They just cannot help themselves.
The more we move towards Web 3.0, the less we go anywhere. As if the fallout from FTX and the incestuous nature of Wall Street and venture capital firms dominating cryptocurrency wasn't enough, we now get the new that IP addresses are being collected via Metamask.
Consensys has come out that, when using the tool Infura as the RPC node, it will collect your Metamask and IP address for each transaction. The company claims that nothing is tracked when using an Ethereum node.
This is really sounding like more of the same. Tracking is a Web 2.0 thing to do.
It does bring up the question as to why a company would do this? Certainly this is not in keeping with the tenets of Web 3.0. But then again, many of these companies only pretend to be interested in what long time cryptocurrency proponents have espoused.
We are also seeing how known names within the industry, no matter what they appear, are simply operating out of the same mindset as the rest of the online world.
Uniswap Going Web 2.0
We have another entity that is following the same path. It did not receive the press this move is yet it is equally as troubling.
Decentralized exchange Uniswap recently began collecting some off-chain data such as users' device type or browser, saying that the move was aimed at improving user experience.
Isn't this exactly what Facebook and Google claim when collecting data? The "improving the user experience" is the Internets version of "protecting the children". We know it has nothing to do with user experience.
In defense, Uniswap did make this claim:
Uniswap said the data collection did not include other forms of personal information, such as the user's first or last name, full address, date of birth, email address, or IP address.
At least that is something. It is likely the userbase will be thrilled at that although that information could be used to really personalize and enhance the user experience. This is being sarcastic but it does show the cancerous mindset that still exists within crypto.
Who Is Building Web 3.0?
It is impossible to have Web 3.0 while people (companies) are still stuck in the Web 2.0 mindset. Elon Musk and Twitter received a great deal of publicity of late. While there are calls to adopt Web 3.0 for Twitter, it is a Web 2.0 company. Elon is a guy who is in full support of regulation along with oversight.
That is fine. Everyone with an ounce of sense should know what that company is about. Even if Musk pulls it off, he will be a different version of the existing social media and banking system. The goal there will simply to make money using business practices that were long established. Again, he might change some things about the platform, bringing new revenue streams to the table.
One thing that will not change is the tracking of users and collection of data. Twitter is a Web 2.0 company and always will be.
The difference is when dealing with entities that pretend to be working in a different direction. As we can clearly see, the thinking behind these entities is aligned with the rest of the digital realm.
Information is a valuable commodity. Collecting means the possibility of monetizing it. Nobody is better than the two giants of Google and Facebook.
If Web 3.0 is going to truly take hold, we need to see a radical shift in mindset. Those who are developing the applications and tools people use need to resist the temptation to engage in surveillance. Evidently, it is a temptation that is difficult to resist.
This brings up the question of who is really building Web 3.0? With so many being exposed as nothing more than Web 2.0 in a mask (pun intended), where is the Web 3.0 development?
It is a situation that is getting harder to find.
Privacy
This is a topic that is a hot button among the online world. We know that most of what is done in this area is nothing more than lip service. Companies do not care about extending any privacy to users or customers. In fact, that is in direct opposition to their business model.
Information is power and tracking users is a great way to generate income in many forms. In addition to outright selling the data, many utilize it to target ads. This is done to increase the sales to an individual.
For all the technological advancement, it seems we use it all to either kills with greater efficiently or sell people more crap they do not need.
It is time to take privacy seriously. This is something that few are putting at the top of the list. We know there is no privacy at the blockchain level, since that provides full transparency. That is a feature in its design, meant to counter the underhanded arena the banks are so adept at creating. Nevertheless, when everything that is tied to it is monitoring all that people are doing, privacy is long dead.
At some point, attention will be paid to building a privacy layer of the users data. Seeing transactions in a ledger is much different than collecting users contact and IP information.
For the moment, we should presume that all applications are falling prey to this. Everything is Web 2.0 until proven otherwise.
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