There is a lot of focus upon data these days. With the explosion in generative AI, this certainly is valid. Over the last year, we discussed the need for decentralized, immutable databases. When it comes to the future of AI, the democratization of data is crucial.
Obviously, this is where a lot of focus is required. The future path of humanity is in question. If AI is going to be the driver of the economy, do we want it to be centralized? Under that scenario, we essentially are moving to a centrally planned economy where Big Tech is at the helm.
History shows how poorly that turns out for the masses.
There is, however, another reason for filling up Web 3.0 databases. The fact they are immutable is crucial. It is an overlooked feature yet one that is showing itself to be vital.
In this article we will detail some of the struggles of Internet Archive and how Web 3.0 needs to fill the gap.
Internet Archive: The Need For Web 3.0
A few months back, Paramount shut down MTV News as part of its cost-cutting strategy. This meant that multiple decades worth of information suddenly disappeared.
Naturally, this is the danger of centralized data. It is fully under the control of the company that controls the servers. In this instance, Paramount exercised its right to eliminated all that content from humanity's database.
While some might say this isn't a big deal. After all, it is music; how crucial is that?
The point here is not the subject but the ability to remove things from history. It is hard to argue that the Internet is now part of human life. We have roughly 30 years where this became a central part of entertainment, business, and social interaction. The challenge is most of what was generated is run by corporations.
They are the owners, not us.
Internet Archive is something that harkens back to the original values of the Internet. Over the past few years, it is coming under fire to the degree that it could be in jeopardy.
What role does this play?
Zoomed out, the Internet Archive is one of the most important historical-preservation organizations in the world. The Wayback Machine has assumed a default position as a safety valve against digital oblivion. The rhapsodic regard the Internet Archive inspires is earned—without it, the world would lose its best public resource on internet history.
This is starting to come under fire.
Without going to deep into the subject, the organization was sued, first by book publishers and then record labels. The damages of these lawsuits could add up.
It is a situation that is putting the entire project at jeopardy.
What would be the impact upon humanity?
It is a question that is hard to answer. What we do know is that eradicating our history is not a step forward. The digital world became so important that the shutting down of these servers would cause the loss of enormous amounts of information.
As we see with Paramount, companies are willing to erase decades worth of information simply by flipping the switch.
Web 3.0 To The Rescue?
Web 3.0 present a different option.
Due to the configuration, nobody is in control of the data. Whatever is posted is now part of the public domain. Anyone can access the data (information). The software is open source.
This obviously caught the attention of many in the financial arena. The fact that no entity can control transactions has created a great stir.
There is, however, another concept to consider. Web 3.0 can truly be the recording keeping ledger for humanity. As more of our world is influenced by the digital, we can see the need for humanity to control the information.
At present, we are still under the control of major corporations. Paramount is one of thousands who have most of the world's information on their servers. If we simply focus upon the two media, social and mainstream, we can see how risky this proposition is.
It is reported that X is now the number 1 source for news. Whether that is true or not is immaterial. We know that whatever is posted on X, like most other social media sites, is under the control of the company behind it.
In other words, whatever is posted can disappear in an instant.
We already saw a "rewriting" of history as institutions went back to amend their articles based upon certain ideological views. Unless archived, the originals are no longer open for public view. The world's database only has the rewrite.
This is not possible with Web 3.0.
Anything that is posted to a public blockchain is immutable. While something can be updated, that will reside in a new block. That is linked to the original block which is unaltered. This means the history of that information is traceable.
Obviously, this is most applicable for financial transactions. That said, it also applies to humanity's information. If posted on a blockchain like Hive, the text is immutable and public.
Everything On Chain
What would happen if the top 1000 websites, and all their information, disappeared?
Certainly, I am not making the case this would happen. Nevertheless, as a mental exercise, what would happen to the knowledge the world has? How rapidly would we enter the "dark ages".
Just think of Wikipedia vanishing? Couple that with social media, news sites, and the Mediums of the world.
Ponder how all of that would look.
Think of the data that is pulled. Oracles would be useless as the data sources for things such as historical pricing goes away.
Enter in the idea of "everything on chain".
Naturally this is not possible for every piece of information. There is data such as payroll that does not belong there. Centralized servers are going to have a place. We need individual databases.
Nonetheless, we are dealing with a concept (or framework) to operate from. It instantly adds to the utility of the Web 3.0 databases. While individuals might not be moved by immutability, humanity should be.
Which means we have to consider a starting point. How do we begin the process?
With archival, it is point forward. The onset is to get anything new into the database. This is the process companies follow when implementing document storage solutions. Taking older records and digitizing them happens over time. The first step is to get all new documents scanned in.
The premise is the same. Where is the new data being placed? We know the overwhelming majority is on Web 2.0.
Here we see the clear path forward. Web 3.0 expands with every single token of data that is added. While the numbers are still heavily in favor of Web 2.0, the decentralized archival of knowledge is now possible.
It is something humanity needs to start to utilize.