According to the independent organization Freedom House, internet freedom has been weakening for about 10 years. Can Blockchain technology provide freedom of the press?
In the West, this reflects both worrying and positive developments. In the online world, there are types of content that should not be allowed, such as extreme videos or child pornography. Under the pressure of sustained public opinion, Facebook, Google and other platforms running our involvement with the Internet gradually moved to limit them.
But in places like China and Russia, web control is much more aggressive. Since Xi Jinping’s rise to power in 2012, China has increased its pressure on freedom of the Internet, press and general freedom of expression. VPNs enable users to even pass the big “China Security Guard”, and even some embassies report difficulties.
As Freedom House has stated, the ultimate goal is to implement state control over the Internet and social media, both through censorship and active manipulation, and to encourage the regime’s message while confusing users with lies and accusations.
So can Blockchain technology provide press freedom?
Internet Freedom Worst Offenders
China
Many sites and apps have been blocked, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and some Google services. Also, Chinese activists before were sentenced to 11 years in prison for their online defenses of democracy.
Iran
The Judiciary and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Union are largely overseeing companies in the technology sector and censoring news and social networks that do not fit strict rules covering political events. Also known to give 50% discounts to their internet service providers to monitor and censorship if they use a government-approved incentive system designed to drive traffic to the National Information Network.
Technological Opposition
Nonetheless, like most governments, these regimes recognize that a thriving technology sector is a solution to stable economic growth.
Blockchain is a technology that is constantly advancing in China, which is quite conflicting. Because, in general, Blockchain is seen as a powerful technology to decentralize the authority and to minimize government oversight.
Ethereum, one of the most well-known Blockchain projects to date, has created decentralized applications, without interruption, censorship, forgery, or third-party intervention.
Blockchain technology is rooted in thousands of projects, some of which are anti-censorship centers. One example is Zappl, a decentralized microblogging site that can be compared to Twitter.
There is also a Privatix, a decentralized interstate Blockchain that works on VPNs to help users get rid of national firewalls. Even more ambitious and explicitly the liberator, Substratum has the goal of totally decentralizing internity in a twisted way, presenting uncensored content without the need for a VPN or Tor.
Justin Tabb, co-founder of the Substratum, stated-
“One day, Americans may wake up and realize that Big Brother does not like watching his shoulder and that their company has to follow everything they do. And when this happens, the Substratum will be there.”
The Decentralized News Network is the most concrete example of this.
The Decentralized News Network brought its views to a slightly lower level. Writers and editors are building a decentralized news platform that will use Blockchain to get rid of censorship and proofs of stories with crypto tokens that encourage a society. Heres a Q&A they had recently.
Question: How will DNN use Blockchain technology to get ahead of the sensor? Can Blockchain technology provide freedom of the press?
Answer: Blockchain is a very important component of DNN’s infrastructure and is the key to counteracting malnutrition. Because this program is naturally immune to “tampering”. Any new user who contributes to a Blockchain by hosting a miner or a node helps ensure the security of the data, which ensures that the amount of resources required to hack is very high.
In the case of DNN, publishers can run nodes that host and distribute news content that users access in a peer-to-peer environment. Even if a government succeeds in shutting down all nodes in its jurisdiction, these users can still access DNNs by passing them to other nodes.
“With DNN, Blockchain technology can be an important tool in providing press freedom.”
DNN uses Blockchain to create a reliable environment for news content approval, making each piece of the publishing process transparent and storing the content of each article in a geographically distributed manner. It serves to create a stream of publications that brings readers, editors, and authors together in their own desire, and rewards the sought-after facts. It also does not require central surveillance. This service, which is censored, provides a clear distinction between prejudice and facts in every article.
By storing the contents of published articles in the Blockchain and referencing them directly to Ethereum smart contracts, we can ensure that each article is immutable.
DNN’s Blockchain also decentralizes its ability to publish content. There is not a single source that controls the message and feelings of the published works. For this reason, DNN cannot be linked to any particular issue or political agenda. In addition, DNN does not compete for a significant volume of advertising revenue. Thus, through DNN, Blockchain technology can be used as an important tool for providing press freedom.
Question: Censorship in today’s media, what a big problem? And how important is it that the content is resistant to it?
Answer: According to the Freedom House Organization, two-thirds of all internet users in the world live under state censorship. It’s incredibly scary.
Censorship is a genuine question that has echoes throughout the fabric of society and has effects that create totally different realities for people who live under it. North Korea is a prime example.
We need to create a new level of transparency in the news that will lead us to the media and the democratic and free-minded press and a population who are not resilient. The idea is that if news distribution would function without any central authority, the “media tycoons” would have less of a role in this and would have a higher level of autonomy and independence, starting with journalists and going as far as readers.
Blockchain against Xin
These are strong claims. It is important to remember, however, that the Internet is launching itself as a democratizing force. In some cases, like the Arab Spring, it actually served in this direction. But in many other cases, authoritarian regimes have chosen the Internet to provide greater control over citizens. Will they do the same with Blockchain?
Greatfire.org offers various solutions to Chinese internet users to escape censorship and became the most important authority in the internet control regime of the country.
Question: Do you see a future in China more or less censored?
Answer: I see more sensors in the short ward but along China without a sensor.
Question: Do you think that Blockchain technology can be used to prevent censorship in China?
Answer: We preach a multi-faceted approach to anti-censorship solutions for China. Many solutions are needed and if it can be integrated, then it will be much better.
Despite the grandiose, Chinese authorities are inextricably bound to the global internet. They have over 700 million Chinese Internet users and rely on the global internet as well as non-Chinese. It means that the necessary services such as banking and finance must be linked to anti-censure solutions, and the authorities must choose between freedom of information and money.
However, at the end of the day, we know that authorities will prefer to transfer funds to offshore accounts and the bank instead of closing the global internet because someone is disturbed by a picture of Winnie the Pooh.