Revolutionising Communication: A Comprehensive Analysis of 4P Email & Chat in Contrast to Existing Web2 & Web3 Communication Platforms
1) Introduction
In the current world of digital communication, innovative technologies are constantly shaping how we connect. Back in the day, the telegraph represented reliable global communication, but with the arrival of microprocessors and the internet, the way we interact and talk to each other changed forever.
Now, we’re stepping into a new era of digital communication with blockchain technology, which enables security, self-custodianship, and permissionless access, within decentralized digital communication unavailable in existing Legacy communication platforms. This means that we as users can finally have control over our communication data, while the blockchain’s distributed nature keeps everything super safe.
After the groundbreaking advancements of electricity, microprocessors, and the internet, we can now refer to blockchain as the fourth pillar of technology innovation hence the 4thPillar project or short 4P. In this article, we will dive into the problems of current Web2 Legacy communication platforms and explain why 4Ps email and chat are revolutionary in many ways changing the digital communication narrative as we know it. To expose the 4P application’s unique solution and clarify the crucial differences between existing Web2 and Web3 communication platforms, we have prepared a comprehensive analysis accompanied by feature comparison tables.
2) Decentralised Model as the Foundation
Legacy Web2 applications use centralized databases which are vulnerable to potential security breaches, data loss, and single points of failure. The risks of centralized databases include vulnerabilities to insider attacks and the potential for unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of data. Conversations can be E2E encrypted but usually the intermediary holds the master keys. Furthermore, intermediary platforms control and mine the data that is created by users, so in other words users are paying for the communication service in their data. Legacy communication applications are easy to access and seem »free« to use but keep in mind that if you are not paying for the product, you are the product.
As we progress it is essential to understand that by enabling big tech to use our data the world becomes exponentially more centralized and controlled. With all the algorithms that process and use our data to »personalize« our online experience, the world and you with it are becoming predictable and characterless. The shift to decentralized on-chain communication is one of the first steps towards digital communication data democratization. Every change is hard, but in the end, having a parallel choice is always good, while it all comes down to us making an effort to understand and utilize solutions like 4P.
4P embraces a decentralized model which differs it from the Web2 communication platforms and most of the Web2.5/Web3 competitors. This shift has groundbreaking implications for users’ communication access, control, privacy, and data ownership. Compared to many Web3 competitors, 4P has no long roadmap to decentralization, nor does it take any shortcuts. Due to its unique on-chain “1 email/message = 1 L1/L2 transaction” model, the 4Ps decentralization coefficient directly correlates to the decentralization of the underlying public blockchain network. While, emails or messages are represented as L1 or L2 transactions, encrypted data files and bigger objects are stored on decentralized storage. This model enables “true” decentralized communication that is self-custodial, permissionless, immutable, and Web2 data mining-resistant, therefore the complete opposite of the Legacy centralized communication platforms that we use and depend on every day.
4P is a decentralized Web3 application with no centralized database where all data is controlled by the users. The chat wallet-to-wallet message exchange happens on-chain as one short encrypted message represents one L1/L2 blockchain transaction. As email is data heavier, lite encrypted JSON objects are created to hold email metadata. The link to this metadata and checksum is recorded on-chain as a blockchain transaction, while the encrypted data and media files are stored on decentralized storage that is represented as a dynamic storage NFT giving users complete control over their data.
The communication experience can be compared to sending funds to another wallet, but instead, emails and messages get exchanged. The sender confirms the email or message by signing a wallet transaction. By embracing decentralization principles, the 4P application prevents Web2 data mining, data ownership loss, and de-platforming while enabling secure, permissionless, immutable, and self-custodial P2P on-chain communication.
3) Empowering Users with Self-Custodial E2E Communication Encryption
4P uses a wallet-to-wallet self-custodial encryption mechanism via open-source Encryption Extension. Encryptor Extension adds the communication end-to-end encryption layer currently unavailable in the existing wallets. It enables users to take control over their communication encryption, enabling encryption self-custody. By controlling the Encryptor seed phrase, you remove the intermediary and control the encryption and its use, decreasing vulnerability and data breach risks. With this approach, 4P enables a level of security and privacy, unseen in Legacy communication platforms.
4) Permissionless Access and Immutable Conversations
Web2 communication apps have the power to decide whether or not you can join and stay on their platform. There are numerous de-platforming use cases known, where users were denied access with no fault of their own. A key feature of the 4P application lies in its permissionless access, ensuring everyone is included. Users can engage without the need for intermediary permissions. Only a wallet and transaction gas are needed and you are good to go. Due to the fundamental nature of blockchain, the on-chain communication brings immutability of conversations, which ensures that once a message is sent, it remains permanent enabling transparency and trust within digital communication until now unseen in legacy platforms.
5) Data Ownership Paradigm Shift
One of the critical flaws of the Web2 Legacy communication platforms is the loss of data ownership. The moment you upload your data files to an online email or share it within a messaging app you lose the ownership of that data. Simply put, you exchange it for the ease of access to your data.
Have you heard of the saying “Code is Law”? Combined with decentralization, cryptography and decentralized storage, the 4Ps code enables users to communicate and exchange data in a 100% self-custodial manner without revealing or giving access to their data to the 4P application. the 4P application can not access or view users’ data in any way, its coding prevents it!
One of the key legos helping to solve this challenge is PollinationX. PollinationX enables decentralized storage as a service. It sits between decentralized storage networks and applications such as 4P dMail & dChat. PollinationX’s main innovation is decentralized storage NFT. Programmed with predetermined storage capacity, the PollinationX Storage NFT or short PX sNFT represents the decentralized storage unit (e.g. 100MB, 5GB, 10GB, 20GB, 100GB) and enables users to mint the storage according to specific needs in a true self-custodial manner. By minting a storage NFT, you acquire needed storage which can be accessed only by you. The self-custodial aspect is presented again and data ownership retention is achieved. No longer subject to centralized data control, users retain full ownership of their communication data, challenging the norms set by competitors. There are no storage intermediaries or centralized databases, all data is managed by you and only you.
6) 4P Email & Chat Comparison with Legacy Web2 platforms
We prepared comprehensive comparison tables to further illustrate and point out the main differences.
6.1) Email;
6.2) Chat;
6.3) Table Attribute Explanation;
● Model: Web2 legacy communication platforms may currently excel in speed and ease of access, but its centralized model has not proven reliable and sustainable in the long run. 4P sources its security from underlying decentralized blockchain networks enabling communication permissionless, immutability and self-custody, while preventing data ownership loss.
● Decentralized Storage: Existing legacy communication platforms use centralized databases which are vulnerable to potential security breaches, data loss, and single points of failure. 4P utilises decentralized storage instead of a centralised database, which empowers users with data self-custody and prevents security breaches.
● Self-Custodial E2E Encryption: End-to-end encryption has also become present within legacy communication platforms. The only problem is that users don’t control the encryption keys. By owning encryption keys, 4P enables users to take control over their communication encryption in a true self-custodial way.
● Permissionless Access: In comparison to permisioned legacy communication applications, 4P allows users to onboard permissionally without any approvals.
● Immutable Communication: Due to its unique 1 email/message = 1 L1/L2 transaction model, the 4P emails and messages are immutable, enhancing communication transparency and trust.
● Communication & Data Portability: Compared to siloed legacy communication applications, the emails, messages and accompanying data within the 4P system are portable. 4P application acts only as a conduit enabling communication interaction.
● Self-Custodial Open-source Application: Existing legacy communication applications are custodial by nature, meaning they control, manage and own your communication data while granting access permissions and managing communication encryption keys. As a complete opposite, the 4P application works in a true self-custodial way. Communication is executed on public blockchains where only users can access and decrypt it using their private keys. In the case of the 4P downtime, anyone can spin up and run their open-source dMail or dChat client and access their communication data.
● dID Self-Custody: Legacy communication applications own user handles, which in fact act as user digital identity. In the case of 4P, the user wallet acts as dID, making digital identity truly self-custodial and within the user’s control.
● No Data-Ownership Loss: By utilising self-custodial decentralized storage NFTs, 4P enables users to retain data ownership, ensuring they retain full control over their communication data. Access to communication data is possible only with the user’s private key!
● Data Mining: Data mining has become the core revenue driver behind existing legacy communication platforms. Due to the 4P’s decentralized and self-custodial design, the users are in complete control over their data. No data ownership is lost or data mined in the process.
● De-platforming Resistant: Due to its permissioned model, many de-platforming use cases are happening in legacy communication applications. The modular, self-custodial design and communication data portability excludes de-platforming as a concept.
7) 4P Email & Chat Comparison with Web3 Platforms
7.1) Email;
7.2) Chat;
7.3) Table Attribute Explanation;
● Decentralization Coefficient: Compared to many Web3 competitors, 4P has no long roadmap to decentralization, nor does it take any shortcuts. Due to its unique on-chain “1 email/message = 1 L1/L2 transaction” model, the 4Ps decentralization coefficient directly correlates to the decentralization of the underlying public blockchain network.
● W2W Login: In most cases, users don’t own their email address, which is owned by the email platform. On the other hand, users do own their wallet address, which enables permissionless 4P login access with no phone number required.
● Public On-Chain Communication: In the case of 4P, one email or message is represented as one L1 or L2 transaction, while data files and bigger objects are stored on decentralized storage. This model enables “true” decentralized communication that is non-custodial, permissionless, immutable, and Web2 data mining-resistant therefore the complete opposite of the legacy off-chain centralized communication that we use every day.
● Group Chat: 4P enables the creation of chat groups where messages in the form of L1/L2 transactions are executed via public blockchains. Depending on the E2E encryption utilisation the groups can be private or public.
● Self-Custodial E2E Encryption: Encryptor Extension adds the communication end-to-end encryption layer within dMail & dChat currently unsupported in major wallets. It enables user encryption self-custody not available before in any digital communication.
● E2E Group Chat E2E Encryption: Developing the framework for on-chain end-to-end encryption group messaging was a challenge. Solved by the OCC SDK by the random generation of the secret key, that is used to encrypt/decrypt messages. The secret key is distributed to all group members and separately encrypted with AES over the ECDH key agreement protocol.
● Immutable Communication: Due to its unique 1 email/message = 1 L1/L2 transaction model, the 4P emails and messages are immutable, enhancing communication transparency and trust.
● Communication & Data Portability: Compared to siloed communication applications, the emails, messages and accompanying data within the 4P system are portable. 4P application acts only as a conduit enabling communication interaction.
● Self-Custodial Open-source Application: Communication is executed on public blockchains where only users can access it and decrypt it using their private keys. In the case of the 4P downtime, anyone can spin up their open-source Email or Chat client and access their communication data.
● Decentralized Storage: 4P utilises self-custodial decentralized storage via PollinationX. Programmed with predetermined storage capacity, the PollinationX Storage NFT or short PX sNFT represents the decentralized storage unit (e.g. 100MB, 5GB, 10GB, 20GB, 100GB) and enables users to mint the storage according to specific needs in a true self-custodial manner.
● Multi-Chain: 4P multi-chain support allows it to be usable across various public EVM blockchains, providing flexibility and choice.
● Data Mining: Data mining has become the core revenue driver behind many communication platforms. Due to the 4P’s decentralized and self-custodial design, the users are in complete control over their data. No data ownership is lost or data mined in the process.
● De-platforming Resistant: The modular, self-custodial design and communication data portability excludes de-platforming as a concept.
● White-Label: The 4P application is open-source so anyone can fork it. It will also be available as plug & play white label shortly.
8) Transforming Digital Communication Paradigms
In the ever-evolving digital communication landscape, 4P emerges as a one-of-a-kind project, leveraging blockchain as the fourth pillar of technological innovation. Departing from traditional Web2 structures, 4P uses a decentralized model, empowering users with total control over their communication and data in a modular, non-custodial, permissionless, and immutable manner. Together on-chain communication and decentralized storage redefine the paradigm, countering Web2 data mining while safeguarding communication and data ownership. The robust encryption mechanism and decentralization of the underlying blockchain networks unlock unparalleled communication security, while open-source and permissionless reinforce transparency and inclusivity. In its pursuit, 4P redefines data ownership through NFT-based storage, challenging centralization norms and reshaping communication as we know it.
Ian Božič, Contributor to the 4thPillar Project
Disclaimer
The research data was collected to the best of our ability and understanding. In the case of incorrect data, please submit a correction.
Neither this article nor any information materials made available to you on the Websites associated with the 4P project or Four Tokens or accompanied protocols must be understood as our advice to purchase Four Tokens. We give you no guarantee, advice or other assurance as regards the value of the Four Tokens, their availability, transferability, safe storage in the Wallets and other qualities.
