Martina Larkin, the CEO of Project Liberty, pens an op-ed in TechCrunch about the role web3 plays in protecting consumers’ data from Big Tech.
Democracy is under siege. Our digital fingerprints are being sold. And digital ownership is being crushed by the small group of tech giants who control the internet as we know it.
The internet was one of the most powerful and promising creations in human history. Providing the ability to connect the world, democratize information and enhance the potential of so many aspects of our lives. But with innovation came a shift — now, when accessing information online, the user hands over personal data points in exchange for this information.
As the internet evolved into what we now know as Web 2.0, it also created competing proprietary platforms of user-generated content each presiding over their own “walled garden,” while the advent of social media changed how we connect and interact.
The existing incentive structure of today’s internet has allowed for the creation and growth of a small number of billion-dollar, highly centralized tech companies effectively building a data broker industry. They are ubiquitous in our everyday lives and their only goal is relentless growth achieved by maximizing advertising revenue — at all costs.
Read the full article on TechCrunch here.