YouPic Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

YouPic
YouPic
Sep 7, 2018 · 6 min read

We have gathered the most commonly asked questions into one place to help introduce the YouPic Protocol to beginners.

What is Blockchain Technology?

Put briefly, the blockchain is a distributed ledger database that can be used to store or transmit unique sets of data. The platform is peer-to-peer, meaning that there is no middle-man in the transmission process. It’s peer-to-peer nature is critical, as it maximizes the efficiency of the technology, and ensures that no other parties can access, copy, or alter the data. Each set of data is attached to an owner, who is the only person (or party/organization) that can access or alter that data.

The blockchain’s main purpose is to act as an audit log, storing and tracking all the data run through it. You can think of it as a modern version of a traditional notebook ledger, but infinitely larger, more efficient, and available for both public and private use. It importantly removes the need for central bookkeeping, and allows for the transmission of data, money, or ownership rights, without the need for middle men, like banks.

The blockchain underpins cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, and is a critical part of the transmission of digital currency. When a person sends another person Bitcoin, for instance, the transaction is recorded on the blockchain along with data including prior ownership, current ownership, amount sent, and the time/date the transaction was completed. Cryptocurrency transactions are not the only things that the blockchain is used for, other examples include supply chains, logistics, insurance, healthcare, and now, photography ownership rights.

What Does Decentralization Mean?

A crucial aspect of the blockchain is the fact that it is decentralized, meaning that no central party owns or operates the technology. As a general concept, decentralization can apply to anything, ranging from organizations to currencies (like Bitcoin). Here at YouPic, we feel that decentralization is one of the most important aspects of the blockchain, as it can never be stopped by a centralized party. Because the general technology cannot be altered, neither can the information being stored or transmitted on it.

In addition to keeping the data immutable, decentralization provides a fairer system for all the users of the Blockchain, because there is no group deciding which data, or users, to accept or reject. In order to efficiently store and transmit data, the blockchain utilizes a consensus protocol to validate the activity occurring on the platform. This sounds incredibly complex, but in essence it is actually quite simple. A consensus protocol uses a series of devices (nodes) to run the digital platform and to confirm the data being sent through it. Unlike internet servers, no single group operates or owns all the validators, so if one shuts down, it won’t have any significant effect on the blockchain.

A few key benefits decentralization brings to the blockchain include:

  • Resistance to failure — a decentralized system is more resistant to failure, because the likelihood of all the operational components failing is incredibly unlikely.
  • Collusion-tolerance — It’s very hard for participants in a decentralized system to act in ways that will benefit them solely. No decentralized group can act in a way that benefits them at the expense of others.
  • Less prone to attacks — decentralized systems are significantly harder to attack, destroy, or manipulate, simply because they lack a single focal point that can be attacked.

The YouPic team is incredibly excited about the future of the blockchain, and we are constantly looking for ways in which we can utilize cutting edge technology to benefit the photography industry. The public and decentralized nature of the technology can bring a never before seen level of clearly defined ownership and distribution rights for photographers around the world.

Why did we choose Telegram as our main communication platform?

We chose Telegram to be our main method of communicating with investors and YouPic community members mainly due to the ease of bot use and the encryption of all messages sent through the platform. We are striving to create an environment in which it is easy and safe to exchange the information needed to be involved in our token platform, and Telegram has proven to be the best option for us and the greater cryptocurrency community.

Similar projects to YouPic have already been created, what makes the YouPic blockchain project worth investing in?

  • YouPic has 2 million existing members, and over 15 million images
  • YouPic offers an open source image and contract database
  • Truly decentralized
  • No owner
  • No centralized profits
  • You choose the distribution channels of your images

What problems does YouPic solve?

Presently, the photographic marketplace contains several key actors who are currently fighting to keep content and clients on their respective networks. The YouPic blockchain enables all of these players to use one shared ledger for the copyright industry without having to compete against one another. YouPic is a truly open source platform.

In addition to solving a pressing issue in the photography industry, the YouPic blockchain has three other key features:

Security

  • You can rest assured knowing that photos uploaded on the YouPic blockchain will not be misused.

Image origin index with corresponding contracts

  • For images found online, the creator of the image and the corresponding licenses will be attached to that particular image on the YouPic blockchain
  • YouPic offers total transparency and control over your images, regardless of how the images are distributed

Payment solution for licensing

  • We automatically handle the licensing rights and payment distribution for the images

How can we create trackable images and their corresponding licenses?

Since all images shown online is loaded to the browser, we can take the image information from the browser and check it towards the image keys saved on the blockchain, if we have a match, we display the creator and the images corresponding licenses. Moreover, if you are interested in purchasing the image, it can be done directly on the site you found the image.

So when I have uploaded and registered my photo on the blockchain, how can you make sure that the images are not being misused?”

Simply because we scrape images online and compare their usage with the licenses connected to the image.

How can we offer total transparency and control over your images, regardless of how the images are distributed?

We can do this because we save the image key/hash on the blockchain. This means that we need only to match images towards their respective keys on the blockchain, and are not forced to rely on a image database or storage solution. Moreover all actions on the blockchain can be read in real time, this means as soon as the transaction is done, the buyer, the photographer and all other stakeholders on the copyright gets noticed.

What is YouPic’s business model?

YouPic blockchain is a non-profit organization building an open-source protocol. All the fees associated with uploading pictures or creating smart contracts goes towards management of the nodes that keep the YouPic blockchain running. A significant portion of the total token supply will be set aside for developer grants and for the YouPic Foundation, which helps fund ongoing and future development of the protocol. You can find more details about our business model in our upcoming token sale announcement blog post.

Is my image data private with YouPic?

YouPic’s mission is to create a decentralized and privacy preserving method for content creators to share images, and sometimes this entails sharing the truth. Civil journalists in countries with tyrannical regimes often struggle to share photos that expose the true state of the country. Photographers on YouPic can remain completely anonymous and generate verifiable ownership claims and keep their information private until they decide to share it with another user or application. Users can rotate their public key for each Ownership Claim to maintain anonymity. The Ownership Claim can be kept private until the users chooses to share it with an application or with another party.


Have any more questions or want to get in touch? Please feel free to email us at info@youpic.com

YouPic

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YouPic

YouPic is the place for photography enthusiast around the world to be inspired, develop their skills and receive recognition. www.youpic.com

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