, active, persnickety freedoms, is born the most efficient counterweight against the claims of the central government, even if it were supported by an impersonal, collective will." - Alexis de Tocqueville
The internet has experienced a notable paradigm shift since it was created. In the “Wild West” days of the internet, neither the government nor mega-corporations existed on the web as they do today. Over the years, however, power has been consolidated into the hands of the few.
ARPAnet
The foundation for the internet as we know it was built during the Cold War by a U.S. government organization, the “Advanced Research Projects Agency.” The goal was to create a decentralized communications system that would function regardless of the health of the rest of the network.
In time, this project was taken over by the U.S. Defense Department, creating the DARPAnet, and then the National Science Foundation, the NSFnet, when the project grew to a such a size that the Defense Department was no longer willing to sponsor it.
Under the National Science Foundation, the NSFnet expanded to colleges and universities throughout the country, using Network Access Points built in separate regions to simplify access and routing issues. Related: How Will Europe's New Data Rules Impact Blockchain Startups?
In the early days of this internet, users would essentially place a call using a telephone line to another computer or to the ‘intranet’ of an organization, namely colleges, in what is known as a client/server architecture. Users could access email servers, bulletin boards, or research databases in order to share information and communicate with others connected to that server.
The World Wide Web
As more people were able to obtain personal computers, this net became larger, and with the creation of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991, which mandated that NSFnet access points be sold to the highest bidder, internet service providers entered the picture, allowing a greater number of users to connect with one another. This also ushered in the first stages of internet commercialization, with AOL arguably taking the lead.
AOL’s ‘carpet bombing’ advertising campaign, with piles of free trial disks on nearly every corner, resulted in over 50 percent of the internet-connected U.S. population accessing the web through AOL. To most users, the platform was simply a gateway to their favorite media sources, and coincidentally, AOL’s media partners. In addition to its pay-by-the-hour fees, AOL gained revenue through these partnerships, propelling it to a staggering $222 billion market cap in its peak.
While AOL’s reign was relatively short lived, its tremendous success arguably gave way to the internet as we know it now. Realizing its commercial promise, the internet turned into a river of capital promise, complete with everything we know and love about the web –a bombardment of advertising, get rich quick schemes, fake news, music, porn, and more!
Re-Decentralization
There has been some resistance to the status quo over the years, however. In addition to the cash funnels, data compilers, and subscription services, there are free encyclopedias, peer-to-peer file sharing programs, decentralized currencies, crowd funding, and user created content.
At the heart of the decentralization process are peer to peer, open source platforms. These platforms are built on the ideas of the early internet; they can be censorship resistant, scalable, and, in most cases, anonymous.
While blockchain technology opened new doors for the decentralization movement, there were already notable applications and websites operating under the same principles.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia may be a controversial addition to this list, but it the largest open, multilingual, editable, and free source of information on the internet. With over 40 million articles in more than 300 languages, it is one of the most visited sites on the web – and it is 100% free to use.
Though it has received criticism from academics disputing the accuracy of the content, its open platform allows for content to be fact-checked and edited to achieve a greater consensus on a particular topic.
Dr. Larry Sanger, Wikipedia’s co-founder, understands the importance of an accessible database of knowledge, and he is looking to take the idea to the next level.
Currently, Wikipedia is vulnerable to censorship in certain countries as it is not completely decentralized. Dr. Sanger is looking to change that – joining Everpedia to create a blockchain-based, completely decentralized online encyclopedia that will be truly free to use worldwide.
Tor
Tor, or “the Onion Router”, is another platform not built on blockchain technology that has truly helped to open up the internet. Developed in 2002, Tor directs internet traffic through an overlay network allowing users to conceal their identity, avoid surveillance, and send messages anonymously. While the platform does not completely ensure privacy, it does make it exceedingly difficult to track a user’s actions on the internet.
Tor, like many other decentralized applications, has received its share of criticism. Due to its anonymous nature, it has been used to carry out illicit activities, though its numerous benefits, from protecting the identities of journalists to accessing content in countries which restrict access to the internet, make it a difficult platform to regulate.
BitTorrent
In the wake of Napster’s rise and fall, a new peer to peer file sharing movement was born. BitTorrent is one of the most commonly used of these protocols. In 2004, BitTorrent was responsible for more than 25 percent of all internet traffic.
In order to reduce the impact of downloading large files from a single user, BitTorrent broke down into separate, cryptographically encrypted pieces which allowed users to easily download or distribute large files, even with slow connections. Related: A New Battleground In The Global E-Commerce War
BitTorrent has been used by broadcasters, software producers, and even governments to distribute files, updates, and educational material.
Bitcoin
Arguably the most important and widely adopted of decentralized applications, bitcoin is the first peer to peer currency built on blockchain technology. While primarily a disruptive financial tool, new off-chain solutions are coming to fruition, allowing developers to create decentralized applications and smart contracts on top of the bitcoin blockchain in a similar fashion to Ethereum.
Bitcoin is largely responsible for the resurgence of the decentralization push. Its rapid rise in popularity has ushered in a new era of possibilities and use-cases for blockchain technology.
Other DApps
Blockchain tech has created new opportunities for decentralization in ways previously not thought possible. Users are constantly building new platforms which have the potential to share information directly and securely, create a sovereign digital identity, participate in governance in entirely new ways, disrupt the financial system, and more.
As governments and corporations become increasingly involved in our private lives, these decentralized applications will allow us a new opportunity to truly have a voice and a choice of our own. From sharing files to creating entirely decentralized and autonomous organizations, we are on the cusp of a new shift in power.
As Alexis de Tocqueville noted, decentralization allows us an “effective counterweight to the claims of the central government.”
By Michael Kern via Crypto Insider
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