{"id":115790,"date":"2019-02-19T19:09:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T19:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=115790"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:20:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:20:43","slug":"new-internet-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/new-internet-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Can we (and should we) build a new internet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"future<\/p>\n

The idea of a new internet goes beyond being a key plot point in “Silicon Valley.”<\/p>\n

With data breaches, ISP monopolies<\/strong>, and the whole fake news<\/strong> trash fire taking over the digital space, it\u2019s understandable that one might want to hit delete on the whole internet.<\/p>\n

We technically have the technology to make a new internet. It\u2019s here, and chugging along like a clunky prototype. But the point is, we could pull a re-do on the web if we really wanted.<\/p>\n

The problem is getting people to switch away from an existing system with oh, just 3.2 billion+ users is no small feat. And those aforementioned prototypes tend to come with a blockchain component \u2014 which sounds all well and good. BUT \u2014 a good chunk of that 3.2 billion truly has no idea what a blockchain is \u2014 much less how it works.<\/p>\n

So\u2026 some challenges stand in the way. Still, there are some advantages to a hypothetical clean slate.<\/p>\n

Here are a few reasons that maybe, starting over isn\u2019t such a bad idea.<\/p>\n

Why we might want to consider a total re-do of the internet<\/h2>\n

The net neutrality factor<\/h3>\n

Technically, no one owns the internet. But, a select few companies make up the \u201cbackbone\u201d of the internet. The backbone is the primary data route<\/span><\/a> that provides networking access to a handful of companies like AT&T, Comcast, Google, and others. The way that it\u2019s set up is, we need to sign up with a provider to access the internet.<\/p>\n

If that doesn\u2019t make sense, refer to this \u201cbackbone graphic\u201d courtesy of High Tech Forum<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"internet<\/p>\n

These ISPs don\u2019t necessarily run the internet, but they do control how you can access it.<\/strong> The end of net neutrality means that all web traffic is no longer treated equally. The old rules prevented ISPs from offering paid access to digital fast lanes or blocking traffic.<\/p>\n

Now, ISPs can collect more data and can search and share user search history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since the ruling, people have begun looking at \u201cnew internets\u201d more seriously.<\/p>\n

In some cases, communities are banding together to break free of ISP control. Take for example the Equitable Internet Initiative, a community-owned wireless internet that bypasses ISP control.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to learn more about the project, you can check out this short video:<\/p>\n

Users don\u2019t come first anymore<\/h3>\n

The idea of a user-first internet is an exciting one. Even Mr. Internet himself, Tim Berners-Lee, is behind it and working to create an open sourced project, Solid<\/strong><\/a>, which seeks to restore the power and agency<\/span><\/a> of web users.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re at a strange crossroads where the biggest tech companies \u2014 and now, even smaller ones \u2014 are collecting data about us and using that to drive profits under the guise of better engagement.<\/p>\n

The challenge with adoption lies in the fact that while we can get angry reading about black box data storage systems, we generally don\u2019t notice that there\u2019s any violation taking place. Some of the high profile breaches have captured the public\u2019s attention, but there\u2019s still this issue of convenience and resistance to change.<\/p>\n

Do we want to change from Google Docs to Graphite Docs, from Twitter to Mastodon? Or get used to an encrypted email system?<\/p>\n

Well, some of us might.<\/p>\n

And there are some obvious benefits. But the average internet user often feels that they don\u2019t have much to hide \u2014 so what if Facebook knows where I shop or the same ads keep stalking me around the web? No biggie.<\/em><\/p>\n

Back to the idea of Solid. Berners-Lee says that the platform is designed to work on our existing internet, but that users will create their own pods \u2014 essentially a personal data store<\/strong> \u2014 allowing them to decide where their data lives and who has access.<\/p>\n

Developers will need to integrate Solid into their apps and websites. As of now, there are only a handful of developers doing so. Still, this vision paints a picture of users adding a layer of active consent into their internet activity.<\/p>\n

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Firefox\u2019s solution to stop Facebook from spying on you<\/p>\r\n Learn More \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Decentralized internet<\/h3>\n

\"internet\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an awful lot of promise associated with the idea of the decentralized internet. Those proponents of the idea \u2014 from startup founders to activists \u2014 talk about decentralization as this beacon of hope. It\u2019s a digital utopia that aims to solve all of our social justice woes and keep our online activity super secure.<\/p>\n

One of the key benefits of a decentralized internet is the idea that artists, coders, and writers can share their creations with the world, without the risk of someone stealing their work. Blockchain-based internet could help keep digital assets secure \u2014 released if and when someone pays up.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, there\u2019s something about the method of creating a permanent online identity<\/strong> that\u2019s a bit unsettling.<\/p>\n

Like the idea that a blockchain record could hypothetically stick around permanently is great if you\u2019re looking at it through the lens of severe internet bullying or criminal activity.<\/p>\n

But when you consider it in the context of \u2014 say, an embarrassing comment or bad review, it could hurt you down the line. When stuff like that happens in the real world, it\u2019s generally limited to a smaller circle and forgotten.<\/p>\n

To succeed, the new internet must learn from old mistakes<\/h3>\n

The internet once represented this positive force of global connectivity.<\/p>\n

Today, it\u2019s become the scapegoat for our most pressing social problems. We’re talking about inequality, hate speech, violence, and of course, social isolation.<\/a><\/p>\n

While net neutrality alone makes a strong case for starting over, we still need to face the mess we made on our current internet, lest we make the same mistakes.<\/p>\n

Maybe it comes down to new regulations that limit the reach of tech giants like Facebook. Perhaps it\u2019s creating better decentralized tools that connect with all users, not just the super techy among us.<\/p>\n

In the end, the internet is a digital reflection of the world \u2014 something we can make better, sure \u2014 but there\u2019s no quick fix.<\/p>\n

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Social media adds 24\/7 emotional burdens<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We know today’s internet is broken. Are we ready for something new?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9161,"featured_media":130503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[1702,1787],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-115790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-future","tag-internet"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326554,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115790\/revisions\/326554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115790"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=115790"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=115790"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=115790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}