Well, it finally happened. Twitter was compromised en masse to promote a Bitcoin giveaway scam. Virtually every verified account, from major crypto exchanges to celebrities such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates, even Joe Biden, were hijacked to share and pin a tweet requesting people send their Bitcoin in order to receive a greater giveaway in return. More than an individual data breach, this was clearly a platform-wide issue.
I've written about decentralized alternatives to social media time and time again. If we don't get a good alternative going soon, we all could pay a steep price.
Centralized companies not only won't, but can't, secure your data
For years the conversation was that giant tech companies mistreated user data, compromising privacy by selling our most intimate secrets to advertisers or, worse, state actors. That remains true, and is likely getting worse. However, now we're seeing that these companies, even when run by morally upright actors, can't keep your data safe. A giant honeypot for the data of billions of users with an untold plethora of interactions is just too juicy a target to keep secure, particularly when one centralized entity maintains complete control. All it takes is a single breach and what we've seen happen can happen. Not a pretty sight.
Giant chunks of our personal and professional lives are at risk
Some of you may be thinking, "Okay but that's just Twitter, it isn't the end of the world." Whether or not you'd like to admit it, many of us conduct a signficant portion of our personal and professional relationships through social media. From meeting and socializing with people to networking, information gathering, brand building, and more, much of this is in social channels. And, think of how many private messages flow through these platforms as well, simply because of the convenience of continuing a public conversation privately rather than switching platforms.
Imagine the worst thing possible that could be said in your name, either publicly or privately. That has a risk of becoming a reality with a motivated enough attacker, if you don't take control over your own data.
Could this be what finally pushes decentralized tech mainstream?
There may be a silver lining in all this (something that my readers know is something I always look for). Sure, this will catapult forward the search for, and creation of, the perfect decentralized Twitter alternative. But more than that, this will similarly launch forward the entire concept and proclivity to use decentralized tech as a whole. First, decentralized content platforms like LBRY. Next, decentralized social media. After that, decentralized identity platforms, coworking software, supply chain management, marketplaces, you name it. And money. Don't forget censorship-resistant money, the whole reason we're here in the first place.
Things are changing. Times are exciting. What a time to be alive and to see the old centralized systems begin to crack. Just get the hell off Twitter before it's too late.
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