Why I’m Excited About P2P Internet: Decentralization and Bitcoin

6 min readJul 26, 2023

Its been the punchline of TV Shows and movies but did you know that the internet we’ve grown to love was orginally designed to be a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) internet? It might sound weird, but its true. Somewhere in the early 2000’s when internet piracy was a new form of attack p2p networks got a lot of heat for facilitating the theft, but the internet was designed for people to communiate with each other, not with centralized servers.

You might remember napster or limewire, they were both brand name p2p applications, and while they showcased the technology well, we really only used them to pirate movies and songs. Putting the internet crime aside, p2p internet is permissionless and frictionless plus some other “bitcoin-esque” buzzwords.

So do a peer-to-peer internet and Bitcoin go together?

Absolutely they do!

First let’s take a look at why centralized systems like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok are problematic, and then we can discuss how Bitcoin might help bring along the benefits of a more peer-to-peer inteternet.

The Old-School Library Analogy

Let’s assume you have agood idea of how the internet works not. It’s kind of like a big library in a town. If you want to read a book, you have to go to the library, find the book, and read it there.

But what if the library is closed or loses a book? Tough luck, buddy. You’re out of luck because that’s the only place where you can get books. This is what we call a centralized system.

You can imagine that Facebook, Twitter and TikTok servers are like this big library… In order to check out whats people are sharing on Facebook you have to ask the Facebook servers (library) to let you check out posts (books). If the servers are down, or just dont want to let you in, you cant see whats being posted on Facebook.

You might not think this is such a big deal. I mean Facebook will come back up right? But what if it doesn’t? It takes massive server farms to power social media the way it works now… what if that funding and investment just dried up? Where would you go to see whats going on in your firend group?

Enter P2P: The Neighborhood Book Club

Now, imagine a different scenario. What if everyone in town had their own mini-library at home? You could borrow books from any of these mini-libraries. If one person’s library is closed or a book is missing from one library, it’s no big deal. You can just pop over to another person’s library to find the same book.

This is what we mean when we talk about a P2P network — it’s a decentralized system where everyone shares resources.

Bitcoin: The P2P Superstar

You’ve probably heard of Bitcoin, right? It’s the digital currency that’s been making waves for a while now. But did you know that Bitcoin is a perfect example of a P2P network? Just like our town of mini-libraries, Bitcoin operates on a decentralized system. There’s no central server or comapny controlling it. Instead, transactions are made directly between users and then get verified by network. Users are already engouraged to participate in the peer-to-peer network. Pretty cool, huh?

Until February 2023, you might have made the argument that Bitcoin doesn’t store data, and you would have been right, if you were talking about BTC. BitcoinSV hower (the version closest to the design described in the whitepaper) has been able to store gigabytes of data every 10 minutes for years.

But in Febrary 2023 Casey Rodamor introduced the concept of Ordinals to BTC and since that date we have seen an explosion of data from JPEGS to HTML, .bitter protocol for social posts and .bitmap for describing metaverse plots as data.

So, now that we know that Bitcoin can hold data including webpages why should you care?

Here’s why:

It’s Reliable

Just like in our town of mini-libraries, if one library is closed or a book is missing, it doesn’t stop you from finding the book elsewhere. In a P2P internet, if one website goes down, it doesn’t affect the rest of the network. This means you can always access the stuff you need online. No more annoying “website is down” messages!

If the website happens to be inaccessible (which is nearly impossible as it is a simple botcpin transaction) rather that being denied service, you can request the webpage from some neighbors mini-library. And while there is no guaruntee they will have it, its highly likely that for sites or information as popular as Facebook or TickTok posts that one of your neighbors will have it to share with you.

It’s Fast

In a P2P network, data is shared directly between users, so you don’t have to wait for data to travel to and from central servers. This could mean faster download and upload speeds. So, your favorite cat videos load quicker.

Win!

But also you can picture it being much faster for you to ask a neighbor for a file than having to ask Sillicon Valley if they have a server with the files or webpages you want. Maybe if you live in the valley tht would be a faster option, but for those of us who live 1/2 way around the world its a much shorter trip to our neighbors house.

It’s Private

In the big library, the librarian can see which books you check out. In a P2P network, it’s like borrowing a book from a neighbor — there’s less chance of someone tracking all your activities. While this doesn’t mean you’re completely off the grid, it’s a step towards a more private internet experience.

Servers track our every move for their own profit. They tend to offer us great benefits in return. That said a p2p internet would mean that you would be able to browse the web without ever hitting a server with spying eyes.

It Could Be Powered by Bitcoin

Here’s where it gets really exciting. The same technology that powers Bitcoin, called blockchain, could be used to power the P2P internet. This would mean a more secure, private, and decentralized internet. Imagine an internet where you have more control over your data and where your online activities are more private. That’s the potential of a Bitcoin-powered P2P internet.

What’s Next?

Sure, the P2P internet still has some kinks to work out, like security issues and the need for strong infrastructure. But the potential benefits — reliability, speed, privacy, and the power of Bitcoin — make it a pretty exciting prospect.

So, that’s why I’m all hyped up about the P2P internet. It’s a step towards a more democratic, resilient, and user-friendly internet. And who wouldn’t want that?

Remember, this is a simplified explanation and the actual workings of the internet are way more complex. If you’re interested in diving deeper, check out these resources:

Here’s to shaping an internet that’s more open, decentralized, and beneficial for all of us.

This article co-written by AI.
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