The discussion about censorship, control and ownership on social media has been gaining momentum, and decentralization has emerged as a powerful solution for content creators. This is how platforms have emerged that promise – and deliver – to give creators back true ownership of their content.
BeInCrypto Brazil interviewed Julian Chandra, founder of the decentralized social network Odysee, to understand the practical application of web3 in users' daily lives.
Data on the blockchain
Imagine that a person with financial limitations needs a car. With the little money that person has, he buys a 1978 Chevette. The car serves the purpose of that person, which is to go from point A to B every day. One fine day, a traffic cop arrives, stops the owner of the car and says that the car emits a lot of pollutants, therefore it cannot be on the road.
The cop puts a lock on the car’s wheel, and a few minutes later a tow truck takes it away. The poor car owner simply…no longer owns the car. His car belongs to the owner of the street. In this case, the state. It is with this question in mind that Julian Chandra founded Odyssee in 2020.
Decentralization allows creators to truly control what they publish, without fear of sudden censorship or loss of content. “We believe creators deserve a platform where they can freely express their ideas and know that their content is, at its core, theirs — permanently and without conditions,” says Chandra.
The platform uses blockchain to permanently store all shared content. Unlike centralized platforms like YouTube and Instagram, where user data is subject to censorship and removal, Odysee ensures that files are immutable and always accessible.
Full ownership of content is a crucial pillar
Odysee, which is not limited to videos, allows the upload of various media, such as images, articles, PDFs and audios. Everything is stored on the blockchain, reinforcing the concept of digital ownership. This gives the creator full ownership of their content, in addition to allowing the content to be, in fact, immortal and eternal.
Therefore, the use of blockchain, in itself, makes it impossible for a platform to have full ownership over the files shared by users.
Banning a video for criminal purposes, or false information that defames other people or institutions, is indeed a responsibility. But if everything that content creators produce can be taken away from them in the blink of an eye, who really owns the content?, asks an Odysse user.
Why does decentralization matter?
On traditional platforms, creators have no real control over their content. A post can be removed, an account can be suspended, and in some cases, valuable memories can disappear with the platform, as is the case with Orkut.
In the decentralized model, creators hold the keys to what they publish, eliminating the risk of arbitrary censorship or file loss. In addition, another platform known to crypto users and Web3 enthusiasts is Mirror. The network is designed for publications that can only be accessed by connecting a wallet. This means, for example, that users automatically have all their content linked to the blockchain – generating security and perpetuity.
This model also protects critical information, as demonstrated by Odysee in recent investigations involving Nubank. Documents that raised doubts about the blockchain basis of NuCoin were preserved on the platform, thwarting possible censorship attempts and thus reaffirming the role of decentralization in freedom of information.
Additionally, Arweave’s blockchain technology complements the vision of platforms like Odysee by offering permanent and immutable storage through the Permaweb. In this system, content is protected from manipulation or deletion, ensuring its long-term preservation.
Blockchain ensures a safer and freer future
For Chandra, while traditional social networks continue to centralize and control user data, decentralized platforms are redefining the game. In addition to ensuring the permanence and security of content, they promote a fairer relationship between creators and technology.
With the arrival of blockchain-based social networks, the era of true control over content has already begun, placing, above all, creators at the center of decisions and promoting a more transparent and democratic environment, believes the founder of Odysee.
The article Decentralized social network aims to increase users’ freedom and security was first seen on BeInCrypto Brazil.
