A Decentralized Dream Gone Awry: How Google and Facebook Steered the Internet in the Wrong Direction

Due to the proliferation of blockchain technologies, conversations around decentralization have been rekindled. But what many fail to realize is that the internet was once a decentralized entity. As a matter of fact, in the early 70’s the internet was a small and decentralized collective of individual computers. Over time, the dreams of decentralization became reduced to exactly that — a dream. Centralization has occurred for many reasons, however; some of the largest culprits are tech giants like Facebook and Google.

Origins of Decentralization

The internet was designed to be decentralized. During its formative years, the internet was considered a tool for the Department of Defense. The goal was to develop a data communications network powered by multiple non-connected computers. Decentralization was a way to ensure safety because if one individual computer went down, the system would remain intact. The decentralized nature and peer-to-peer connectivity were critical because it prevented total dependence on a single system during times of war. Some of the first computers were called Interface Message Processors; these systems could send messages from one system to another. Over time, these technologies evolved along with the system each product co-created. This evolution led to commercialization and by the 80’s the internet as we know it was born.

The Push Towards Centralization

A truly decentralized internet is a system where anyone can publish content on the web without having to rely on a specific service provider. It’s safe to say that the internet isn’t completely centralized, but it’s also far from its decentralized origins. Things have changed drastically, copious amounts of communication flow through a few companies, ultimately giving those companies a more significant amount of influence. However, it’s important to note that this movement towards centralization was expected by many; Paul Baran was one of these people. He believed that “computer utility” would provide improved computing power, thus shifting the direction of the internet from decentralization to centralization; this is exactly what companies like Facebook and Google have done.

Facebook and Google

As of 2018, Facebook has 2.23 billion users, and Google runs 3.5 billion queries per day; in relation to most companies, these numbers are beyond comprehension. But these statistics weren’t achieved on accident, nor through luck, Facebook and Google provide services which support the internet. Services which are magnitudes above their competition. As a result, these companies own the lion share of interactions between people and the internet. Not only are these companies receiving attention, they are also collecting data. To put things in perspective, Facebook has the personal information of over 2.23 billion users including their preferences, tendencies, and actions. But the question remains; if these companies are providing services for the world, are they really that bad?

Is Centralization a bad thing?

Companies like Facebook and Google have increased internet centralization by providing superior services — so how bad can they be? The main issue is one rooted in democracy and fairness. Because 3.5 billion searches are done on Google every day, Google has become the de-facto gatekeeper of information. Although the companies mission is “Don’t be Evil” many fear that this is too much power for one company to hold. For example, searches present users with information based on the algorithms that Google creates, and there is a potential that Google could be bias or incorrect and misguide billions. Another example can be seen with Facebook and the Cambridge Analytica Scandal. Tons of data was gathered from Facebook and used maliciously by a third-party (Cambridge Analytica). Although Facebook didn’t intend for such abuse to occur, they provided the infrastructure which enabled it.

This has left the internet in a predicament; one that was predicted by the internet’s forefathers. Decentralization is a tricky subject, companies like Google and Facebook have achieved great success because they’ve provided value, but there is still a lot of grey-area around their services. More importantly, there is a lot of grey-area around data acquisition and usage; that’s why our team at DACONOMY is working to create a decentralized data ecosystem where individuals and companies alike can monetize their data while keeping it protected.