Blog posts by Molly White, a researcher, writer, and software engineer.
Visit blog.mollywhite.net → RSS feedOn Hacker News Jan 2022 – Nov 2022
Crypto & Blockchain 7Society, Policy & Culture 3Tech Industry & Business 2Web & Frontend 1Security & Privacy 1
When I speak about the inefficiency of popular blockchains, or mention that we seem to be hurtling towards a 'web3' so centralized it challenges big tech's firm grasp on today's web, or point out that somehow no one has managed to find a positive use for blockchains that wouldn't be better served by one of the many…
Crypto is known for its toxicity towards outsiders. Similar attitudes are emerging from some who oppose crypto.
In the recent paper about "soulbound" tokens, Vitalik Buterin et al. write that they aim to build technology that is "acceptably non-dystopian". Do any of today's self-sovereign identity projects fit that bill?
The 'off-ramps' from crypto—that is, the firms who will exchange your cryptocurrencies back into traditional currencies—are increasingly taking the position that is so common in discussions about privacy: 'if you're not doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?'
If you go out seeking to learn why blockchains and the systems built atop them are apparently the future of our web, you’ll begin to see some common themes. These fall apart under further scrutiny.
'Is web3 bullshit?'. A talk by Molly White on the Crypto stage at Web Summit in Lisbon on November 4, 2022.
In the frenzy to attract venture capital funding and draw new users and investors into blockchain technologies, 'how will this technology be used to harass and abuse people?' is going unasked. While blockchain proponents speak about a 'future of the web' based around public ledgers, anonymity, and immutability, those…