Even in War, Centralized Control of News Must be Questioned
The war in Ukraine shows the stark difference between censorship and free access to information
At NexBloc, we are working to liberate the world from the constraints of centralized control. While Russian leaders work to limit what their people see and spread the “Party” line, more of us worldwide are building an infrastructure that resists the restrictions of authoritarian regimes.
In Web 2.0, the domain naming system (DNS) provides an “address book” for content while the underlying protocols and a language for communicating between systems ensure access to an increasing number of digital resources. Data storage can come through cloud services, edge, or local hard drives. However, we are in a controlled world because all DNS is connected via a centralized command environment with ICANN at the top of the command structure. One where all levels of non-local access can be pulled out from under the user, developer, business, and even an entire country.
To highlight this, Cogent Communications announced it was cutting off access to its services to Russian clients because the Russian government was pursuing the war in Ukraine. Cogent is the second leading internet services provider in Russia, so this will impact all facets of life there. But it also undermines the ability of the population to get news coming in from outside of the country. The trade off is a potential for total reliance on the controlled information vs. broader access to a global view.
The core infrastructure for Web 3.0 is blockchain protocols, a standard resolving system for getting to information, storage, and toolsets to build applications. It bases most of the future on a decentralized mantra where peer-to-peer and trustless computing is achieved without a centralized command platform. The NexBloc blockchain DNS is part of the fabric of a decentralized ecosystem for giving power and control to the creator of data and the aggregator of information. A central censor can’t interrupt it unless the web and/or electric grid is taken down. With Cogent cutting off access to the internet, Web 3.0 is also impacted since there is no connectivity to the web. But with additional access points like Elon Musk’s Starlink system of low orbiting satellites coming online worldwide, access is getting expanded.
Arguments for centralized control will include the ability to suppress disinformation and curtail some regimes from manipulating their populations. But free movement of information is supported by the belief that truth finds its way out from oppression. And through truth, people make decisions on their future. And the fates of their leaders.
