The Outdated Digital World: Real Problems

Increasing verification steps and more complex passwords are just the beginning! Recently, I tried logging into an account on a popular website, but the system demanded increasingly complicated passwords. In the end, I couldn't log in, lost access to important information, and wasted a lot of time. The site's support team was unable to help.

The Solution:

A Decentralized Identifier (DID) could be a universal solution. One DID can be used across various systems without revealing a password. Each user could have multiple DIDs linked to a primary one, allowing a stolen DID to be disconnected from the main account. If your primary DID is stolen, you can create a new one, and your trusted contacts can confirm the change. This also allows for the cancellation of fraudulent transactions, both monetary and non-monetary, like messages. After a certain date, all transactions using the old DID become invalid, providing an extra layer of security.

We had to create new accounts for the company to launch a new project. After registration, spam started flooding our phones and email inboxes, and it was impossible to understand where the information was coming from and through whose registrations it was being passed. Immediately after creating the accounts, we began receiving numerous promotional emails and messages on all our contact details. None of the employees could figure out how our data had leaked. This situation created significant inconvenience and made us question the reliability of the services we were using.

Solution:

Using Decentralized Identifiers (DID) can help in such situations. When receiving messages from unknown accounts, we can trace the connection chains and determine where the message came from. If someone in your network is creating spam accounts, the system will allow you to identify and block the source of the spam. Additionally, subjective rating systems can be implemented, which will depend on your environment. These ratings will help filter and limit spam, giving you more control over the security and privacy of your data.

Recently, on one of the popular social networks, I reposted a rather unusual old photograph. The social network deemed that this post carried offensive content and blocked the entire repost chain, starting from the original author. So be it. But what do you think happened next? Exactly one year later, the social network’s automated settings reposted this post with the theme “What happened a year ago?” As a result, the social network blocked your account, considering you a repeat offender! It’s amusing on one hand, but on the other hand, you lose part of your life, contacts, and if your work entirely depends on social networks, it’s a serious issue.

Solution:

Using Decentralized Identifiers (DID) and principles of the Content Addressable Internet (CAi) can prevent such situations. In these networks, even if your account is blocked, you do not lose access to your content and DID. You can continue to post and interact with your audience through alternative services, maintaining control over your digital life and reputation. This system gives the user more freedom and protects them from arbitrary blocks, allowing them to retain their data and connections despite the actions of a specific platform.

What do you think about phone scammers? They call me regularly. My friend enjoys entertaining himself by answering calls from scammers and engaging in long conversations with them. At some point, the scammer starts to realize who the real victim is. But it's not always fun and games.

Recently, I was at the bank and witnessed a truly tragic scene. An elderly lady was sitting next to me, unable to hold back her tears. All her life savings had been stolen from her accounts. She was in complete despair, not knowing how to go on. Yes, one might say we need to be more vigilant, but scammers are also evolving and creating increasingly sophisticated traps. They are ruthless and willing to destroy people's lives for profit.

We've found a solution to protect ourselves from these threats, but how many more people will fall victim before they learn about such protective measures?

Solution:

Modern technology can help protect against phone scammers. One possible solution is to use an app that identifies who is calling or blocks suspicious calls. This app can check the caller’s ID against your network of contacts and alert you if the call is coming from a suspicious number. Such systems can significantly reduce the number of scam calls and protect you and your loved ones from potential threats, minimizing the risk of falling victim to phone fraudsters.

The internet is full of opaque connections that lead to unpleasant consequences and disappointments. Recently, my wife subscribed to what seemed like a reliable channel offering recommendations on new trends and brands in the fashion industry. However, when she received the product, it turned out to be completely different from what was expected, with terrible quality and misleading descriptions.

She wanted to leave an honest review about the product's quality, but unfortunately, there was no option to do so—the channel was initially closed to comments. What was particularly infuriating was that the channel’s reputation was built on dishonest, artificially inflated reviews. It took a lot of effort and research to uncover this.

It's difficult to trust information on the internet, where deception lurks at every turn.

Solution:

Using subjective ratings can help solve this problem. In such systems, the evaluation of a resource would depend on the opinions of people in your social circle. If your friends or acquaintances have encountered similar deceptions, their reviews and ratings would influence the rating of that channel or seller. Thus, subjective ratings allow for more reliable navigation in the online space, relying on the opinions of people you trust and minimizing the risk of encountering dishonest sellers or services.

Recently, I encountered a 404 error while trying to access an important work resource. Instead of the usual content, I was greeted with a "Page Not Found" message.

This problem reminded me of an experience at a library. A friend recommended a book: 10th row, 4th shelf, 8th book from the right. But someone had rearranged the books, making it impossible to find. The internet works similarly—if information is moved to a different resource or hosting, the old links become inaccessible, and users receive a 404 error.

Solution:

Content Addressable Internet (CAi) offers a solution to this problem. In CAi, every piece of content has a permanent address, ensuring its availability even if it's removed from the original server. If the content’s author deletes it from one server, it remains accessible on other servers.

CAi is protocol-independent and can use multiple channels for data transmission—from modern internet protocols to alternative methods like radio and physical media (e.g., sneakernet). This makes CAi more resilient to infrastructure failures and allows for easy restoration of access to information. This approach ensures the reliability and availability of content on the internet, significantly reducing the likelihood of encountering a 404 error.

Duplicated information during data synchronization leads to memory overload. I constantly have to buy more storage for my devices. Recently, I noticed that my phone and computer started running slower. Upon checking, I found that data from cloud storage was being duplicated with each synchronization, causing the storage on my devices to fill up twice as fast.

Each time, I have to delete duplicates and free up space, but the problem keeps recurring. This is not only inconvenient but also expensive, as I have to keep purchasing additional memory for my devices. Such synchronization issues can significantly hinder work and everyday use of devices, turning a simple process into a real problem.

Solution:

Content Addressable Internet (CAi) solves this problem by using a cryptographic hash to identify data. This ensures that data is not duplicated within the same storage. For example, if a file system used the content hash as the filename, identical files would have the same name, eliminating the possibility of duplicates.

Moreover, our unique innovative hash function allows for deduplication not only of entire files but also of their parts. For instance, if you have two editions of the same book with minimal changes, the system will only save the original file and the part that differs. If both books take up one megabyte each, and the changes only account for 100 kilobytes, the system will save just 1.1 megabytes instead of 2, without needing to archive the data.

This technology significantly saves space on devices, eliminates duplicates, and makes the synchronization process more efficient and cost-effective.

Not owning your data is a serious issue. Control over data remains with the vendor, and if you cancel your subscription, you may lose access to it entirely.

Recently, I decided to cancel a paid subscription to one of the services. After canceling, I discovered that all my data stored on that service became inaccessible. I lost important documents, photos, and contacts that I had accumulated over years of use.

This situation highlighted the importance of controlling your data and being able to retain it independently of third-party services. Losing control over your data can have serious consequences and deprive you of essential resources.

Solution:

The solution to this problem is similar to the approach used to protect decentralized identifiers (DID). In Content Addressable Internet (CAi), you can synchronize your data across various services, including your own devices. This means that even if you cancel a service or it ceases to exist, your data remains safe and accessible to you.

Synchronization can occur automatically, ensuring regular updates across all platforms. This approach guarantees that you will always own and control your data, regardless of decisions made by third-party providers.

And most importantly, our system is designed so that you decide which services and platforms have access to your data. You control which data can be used and how. This means that you remain the owner of your data and can freely manage its availability, retaining full control and independence from third-party service providers.

Recently, there was a failure in all payment systems, affecting computer transactions and customer data. For an entire day, one well-known coffee chain had to give out free coffee to customers because it was impossible to process payments. This incident resulted in significant financial losses for many businesses.

Our solution is aimed at preventing such situations, ensuring that even in the event of failures, systems will continue to operate without interruptions. We are developing a system that guarantees seamless operation, data protection, and stability, regardless of any disruptions.

Solution:

The solution is related to the principles described in Story 8 (distributed data) and Story 1 (loss of DID). Our system is fully decentralized, meaning that a failure in individual systems will not cause the entire system to shut down.

In case of failures, data and transactions are distributed across various nodes, minimizing the risk of a complete shutdown. Even if one part of the system fails, the rest continue to function, ensuring continuity of operations and data protection. This guarantees that businesses will not face global issues, and their customers can continue to use services without interruptions, even in the face of technical problems.

A simple task like opening a business account has turned into days of stress and unnecessary steps. Filling out the form required going through three stages of identity verification. In the end, I had to visit the bank and go through all the same steps again due to communication issues between the bank and the business registration organization. The time spent on identity verification took about three days, which slows down business processes. Complicated forms and application systems only worsen the situation. Additionally, the bank faces problems with unconfirmed transactions and spam. Resolving disputes takes about two weeks to return the money to the account. These delays and difficulties significantly hinder the efficient running of the business.

Solution:

Using a Decentralized Identifier (DID) can greatly simplify the process of opening a business account and other interactions with financial institutions. If you already have a verified DID and established connections, you won't need to reconfirm your data repeatedly. With a verified DID, you can provide access to the necessary parts of your personal data upon the institution's request, simplifying and speeding up the identification and verification processes. This solution eliminates the need for multiple verifications and reduces the time required to open an account and process transactions, allowing you to focus on running your business without unnecessary delays and stress.

Recently, my inbox was suddenly filled with spam. Every day, I receive dozens of promotional emails from unknown senders, making it difficult to find important messages. The problem started after registering on several new websites and services. Apparently, my email addresses were sold to third parties without my consent. Unsubscribing from spam manually is almost impossible, and filters don't always work. This experience has shown how important it is to protect your contact information. Spam and the sale of email addresses violate privacy and create many inconveniences.

Solution:

Our solution is based on the principles described in previous stories. In our system, names are not global but relative. This means that each person defines their own names for contacts. There is no single global name, so the same person may be recorded differently by everyone. The only global and unique identifier in the system is the public key from the Decentralized Identifier (DID). The DID represents a pair of keys: one private (like a password) and one public (like a username). This system allows you to protect your contact information and control who has access to your public identifier, preventing unauthorized use of your data. For more information on public-key cryptography, you can refer to the article: Public-key cryptography.

Forms for filling out in institutions have become endless. In every institution, you need to fill out standard forms with the same questions and answers. You waste time, energy, and resources. Every visit turns into a routine: you have to re-enter the same data over and over again. This is not only tedious but also inefficient. Our solution is a digital signature. It will allow you to fill out and confirm data once, which will then be available to all institutions to which you personally grant access. This will significantly simplify the process, save time and resources, and eliminate the need to re-enter information repeatedly.

Solution:

Our solution is based on the use of a Decentralized Identifier (DID) and a digital signature. With a digital signature, you can fill out and confirm data once, which will then be available to all institutions to which you personally grant access. This eliminates the need to re-enter information during each visit and minimizes errors in filling out forms. You retain control over your data, deciding who and to what extent has access to it. This approach significantly simplifies the process of interacting with various institutions, saving you time and resources.