Relevant Receives Grant from the Interchain Foundation
We are excited to be receiving a grant from the Interchain Foundation in order to build out the tools needed to fulfill Relevant’s vision of full decentralization.
We will be building an off-chain computation mechanism that can be used to run computationally-intensive smart contracts using the Cosmos SDK.
What it means for Relevant
One of the key components of Relevant is a sybil-resistant reputation system that uses a pagerank algorithm. We believe that this type of reputation system is essential to building a healthy, public decentralized social media platform.
Running this algorithm can require a sizable amount of computing power and time, so the algorithm is not well-suited to run on-chain. With the off-chain worker mechanism we are developing Cosmos validators will be able to run the computation off-chain, and then report and commit the results on-chain.
Relevant Architecture
Relevant tokens are secured by an Ethereum smart contract. This will continue to be the case once we launch the Relevant Cosmos blockchain. The latter will be responsible for the various tasks that are currently executed by our centralized servers. Relevant token holders will be able to stake REL tokens on validators. Those validators will commit all activity taking place on Relevant to the Cosmos chain, compute rankings and reputation scores, and issue curation rewards.
The decentralized vision of Relevant
The Relevant platform is still in an early, experimental stage and we are constantly making adjustments to the core algorithms and fine-tuning various mechanisms. Having a robust centralized server enables us to do this with great ease. However, as we solidify and validate the core dynamics, we will be moving the logic to a dedicated Relevant Cosmos blockchain. At this point the network and its mechanisms will be governed by the REL token holders. All aspects of the protocol will be fully transparent, auditable and composable.
This means that in the future, anyone will be able to create their own Relevant apps with unique interfaces and build various analytics platforms to analyze user activity.
The Role of Reputation in Decentralized and P2P Networks
So far we have seen two types of decentralized social networks:
- Primitive networks that lack the tools to facilitate public discourse at scale. These are federated or p2p networks like Mastodon or Scuttlebut. These networks can be useful for small, closed groups but don’t have any type of robust tools to moderate large amounts of content or prevent sybil attacks and manipulation.
- Cryptocurrency-driven networks that use money for both sybil resistance and ranking content. Steemit is a notable example. These types of networks ultimately either turn into a gambling game where content is irrelevant or advertisement feeds where all content is sponsored.
Sybil-resistant reputation offers us an opportunity to build open, pseudonymous networks where content can be reliably ranked and even monetized. Reputation is a tool for communities to take control of their digital domains and keep out attackers while keeping discussions open and accessible to all. It also removes the need for god-mode moderation necessary to operate large centralized platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Why we chose Cosmos & ICF
Cosmos SDK is a protocol for creating interconnected Proof of Stake blockchains with ease. Most notably, the Binance chain is built using Cosmos. Moreover, we are deeply aligned with the mission of the Interchain Foundation:
“We believe that open-source, cryptographic, consensus-driven, economic networks hold the key to an anti-fragile global economic system and equal opportunity for all.”
We are excited to begin our journey towards full decentralization with Cosmos!
