Recently, control of the World Wide Web and users data has passed almost completely into the hands of several large companies, but with the advent of the third generation of Web 3.0, which carries a new concept, which is the decentralization of the Web, this situation will be corrected and bring comprehensive changes to the entire field.
Moreover, this idea already has supporters among the creators of the Internet, so we will try to understand what is the basis of the term for the third generation of Web 3.0 and what are the differences that distinguish it from its predecessors, the first and second generations, Web 2.0 and Web 1.0?
Beginning with the advent of the first generation of Web 1.0, the World Wide Web was defined as simply a collection of websites with static information and no interactive content.
Connecting to the Internet means dialing up through worn-out modems and preventing anyone in the house from using the phone while connected to the network.
The chat room networks AOL, MSN Messenger, AltaVista, and Ask Jeeves were extremely slow.
As for playing videos and music, that was a fantasy as downloading a song used to take at least an entire day.
The second generation of the Web 2.0: characterized by interactive content
In 2005, Tim O’Reilly predicted the development of many websites that would combine some general principles with the trend toward interactivity to facilitate collaboration and social communication among Internet users. This phenomenon was later called Web 2.0.
A distinctive feature of Web 2.0 is to attract a large number of users to enter and exchange different types of information at the same time.
All this global exchange of information flows is happening at tremendous speed, this is how various types of social networks, blogging platforms, and wiki projects have been developed, the most popular of which are Wikipedia, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.
Over time and effort, modem memory improved, boring interfaces changed dramatically, and higher Internet speeds paved the way for interactive content, as the Internet was no longer limited to just watching, but rather became characterized by sharing.
Accordingly, sharing information helped lead to the emergence of social media, and YouTube, Wikipedia, Flickr, and then Facebook gave voices to the voiceless and a way for like-minded communities to flourish.
An important example for us of how important Web 2.0 is is that it will only take 30 seconds to publish this article on our website today.
It is an improvement that came as a result of the time and effort expended by designers and developers specialized in developing content management sites.
Since the spread of information has become very simple, we will find here a question that arises: The second generation of Web 2.0 is great, so what went wrong for an alternative to appear?
Information is money
Web 3.0 was designed not to replace the second generation, but to improve its flaws and fix its weaknesses.
According to a United Nations report, the number of Internet users around the world increased from 738 million users in 2000 to 3.2 billion users in 2015.
Therefore, major digital companies realized that user’s personal information is a very valuable asset, and from here they began mass storing data in central servers, as major technology companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter do.
Hence the security threats of invading users’ privacy to increase the profits of these services. Whether users know it or not, their identities, browsing histories, searches, and online shopping information have been sold to the highest bidder.
The third generation web revolution Web 3.0
With the second generation of Web 2.0 reaching this stage, users are dreaming of an alternative, so the next network is envisioned as Web 3.0.
It will take us nostalgia for the working principle of Web 1.0 while developing and addressing the flaws of Web 2.0 where more user control and more privacy, instead of concentrating the power – which is data – in the hands of companies with questionable motives, the sole control of this data will be the users themselves.
Creating a more equitable and transparent web dates back to around 2006, but the tools and techniques weren’t available to make it happen.
Three years later, the term Bitcoin appeared, bringing with it the idea of a distributed ledger – one of the basic accounting records, or the Blockchain for peer-to-peer digital storage, so that decentralization became the idea and the Blockchain was its basis. Now we have what is described as the Human-Centered Internet.
The pro-privacy: anti-monopoly Internet
It’s easy to imagine a not-so-distant future in which crypto-based phones, VPNs, decentralized storage, and cryptocurrency wallets are widespread without the need for network providers to log our information.
If we want to avoid privacy breaches, these are the tools we need. Here are some advantages that Web 3.0 offers:
1. There is no central point of control
The third party will be removed from the equation, as blockchains such as Ethereum provide a platform with greater trust – unbreakable rules where data is fully encrypted.
Companies such as Alphabet, which owns Google, and Apple will no longer be able to control user data. No government or entity will have the ability to stop sites and services; No individual can control the identities of others.
2. Ownership of data
Users will regain full control of the data and have the security of encryption. Information can then be shared on a case-by-case basis and a permission basis.
Nowadays, large companies like Amazon and Facebook have servers that store information about food preferences, income, interests, credit card details, and more, and they are not limited to improving their services as marketers and advertisers pay billions annually for this data.
3. Huge reduction in hacks and data breaches
Because the data will be decentralized and distributed, hackers will need to shut down the entire network, while state-sponsored tools like Vault7 – exposed by WikiLeaks leaks in 2017 – will become obsolete.
Nowadays, Internet companies sometimes have to hand over user data or undergo scanning of the entire database, as data access is not limited only to major security threats such as terrorism.
In 2017, a federal court in California ordered CoinBase, the largest digital currency exchange company in the United States, to hand over the records of more than 15,000 customers, in response to a case brought by the US Internal Revenue Service, known as the IRS.
The case, which Coinbase ultimately lost, paved the way for government entities to view the financial records of thousands of customers, with little reason to justify it.
There are other cases. In 2013, encrypted email service provider Lavabit chose to go out of business rather than hand over its SSL keys to the US government, which wanted to monitor Edward Snowden.
In addition, all of this will reduce the cost spent on addressing the hacks that occur continuously these days, as the cost of hacks is expected to exceed 2.1 trillion US dollars.
4. Interoperability
The applications will be easy to customize and can work on different operating systems without special requirements, in addition to being able to work on smartphones, TVs, cars, microwaves, and smart sensors.
Nowadays, applications are tied to a specific operating system and are often limited to one operating system. For example, many cryptocurrency wallets found on Android are not available on iOS, which causes frustration for customers who use multiple devices.
It adds expenses for developers who are tasked with creating more than one version of a single application, in addition to future updates.
5. Permissionless blockchains
Anyone can create an address and interact with the network, there will be no exaggerated permissions as users will not be blocked based on their geographic location, income, gender, orientation, or any other set of socio-demographic factors.
Wealth and other digital assets can be transferred across borders quickly and efficiently anywhere in the world.
6. Uninterrupted service
Account suspension and distributed denial of service are significantly reduced because there is no single point that causes the entire system to stop working when something goes wrong, so service disruption will be minimal.
Data will also be stored on distributed nodes to ensure redundancy and multiple backups will prevent a server from crashing or being taken over.
How will Web 3.0 work?
To access the decentralized web, an effective way for the user to interact with dApps and other services will be needed.
People will still use web browsers to access the Internet, and Web 3.0 will generally be easier to use.
On the surface, the learning curve and transition from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 will be gentle, but behind the scenes, the framework that connects users to digital services will be markedly different.
Financial transactions – buying and selling – will be carried out and verified manually, to prevent platforms from recording and retaining personal data without a convincing reason.
- Instead of Google Drive or Dropbox, you’ll find other services like Storj, Siacoin, Filecoin, or IPFS technology for file distribution and storage.
- Instead of Skype, you will find platforms like Experty.io.
- Instead of instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat, you will find Status.
- Instead of current mobile operating systems Android and iOS, you’ll find web application software platforms like Essentia.one and EOS that are a gateway to the new web.
- Akasha or Steemit will play the role of Facebook and Twitter, Brave will replace Chrome, and Ethlance can replace Upwork.
These are a few examples of alternative platforms and sites, but as the third-generation web comes into play, new platforms will emerge with a stronger level of competition that will no longer be controlled by monopolistic providers.
It is expected to be one of the best dApps and decentralized services we will be using three years from now.
Nowadays, decentralized applications, wallets, platforms, and other digital assets make up Web 3.0.
Accessing these interfaces requires logins and identities much like Web 2.0 is currently working with.
Using Blockchain technology, the user will be able to store his data online without the need for central servers.
Through Blockchain, each record will be copied on many computers and linked to a pair of encryption keys, one public and the other private. The owner of the private key will be the real owner of the data, not the computers that store it.
Just as Web 2.0 did not automatically discontinue Web 1.0, the transition to Web 3.0 will take time and integration with existing systems on the Internet. It has already been implemented and we have passed the point of no return.
