Privacy Manifesto
Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. A private matter is something one doesn't want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn't want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world. — Eric Hughes
The future of privacy on the Internet is a collective action problem (opens in a new tab). When more of us care about our data privacy — how our data is used, viewed, and tracked — the greater we collectively benefit. Collaborating towards a private future is essential to increasing our odds of success in creating a more fair and open Internet.
Privacy is crucial for a fair and healthy internet. The ability to selectively disclose and control our data directly protects our own interests and the interests of our peers. It leads to open spaces for sharing ideas, collaborating on work, and voicing our opinions on controversial issues. It also creates better closed spaces for new ideas that require separate to emerge. We need more networked tools to reclaim our privacy; tools that grow privacy through positive-sum behavior. Networked tools for privacy create network effects, which are key for sustainable privacy creation.
Privacy on the internet is traditionally seen through a pessimistic lens involving large technology companies. These monolithic technology companies collect troves of our data and lock them behind insecure doors. The incessant cycle of data breaches and hacks can only be seen as a sign that these companies do not value our privacy no matter what they say. This can change within the Web3 ecosystem. We can set an example of how to build systems to value users’ privacy and how to do so sustainably and with balanced incentives.
Privacy in Web3 is also currently fragmented. Each privacy project commands its own, independent privacy sets. Each privacy project competes for roughly the same set of users, liquidity, and data. This independence of privacy sets creates a zero-sum environment for privacy creation.
We can create a new narrative of privacy on the Internet and in Web3. We can create a future of privacy that is not only secure, but also empowering and connected. We can create a future that enables us to express our true selves, without fear of retribution or exploitation, using anonymous identities. We can create a future that enables us to protect our data, and to make it work for us through the use of zero-knowledge proofs. We can create a future that makes privacy a priority, and encourages all of us to be a part of the solution through collaborative incentives. Together, we can create a future of privacy that is truly revolutionary.
We must take collective action to make our privacy a priority. We must advocate for laws that protect our data and that provide us with control over who has access to it. We must build tools and services that prioritize privacy and provide users with clear, understandable options for how their data is used. We must create incentives for projects, companies, and organizations to build privacy into their products and do so in a connected way to benefit the maximum number of people. We must create a community with open and honest dialogue around privacy, and we must create culture that values privacy as an essential part of our digital lives. We must take collective action to create a future of privacy, and we must do it together.
That is why we believe in building connected private applications that span all possible communities. Using interoperable tools that connect and grow privacy collaboratively, we can unite ourselves together towards a common and beneficial goal. We can realize one of the core visions of cryptocurrency technology; to reclaim power over our financial lives and identities. That is why Webb exists; to build the privacy tools that bridge us together.
We believe the future of privacy is connected. We believe the future of privacy is anonymous and accountable. We are here to build systems that connect blockchains together with collaborative privacy technology. Technology that anyone from anywhere can participate in and, most importantly, benefit from.
Here's how we realize our vision
- Zero-knowledge / Private bridges - We build bridges between privacy sets to grow privacy for any user on any compatible blockchain within the same system. Your data lives on our bridges in an anonymous, attributed and secure representation that only you can prove properties of whenever you want.
- Fully open source - All our work is fully open source so that it's clear what goes on underneath the hood. We are fully committed to this vision and will continue to innovate in public. Check out our Github (opens in a new tab) and Documentation Site (opens in a new tab) for up-to-date work.
- Collaborative incentives - We believe that privacy creation is needed for a fair and sustainable Internet. We are designing our protocols and tools with collaborative incentives across development, deployment, community creation, and privacy creation. Anyone who deploys and integrates a with us will not only increase the maximum achievable privacy for their community but they will also become a key participant in our collective mission to increase our privacy together.