Potential Uses for Arweave
In my last article, I provided an overall summary of the Arweave project and even dove into some specific uses for the project. In this article I plan to expand on those use cases and provide a couple more the show the real life problems the Arweave team could be solving in the near future and beyond.
Identity Protection
With all the information stored online today, it’s becoming easier and easier for malevolent forces and hackers to get their cyber-hands on valuable data. Getting that data back into the rightful owners hands can be extremely difficult if there isn’t proof of ownership stored in a permanent archive with a timestamp for maximum clarity. Arweave is able to provide a decentralized solution in the form of blockweave that does what a centralized group of regulators are currently doing. When age-old systems go online, they are forced to adapt for the security and stability of the system. This is where Arweave shines.
Legal Data
The judicial system is a cornerstone to our modern society, and provides us with many benefits that are usually either taken for granted or simple forgotten about. Considering the social climate of recent times, it has become apparent that our system needs some adjusting - the legal system specifically. If we were able to automate some major bottlenecks of the industry and lighten the load on law firms and those tasked with monitoring the system, we’d allow a more just system to emerge.
The amount of data legal departments work with grows exponentially and legal institutions are straining under the load. This creates a less responsive, less efficient and a less just judicial process. An agile and responsive legal system is dependent on a capacity to exchange authentic data. In providing a completely trustworthy repository of digital content, Arweave can support legal processes and make a meaningful impact to the stability of civil society.
Data Sharing
Arweave is changing the way we store data, and at the same time, it's changing the way we share data as well. In our current system, a creator will share a piece of content that involves a third party relaying the piece of content in one way or another. This allows the third party to take the content down if they choose to, for whatever reason they can come up with. Using Arweave's blockweave technology, any file can be uploaded to the internet anonymously, where it's permanently stored and available.
Journalism
Journalism has almost devolved in the last couple decades, or at least lost some respect in the eyes of the population. This isn’t because the profession itself is unnecessary - quite the opposite is true. With the expansion of media’s influence and reach, sensationalized content gets shared quicker than their more truthful counterparts, which makes it difficult to know what the truth is. This leads to an overall distrust in media outlets across the board, and Arweave might be a part of the solution that will restore the public’s discernment of truth from politically motivated falsehoods.
Arweave can deliver truly tamper-proof and censorship-resistant content. Those consuming its content are able to know that any data served by Arweave is exactly identical to the data released by its source. Having information set in stone will further our ability to pull the truth out of the mucky waters of the internet. Having this bedrock of information to found Internet 3.0 on will serve as the beginnings of a society rooted in truth. In a time when fake news and a general manipulation of data for political ends abounds, this newfound reliance will be a game-changer for how reputable journalists gather information and disseminate commentary.
Online Businesses
Right now, data stored anywhere is reliant on the server the data is stored on. In a way, so much of the online infrastructure of today is fragile, because if there were to be a server that fails, and the backups aren’t working correctly, entire enterprises could be lost and forced to start over. In today’s increasingly globalized economy and society, this lack of permanence is rapidly becoming a critical threat to stability. The entire complex system is dependent on persistent records of financial exchange. By solving the problem of scale and cost, Arweave presents a system which can deliver that stability and reliability of data.
Links:
Arweave Website
Lightpaper
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Disclaimer: As with all investments, you should do your own research. The information provided in this article is focused primarily on bringing the facts out of the white paper to supplement your due diligence. Please do your own research and make up your own mind.