Various authorities representing both government agencies and the interests of private business seem to be fighting to control access to the Internet. As a result, more web experts have called for decentralization than ever before. Computer scientists have more recently suggested that blockchain technology could be the key to successfully decentralizing the flow of data.
As users struggle to hold onto basic freedoms, some small business owners have already made the switch. Questions about whether or not blockchain technology is a long-term solution to these issues remain unanswered.
Closely examining the latest trends may hold the key to finding the best applications for this technology in a world where people are increasingly fighting to maintain at least some degree of privacy.
Scientific Analysis of Industry Data
Perhaps the best way to solve a problem related to data management is by looking at the data itself. A careful analysis of web hosting industry statistics by HostScore shows that the market should expand to approximately $216 billion over the next five years.
Global hosting saturation is expected to grow at a compounded rate of 13.25 percent, which would suggest that the total amount of data stored worldwide is growing at around the same rate.
As soon as computer experts saw these numbers, they began to calculate whether or not it would be possible to decentralize this level of data growth based solely on blockchain technology. Unfortunately, the answer seemed to be negative because cryptographic ledgers are simply too slow to manage that much information in a timely fashion.
However, that doesn't make this a dead issue. Programmers found that while it might not be feasible to decentralize the entire web, it should be possible to reduce individual users' reliance on public resources.
Some users may be able to switch to blockchain-based payment methods for financial transactions. Others may turn to read articles published on a chain that provides a layer of anonymity for those who want to share their opinions on hot-button issues without worrying about censorship.
The most important changes will come to the Internet's backbone, however.
Network Backbone Migration Using Cryptographic Ledgers
The visible public web is relatively small compared to the overall size of the Internet. A majority of data actually passes through various automated corridors designed to make human-readable data accessible. These so-called network backbones are ripe for decentralization since doing so won't interfere with regular users.
Users don't have to pay attention to all the various hypertext file transfers that are needed when browsing public sites. By loading text and images from local blockchain-based servers, companies can help obscure their user's browsing activities.
Cryptographic ledgers are also based on distributed principles, which could reduce the drain on central servers. Smaller companies are looking at this technology as a way to decentralize their upload and download services.
These firms often can't afford to process a great deal of traffic all at once. By decentralizing their hosting operations, they'll cut costs while protecting their user's privacy.
This should prove especially promising for any company that has to deliver sensitive information to its consumers. Some are now proposing using this technology as a way to store local information for local retrieval.
Others are looking at even more innovative methods in order to preserve the privacy of individual users.
Ledger-based Storage & Retrieval Systems
Large-scale enterprise-level adoption of blockchain technology is held back by problems related to speed. Several computer engineers have proposed designing entire file systems based on cryptographic ledgers, but they're entirely too slow for this usage.
Instead, people are beginning to reinvent local storage networks to leverage blockchain technology in the most efficient way. Say a private office stashes all their documents in a cloud-based repository. Each time they store a paper, it has to pass through the public Internet.
By putting these documents in a chain secured with identity certificates, business managers can effectively decentralize their own operations. Nobody could normally break into this kind of a system because it's inaccessible to outsiders.
While that might not be the same as completely decentralizing the Internet, it certainly would achieve security for some small portion of it. If anyone were able to break into this kind of a private network, then the cryptographic ledger reports would clearly show that data had been compromised.
It's not hard to imagine the widespread adoption of this technology in the coming years.
Will the Internet Ever be Truly Decentralized?
Engineers will argue that the Internet was supposed to be a centralized structure from the beginning. Even if this were true, individual users can still build their own private networks with blockchain-based code. In doing so, they can be sure that they'll protect their data while also helping to ensure that the digital world continues to move in the right direction.
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