Internet-connected computers have always been at the intersection of communication and multimedia technologies.
It should come as no surprise that email and instant messaging apps became popular during the ’00s.
These apps became the forerunners of social media and messaging platforms like the ones we use today.
This includes web2 social messaging and social networking platforms like Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Instagram.
Meanwhile, there are also popular encrypted messaging apps like Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp.
But as we stand on the verge of a new era of the internet – web3 – there’s still much room for improvement.
That said, there’s a need for a new messaging app that meets users’ data security and privacy needs.
Web2 vs. Web3 Instant Messaging
Instant messaging apps have become inseparable parts of our daily lives.
Everyone is on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Discord, WeChat, or a combination thereof.
Messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp seem to address data security and secure communication. Discord and Twitter enjoy wide use in the crypto industry to build engagement.
These platforms are also used to create and maintain web3, blockchain tech, and crypto communities.
However, none of them integrate web3 technology. The most popular instant messengers are built on Web2 technology. They lack true privacy, security, and full ownership of data.
Moreover, they don’t address the problem of inherent centralization. This remains an open issue for web3-focused internet users.
At the core of Web3 is decentralization which, in comparison to web2, provides privacy and prevents censorship.
We created SendingMe to solve these issues by providing a decentralized environment for the privacy and security of your data.
Let’s take a look at some of the ongoing concerns about web2 and web3 instant messaging apps.
Privacy Concerns
With all the personal data that we share with our friends and relatives through instant messaging, it’s clear that privacy should be a major concern for every user.
Granted, secure messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram boast end-to-end encryption with a focus on privacy.
But the reality is that these apps store all your data about your IP addresses, phone numbers, and private messages at a data center.
That opens up the potential for a data breach, leakage, or misuse – no matter how secure they claim to be.
SendingMe does not store any of your messages. All data is located only on your own terminal – nowhere else.
Central Control
Centralized control is also another issue these messaging platforms face.
Corporate interests are constantly seeking ways to monetize you by peering into your communication channels.
To do that, they need full control of the platforms.
Web2 social apps are highly centralized. Over time, this leads to censorship, privacy abuses, or misuse of users’ personal data.
That means exploiting your data and selling it to targeted advertising, as you and your personal data are the products of these centralized platforms.
Users have no control over the data they hand over. They’re stored in third-party servers with no way to prevent unauthorized access.
Web3 solves this. Since SendingMe is a decentralized social platform. Data storage and selling of your personal information are out of the question and impossible by design.
As a decentralized social platform, data storage and selling of your personal information are out of the question and impossible by design. SendingMe does not do any of that, as we are not planning to sell the data or the ads. Our business is mostly based on in-app transaction fees, like when trading NFTs (and we are still cheaper than the classic NFT exchanges!)
How Does Blockchain Messaging Work?
Blockchain technology offers a solution granting users full custody of their personal data at a time of permanent data mining by Web2 big tech.
In general, blockchain messaging apps work by:
- Encrypting the message text and putting the encrypted text into a transaction.
- Then, the app signs the transaction and sends it to a node.
- A distributed network of nodes determines the authenticity of the message.
- Once confirmed, the transaction containing the message is included in the next block.
- The recipient pulls the transaction and decrypts the message.
Let’s have a look at the project that we built for you!
SendingMe
SendingMe is a fully decentralized instant messenger. All the messages are sent through blockchain, SendingMe is not keeping any record of them.
Your data are fully secured. They are not being traded and never will be. In addition to that, SendingMe can offer you a full suite of services when it comes to NFT trading.
SendingMe has built-in features that allow for the discovery and trading of NFTs. To prevent client-to-client trade fraud that is very widespread, SendingMe has a reputation system that keeps the identity of the user private but allows others to see their overall standing and trustworthiness.
The platform also has a mini-shop to showcase your NFTs, crowdfunding to make bigger investments, and community-building features to stay in touch with like-minded individuals.
Conclusion
Web2 instant messaging systems have many underlying problems involving privacy, security, and centralized control.
While web3 decentralization could mitigate or eliminate these issues, up to this point, the development and use of decentralized messaging apps were quite low. There was no solution that would combine the ease of use and adoption of web2 instant messengers and combine it with the features and benefits of web3.
SendingMe took the best of both worlds and created a platform that is secure, private, and decentralized. With SendingMe, users will be able to take advantage of all the benefits of the instant messaging apps that they are used to while also having the most needed web3 features in-app just a couple of clicks away!
