© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved by 3NUM Inc.,
Web3 has enabled builders to create tools that empower users to claim sovereignty over their data, money and identity. When it comes to communication, that same reality is unfortunately untrue. From our communication identifiers, to the messaging protocols and wireless networks used to connect them, virtually every layer of the “communication stack” is architected without user ownership and censorship resistance. We’re working diligently to change this at 3NUM.
Our team knows a thing or two about building tools that empower user control and ownership, having built one of the first Decentralized Identifier (DID) specifications submitted to the W3C at our previous venture lifeID. As a result, our team is taking what we know about enabling sovereignty over identifiers and bringing that to communication.
What is required for self-sovereign communication :
1. Universal Decentralized Messaging Identifiers (DMIDs)
2. Encrypted, censorship resistant messaging protocols
3. Modular, decentralized networks
Introducing Universal Decentralized Messaging Identifiers
Self Sovereign Communication is made possible with Decentralized Messaging Identifiers (DMIDs). We have built the first DMID called 3NUM. DMIDs are universal decentralized messaging identifiers that enable channel agnostic messaging across both web3 and web2. What makes 3NUMs flexible and unique is that they can serve as both a standalone messaging “identifier” (like how you would traditionally use a phone number, for example) or provide user controlled messaging capabilities to an existing web3 “endpoint” associated with one’s identity, like an ENS name, NFT or a standard wallet address. Better yet, they can function universally across all messaging platforms, from popular messaging applications like Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram, to traditional SMS and also in peer to peer wallet messaging instances. This universality means that decentralized messaging identifiers, like 3NUMs, can go anywhere you want to communicate.
Requirements for a Decentralized Messaging Identifier
1. A Decentralized Messaging Identifier MUST be owned not rented
Over the last 60 or so years, we became comfortable with rented communication identifiers by way of traditional phone numbers. This is problematic on a number of levels. The least concerning risk is that if you stop paying for your phone service, you lose access to your communication identifier, with the more concerning being that you remain completely vulnerable to a corporation or nation state cutting access to “your” communication identifier based on any justification they deem reasonable.
2. A Decentralized Messaging Identifier must be solely controlled by the end user
Virtually every “messaging identifier” that is issued by a platform to a user, is ultimately controlled by the issuing company. Take email, for example. Those identifiers aren’t rented, like they are with phone numbers, but they are controlled by a single issuing party. This again introduces risks to end users, as access to the identifier could be revoked at any time — all without the user’s control or consent.
3. A Decentralized Messaging Identifier must work universally, regardless of the communication medium
Nearly all current messaging identifiers, even ones fully controlled by users, only work in siloed messaging environments. A DMID must work universally — whether that be in the web2 world with traditional phone and email messaging identifiers, or in web3 with wallets, web3 domain names and NFTs.
4. A Decentralized Messaging Identifier must give users control over who can contact them
Problems stemming from email and SMS spam are not only annoying to end users, they are dangerous. From receiving unsolicited messages to phishing attempts- if a user cannot control who messages them, they do not have sovereignty over that messaging identifier. Because DMIDs extend messaging functionality to other identifiers, this also means that DMIDs must extend control over who can contact these connected identifiers. For example, if you add your 3NUM as a record to your ENS you should also be able to limit who is able to message that ENS name based on your preferences.
5. A Decentralized Messaging Identifier must be permanent
Problems stemming from email and SMS spam are not only annoying to end users, they are dangerous. From receiving unsolicited messages to phishing attempts- if a user cannot control who messages them, they do not have sovereignty over that messaging identifier. Because DMIDs extend messaging functionality to other identifiers, this also means that DMIDs must extend control over who can contact these connected identifiers. For example, if you add your 3NUM as a record to your ENS you should also be able to limit who is able to message that ENS name based on your preferences.
6. A Decentralized Messaging Identifier must be non-fungible
Just as no two phone numbers are the same, neither are DMIDs. 3NUMs are actually minted as a NFT, providing innovative ways to prove ownership while simultaneously extending user functionality.
Encrypted, Censorship Resistant Messaging Protocols
In order for communication to be self sovereign, the messaging protocols used must be:
1. Fully end to end encrypted (E2EE)
2. Allow participants to engage in decentralizing the messaging protocol
Self sovereign communication extends beyond just decentralized messaging identifiers, and includes the protocols that pass messages from one DMID to another. The most fundamental requirement for sovereignty over messaging protocols starts with them being fully encrypted. A user sending a message must be certain that information is being transmitted securely and privately. Not only is security and privacy a fundamental human right, without it, users cannot execute complete control over their communication.
End to end encrypted messaging protocols are not enough, however, as they need to be censorship resistant as well. This is best done through decentralization, where there is no single point of control that could prevent a user from accessing a messaging protocol to communicate. Furthermore, by decentralizing the messaging protocol, it allows every user to participate in the functionality and robustness of the protocol itself.
Modular, Decentralized Networks
The final piece of the Self Sovereign Communication puzzle lies in emerging, censorship resistant decentralized networks.
Wireless technology has long been in the control of massive telecommunication and ISP companies, who in many ways have a monopoly on wireless access. These highly centralized monopolies make it very difficult for a user to execute sovereignty over their communications, when access is controlled by only a few players.
Tokenized peer to peer networks have created new business models with incentive structures that were previously inconceivable to build. Decentralized Wireless, or DeWi for short, takes advantage of these new incentive models to build decentralized wireless networks that rival their centralized counterparts. As a result, censorship resistant mesh networks made up of thousands of individual nodes are able to provide critical wireless infrastructure that unlocks the ability for users to fully leverage universal, Decentralized Messaging Identifiers with decentralized encrypted messaging protocols in a completely self-sovereign way.
The tools are becoming available to empower users to reclaim control over their communication, from the messaging identifiers used, to the messaging protocols and networks that connect them. We are proud to be driving this necessary innovation at 3NUM in order to make this revolution possible!
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© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved by 3NUM Inc.,