Communication

Overview

Communication is the cornerstone of all human interaction. The digital age has revolutionized the way we communicate but there is massive potential for the introduction of communication systems that prioritize decentralization, scalability and privacy. The Web3 space has produced protocols that aim to support these pillars, but there is no current “full” solution available. This highlights the importance of further innovation to fill these gaps and improve the communication stack across the fragmented world of web3.

Let's examine the evolution of decentralized communication mechanisms:

Web2 Decentralized Mechanisms

Overview

Web2 decentralized communication mechanisms distribute the control and management of data across multiple nodes or servers, reducing the risks associated with centralized systems. These mechanisms typically employ federated or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks to enable direct communication between users without relying on a central authority.

Example:

1. Initial Stage: Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

   IRC was one of the earliest P2P communication protocols, enabling simple, text-based communication without a central server. It laid the groundwork for P2P communication, demonstrating the potential of decentralized messaging systems.

2. Advancement: Matrix and XMPP

   Later, Federated systems like Matrix and XMPP emerged, allowing multiple servers to communicate and share data, thus creating a more resilient network. These protocols addressed some of the scalability issues of early P2P systems by distributing the load across multiple nodes while still facing challenges related to privacy and server dependency.

Challenges

• Scalability Issues: P2P systems face difficulties in scaling as the number of nodes increases, leading to network congestion and performance bottlenecks.

• Privacy Concerns: Federated messaging systems, while scalable, inherit privacy issues from centralized systems since node owners can access private data and control server content.

• Lack of Advanced Features: P2P networks often lack support for features such as device synchronization and multimedia content, and the integration of end-to-end encryption can complicate their functionality.

Web3 Decentralized Mechanisms

Overview

Web3 decentralized communication mechanisms leverage blockchain networks to provide secure, transparent, and immutable communication channels. These mechanisms use wallet addresses as unique identifiers, serving as the origin and receipient of communication data.

Examples

1. Initial Stage: Bitcoin's Genesis Block

Example: Bitcoin introduced the concept of embedding messages within transaction outputs. Satoshi Nakamoto's message in the Genesis Block:

00000000   01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ................
00000010   00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ................
00000020   00 00 00 00 3B A3 ED FD  7A 7B 12 B2 7A C7 2C 3E   ....;£íýz{.²zÇ,>
00000030   67 76 8F 61 7F C8 1B C3  88 8A 51 32 3A 9F B8 AA   gv.a.È.ÈŠQ2:Ÿ¸ª
00000040   4B 1E 5E 4A 29 AB 5F 49  FF FF 00 1D 1D AC 2B 7C   K.^J)«_Iÿÿ...¬+|
00000050   01 01 00 00 00 01 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ................
00000060   00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ................
00000070   00 00 00 00 00 00 FF FF  FF FF 4D 04 FF FF 00 1D   ......ÿÿÿÿM.ÿÿ..
00000080   01 04 45 54 68 65 20 54  69 6D 65 73 20 30 33 2F   ..EThe Times 03/
00000090   4A 61 6E 2F 32 30 30 39  20 43 68 61 6E 63 65 6C   Jan/2009 Chancel
000000A0   6C 6F 72 20 6F 6E 20 62  72 69 6E 6B 20 6F 66 20   lor on brink of 
000000B0   73 65 63 6F 6E 64 20 62  61 69 6C 6F 75 74 20 66   second bailout f
000000C0   6F 72 20 62 61 6E 6B 73  FF FF FF FF 01 00 F2 05   or banksÿÿÿÿ..ò.
000000D0   2A 01 00 00 00 43 41 04  67 8A FD B0 FE 55 48 27   *....CA.gŠý°þUH'
000000E0   19 67 F1 A6 71 30 B7 10  5C D6 A8 28 E0 39 09 A6   .gñ¦q0·.\Ö¨(à9.¦
000000F0   79 62 E0 EA 1F 61 DE B6  49 F6 BC 3F 4C EF 38 C4   ybàê.aÞ¶Iö¼?Lï8Ä
00000100   F3 55 04 E5 1E C1 12 DE  5C 38 4D F7 BA 0B 8D 57   óU.å.Á.Þ\8M÷º..W
00000110   8A 4C 70 2B 6B F1 1D 5F  AC 00 00 00 00            ŠLp+kñ._¬....

This initial use of blockchain for communication was rudimentary, focusing primarily on transactional data rather than interactive communication.

1. Advancement

Ethereum's introduction of smart contracts enabled more complex interactions beyond simple value transfers, laying the groundwork for decentralized applications (dApps) that could facilitate various types of communication. This marked a significant advancement in web3 communication, expanding the scope beyond financial transactions and enabling programmable, decentralized interactions.

1. Current Stage:

There are more niche products and tech stacks in the market now attempting to bridge the gap, but challenges remain.

Libp2p, a modular P2P networking stack, is widely used by blockchain platforms like Ethereum and Polkadot to enhance decentralized communication. This protocol provides a robust foundation for secure and efficient data exchange across diverse networks.

The Push Protocol leverages wallet addresses for secure, private messaging, reducing the need for centralized servers and enhancing user privacy. In parallel, technologies such as WebRTC and BitTorrent are integral in the Web3 ecosystem, supporting direct peer-to-peer communication and improving the overall resilience against central points of failure.

Challenges

• Integrated and Modular Offerings: There is a lack of a modular and integrated offering which can cater to a wide variety of demands of evolving web3 user base.

• Latency Issues: The inherent latency in blockchain transactions limits their effectiveness in real-time communication scenarios, where immediate data transmission is critical.

• Costly Operations: Blockchain operations can be costly due to transaction fees and computational requirements, making it expensive for users to engage in frequent communications.

• Interoperability Issues: Blockchain-based communication systems often lack interoperability with different platforms and protocols, hindering seamless integration and user experience across diverse applications.

Motivation

The current decentralized communication landscape has a lot of room for improvement. Seamless, private and scalable communication solutions that form a backbone of trust and efficiency are much-needed in our increasingly connected digital world.

Our motivation is to bridge these gaps by developing a comprehensive suite that supports decentralized, private, and scalable communications. This effort addresses the critical need for an integrated system that enables both user-to-user and seamless user-to-dApp interactions. Enhancing this functionality and user experience within the Web3 ecosystem will lead to more efficient and secure exchanges across various applications and platforms.