Use Protocols, Not Services
8 days ago
- #Decentralization
- #Internet Privacy
- #Protocols vs Services
- The Internet is designed to be anonymous and privacy-preserving, but centralization on closed platforms breaks these properties by enabling identification.
- Governments can easily target centralized services with subpoenas or regulations to enforce user identification, censorship, or compliance.
- Protocols like IRC, XMPP, ActivityPub, Nostr, or Matrix cannot be compelled to enforce age verification or other regulations because there is no single entity to pressure.
- Switching from one centralized service to another does not solve the problem, as the new service will face the same regulations or be blocked once it grows.
- The solution is to use protocols instead of services, as protocols are resilient and allow users to switch providers or self-host without losing functionality.
- Email (SMTP) is an example of a resilient protocol; even if major providers like Google or Microsoft block you, you can still use other providers or self-host.
- Centralized services can permanently delete or ban users, making them lose access completely, unlike protocols which offer more flexibility and control.