Blockchain technology could allow people to take back control of their personal data.
How secure do you feel about divulging private information online? If you’re like most, sharing that information can leave you feeling a bit unsettled. Especially in the wake of Facebook’s recent privacy scandals.
With the help of uncensorable communication, personal cloud servers, and private data streaming, along with a few startup organizations, blockchain could revolutionize the way we communicate.
Uncensorable
According to Freedom House, an independent watchdog group, in 2018 internet freedom declined for the eighth consecutive year.
An increasing number of governments are tightening control over citizen internet activities, monitoring and censoring voices on social media. From there, anything is possible, including the ability for governments to use social media to orchestrate influence campaigns and manipulate society.
Censorship is far more difficult to implement in a decentralized world.
“Blockchain is decentralized, transparent and open, but you can move encrypted data in a manner that is accountable,” says Mick Hagen, founder and CEO of Mainframe, a privacy platform company seeking to build some secure communications. “While the decentralized structure relies on hundreds, or even thousands of verifiers, in some ways it is much more private.”
Personalization
Another form of security, personal cloud servers allow individuals to own their own “digital land” and register it under one of hundreds of possible communities. This makes it easier for people to find friends who are not using the same hashtags or in the same friend group in social networks.
Incentive mechanisms will motivate users to move to new platforms and create content there. Incentive mechanisms reward online contributors directly, unlike social media networks that harvest data from users while generating advertising revenue.
Prepare for the Blockchain Revolution
Blockchain has the potential to impact a variety of industries, from communications to real estate, healthcare, and more. To prepare for the revolution, make sure you understand what blockchain is and what it can do. IEEE’s Introduction to Blockchain Technology is a three-course training program to help you make sense of the technology and discover what it can do for your industry. Order this program for your company today.
Resources
Lee, Sherman. (8 Feb 2019). Meet The Blockchain Startups That Want To Change How We Communicate. Forbes.
[…] worry about social media platforms keeping their private data private. Blockchain provides the solution by decentralizing data to provide a way for only intended users […]