Lou
Lou
lou@zap.stream
Mar 1, 2023

Nostr and the 3 P’s.

As we enter an era of centralization and weapons of mass control from the powers that be, technological advances has been made to counter them. We'll take look at Nostr and what implies to be in it.
Thanks to tony! here is his profile:
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PSA: This is my ever first article written in English so forgive me for any typos or grammar errors, I really don’t like to use any translator… It kinda kills the vibe.

PSA2: This article focus it’s attention in the moral point of view of the protocol, putting on the table the problems and solutions that exist and how Nostr may present a transition to the current system.

Let’s start with:

The simplest open protocol that is able to create a censorship-resistant global "social" network once and for all.

It doesn't rely on any trusted central server, hence it is resilient; it is based on cryptographic keys and signatures, so it is tamperproof; it does not rely on P2P techniques, therefore it works.

That is what fiatjaf creator of Nostr said. If you want a deeper dive visit Github.

The problem(s)

Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays (Nostr). Let’s first address the problems that is trying to solve:

  1. As you may or may not know, US HUMANS are a very greedy by nature. Power? We want it all, it is never too much. Tech companies are run by humans, and if the math tells you something is that those companies will want always more control over you (math doesn’t lie). Companies want to own you, know what you do, what you say and eventually will try to know what you will do in the future before you even think about it, based on your behaviour. So humans are no good having such a massive control. Power.

  2. Advertisement as a revenue model has had a long track, but only in the information era can we really see how annoying they are. But doesn’t stop with the Ads showing here and there from time to time, they will track you and your behaviour to show those Ads in whatever part of the web you are. Privacy.

  3. You think you own anything? Wrong. Take a quick look at the terms and policies from any of the big dogs of social media. It belongs to them! your pictures, your posts, your music, your videos; because in the end, anything you post is kept in their servers, and What is a server but someone elses computer? Ownership rights were very hard to preserve in the digital era. Property.

If you lack any of the 3 P’s (Power, Privacy, Property) you are indeed not free. Privacy for the past to protect your well being and your significant others (Privacy doesn’t mean secrecy, don’t be fooled). Power for the present to do whatever is in your control. Property for the future to preserve your wealth over time. Past, present and future are all intrinsically bound to each other.

Solutions that Nostr brings:

Let’s break down this 3 components (Power, Privacy and Property) of freedom and lay down some solutions that the protocol brings:

  1. Power: Nostr is a way to put the control of your data in your own hands, and by control I mean that you could own your data. Every bit of information from a few sentences to a whole movie could be store in your relay, the cool part is that your relay can also interact with others creating a new whole level of social media and honestly, can go beyond that.

There is no way to censor, block, shadowban you; when you’re in control you’re free from the shackles of the one above you. It is important to enfasize how easy and combinient is to get rid of the responsability to manage your own data…That’s the cheese within the mouse trap.

  1. Privacy:

  • Privacy refers to the right of an individual or group to keep their information, behavior, or thoughts to themselves, away from public scrutiny and unauthorized access. It involves setting boundaries to protect personal space and control who can access certain information about you. Privacy is a fundamental right in many countries and is considered essential for the protection of individual freedom and autonomy.

  • Secrecy, on the other hand, involves actively hiding information from others, often for a specific purpose. Secrecy can be used to protect privacy, but it can also be used for unethical or illegal purposes, such as concealing information from authorities or covering up wrongdoings. Unlike privacy, secrecy is not a universally recognized right, and in many cases, the need for secrecy may be outweighed by other public interests, such as national security or the need to prevent crime.

TL;DR privacy is a right to keep personal information away from public scrutiny, while secrecy is the act of deliberately hiding information from others.

In Nostr no single entity has control over the flow of information or access to user’s data. This reduces the risk of data breaches or censorship, as there is no central point that can be targeted. Using encryption to secure data transmission and storage, which makes it more difficult for third parties to access user’s information. This provides a higher level of privacy protection compared to centralized networks, where data is often collected and stored by a single entity creating honey pots that potentatially can be targeted by nation states attacks or individual hackers for personal profit.

  1. Property: Public and private key pairs allow individuals to own things in the digital era by providing a secure and decentralized way to store and transfer ownership of digital information.

A public key is a unique, cryptographic identifier that can be shared publicly. It is used to receive and store data, similar to a bank account number. A private key, on the other hand, is a secret, cryptographic identifier that is used to sign transactions and transfer ownership Only the owner of a private key has the ability to transfer ownership of the assets (data) associated with its corresponding public key.

This signed data array is then broadcast to other relays and verified on the client side. This system provides a secure and decentralized way to store and transfer ownership of information, as there is no central authority or trusted third party involved as a middle man. This provides individuals with greater control over their data.

In conclusion, public and private key pairs are an important innovation in the digital era, allowing individuals to own and control their digital information in a secure and decentralized manner, it has the potential to transform many other industries in the future.

LET’S GET BACK OUR POWER, LET’S GET BACK OUR PRIVACY, LET’S GET BACK OUR PROPERTY, LET’S GET BACK OUR FREEDOM!

Feel free to send me a tip or zap me if you like it! lurusan@getalby.com

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