Communications of the ACM
They Found a Way to Limit Big Tech’s Power: Using the Design of Bitcoin
Technologists, investors, and everyday users seeking to replace some of the Internets fundamental building blocks in ways that would be harder for tech giants like Facebook and Google to control, are increasingly focused on new technological ideas introd
Credit: Daniel Savage
Jack Dorsey, Twitter's chief executive, publicly wrestled this month with the question of whether his social media service had exercised too much power by cutting off Donald J. Trump's account. Mr. Dorsey wondered aloud if the solution to that power imbalance was new technology inspired by the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
When YouTube and Facebook barred tens of thousands of Mr. Trump's supporters and white supremacists this month, many flocked to alternative apps such as LBRY, Minds and Sessions. What those sites had in common was that they were also inspired by the design of Bitcoin.
The twin developments were part of a growing movement by technologists, investors and everyday users to replace some of the Internet's fundamental building blocks in ways that would be harder for tech giants like Facebook and Google to control.
From The New York Times
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