When Web3Isn't Really Web3
Web3 dapp but your App is dependent on Apple’s App Store, sounds like a web2 joke to me. Just the other day I was saying Nostr quickly shifted focus and went from a decentralized information sharing protocol into a platform for Bitcoin maxi cult and boy was I right?
Just yesterday, Damus a client of Nostr, tweeted that Apple was removing them from App Store because Apple claims that zaps are used by content creators to buy and sell digital content and isn’t allowed on their platform.
Web3, Web2,or Somewhere In Between?
For a quick catch up, Damus is a front end that interacts with the Nostr protocol which is supposedly an open decentralized protocol for social media, Like Hive, but imagine you want to use Peakd, or Splinterlands or Leofinance or any other front end but you had to go through App Store, and one day, App Store removes it and says something like you can’t upvote content because it means you’re paying for content and it’s not allowed.
That’s exactly what happened with Damus, Zapps are like tips or upvotes on content within the Damus platform, sounds simple yes? But guess what, Apple thinks it’s “paying for content” when a user sends a zap in form of SATs to a creator. Much wow. How?
The Realities of Centralized Businesses
I don’t even blame Apple, it’s the creators of Damus who didn’t see this coming that I blame, you’re using a decentralized protocol to create an application that needs a centralized permission to operate, what happened to building on the Web? Or building a Web app and a mobile app, so you know that in situations like this, Damus can give Apple the middle finger.
Speaking of Apple, following their earlier involvement with Bitcoin when they included Bitcoin Whitepaper on every Mac, one would think they were onboard the Bitcoin ship but it appears that it was only a Fugazzi. An open warning to remove a social platform that uses Bitcoin as tips? Really?
But then, Apple is a super centralized business and such behavior is not too far fetched. But what about the Nostr clients that rely fully on centralized permissioned platforms like Apple to operate?
This matter shouldn’t even be a topic of discussion if the devs and Bitcoin maxis have prioritized the right things like focusing on the ethos of Bitcoin itself even to the depth of their applications.
Web3 At Its Finest: Splinterlands
Take Splinterlands as an example, the gaming platform interacts with Hive protocol through the web. I can pick up my phone and open safari and log into Splinterlands and play till my thumbs are numb, any day, anytime and anywhere, the web app is fully mobile optimized.
I can decide to use my PC for even better experience still on the web, no permissioned gate keeping, no platforms threatening to delete or control.
That’s an attribute of a true Web3 application. Do you know that Splinterlands is just an interface that interpretes data on the Hive blockchain? Splinterlands only helps us display it in a way that is recognizable to us through those graphics.
The SEC, Hive, and the Power of Decentralization
Do you remember when the SEC called the game and metaverse tokens securitiesbut omitted Splinterlands SPS?
They omitted Splinterlands because it is powered by Hive which is a truly decentralized protocol, if any authority wants to come for Splinterlands, they’ll have to come for Hive and Hive has no CEO, hence no one to sue to turn it off, sounds like Bitcoin to me and if Bitcoin is not a security, then Hive is not, again, power of true web3 app at full display.
Conclusion
The ethos of Bitcoin and blockchain at large is to create systems that are censorship-resistant and not subject to the whims of any centralized authority. As we move forward, developers and users must prioritize these principles and continue to push for building true decentralization in their applications.
Projects like Splinterlands, powered by Hive, showcase the potential of such a truly decentralized approach. By building on the open web and maintaining operational independence from centralized gatekeepers, these projects exemplify the spirit of Web3 and the promise of a decentralized future.
So for those involved in building, investing in, or simply using Web3 applications, let's take this incident as a learning moment. It's a stark reminder of the fragility of relying on centralized platforms and the need to strive for true decentralization and autonomy in all aspects of our digital lives.
Thanks for reading.
Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha
