On Oct. 28, NFT Steez, a bi-weekly Twitter Spaces hosted by Alyssa Expósito and Ray Salmond, met with Web3 content writer, Julie Plavnik to discuss the importance of self-sovereignty while building a digital identity in Web3. Plavnik references author Gavin Wood when describing Web3 and says that “communication” is a core tenant in the subsequent iteration of the internet. “Web3 is the communication of encrypted channels between decentralized identities,” Plavnik affirms. According to Plavnik, the emerging concept of Web3 placed a magnifying glass on user data and ownership, especially concerning the creator economy. Plavnik describes the creator economy as a …

Google’s latest crypto feature enables some Ethereum wallet addresses to have their ETH balances tracked straight off of the Google search engine — saving the need to make the trip to Etherscan. The feature was first made public by the Principal of Google Ventures Han Hua in an Oct. 11 Twitter post. Well done, blockchain address is now available in Google Search! pic.twitter.com/7IuKv1gddR — Han⚡️ (@hhua_) October 11, 2022 But Cointelegraph’s attempt to search for a Bitcoin address revealed a no-show on Google. Angel Investor Stephen Cole was not impressed, tweeting "Does Google not know about Bitcoin?" Cointelegraph also tried …

Uber is a staple of the gig economy, for better or worse, and a disruptor that once sent shockwaves throughout the mobility space. Now, however, Uber is being taken for a ride. The company is handling a reportedly far-reaching cybersecurity breach. According to the ride-hailing giant, the attacker has not been able to access sensitive user data, or at least, there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. Whether or not sensitive user data was exposed, this case points to a persistent issue with today’s apps. Can we continue to sacrifice our data — and thereby our privacy and security — …

The Metaverse as a concept is an attempt to fuse physical reality, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into one seamless and immersive experience. The term “metaverse” was first used in Neil Stephenson’s 1982 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash. Stephenson’s metaverse was a virtual place where characters could go to escape a dreary totalitarian reality. Some of the key attributes of the Metaverse include: Even before the Metaverse became a phenomenon amid the nonfungible token (NFT) craze and crypto market boom, the concept was already in focus with the likes of Facebook, now Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and several other …

Today’s social media landscape is dominated by Web2 corporations — mostly Meta (Facebook) and Twitter. The companies collect data from billions of users and collect billions of dollars in revenue from user-generated content. While it’s great for the corporations and their shareholders, it comes at a cost for average users and professional content creators. But in the near future, decentralized social media — or Web3 — is likely to end that old model by giving power back to users. No more evicting unruly users Because platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are centralized, users are at the mercy of …

Yat Siu, co-founder of Hong Kong-based venture firm Animoca Brands has argued that on-chain digital property rights are the main aspects of blockchain technology that will drive a more decentralized society. Speaking at Korean Blockchain Week 2022 (KBW), the Hong Kong entrepreneur noted that we’re all “digital dependents” and “data is the resource of metrics” that bring value to platforms like Apple, Google, and Facebook, Sui said: “The most powerful companies in the world today are not energy companies or resource companies, they’re tech companies and they're not powerful because they make software. They're powerful because they control our data.” …