In the Enigma’s own words:

“Enigma is using groundbreaking privacy technologies to build the first platform for scalable, end-to-end decentralized applications.”  

“A peer-to-peer network, enabling different parties to jointly store and run computations on data while keeping the data completely private.”

Key contact points for Enigma:

• Enigma
• @EnigmaMPC
• Enigma Protocol
• Enigma Test-net
• Enigma blog
• Research Papers
  • Decentralizing Privacy: Using Blockchain to Protect Personal Data
  • Enigma: Decentralized Computation Platform with Guaranteed Privacy
• Catalyst – Catalyst is the world’s leading platform for data-driven cryptoasset trading and investment.

Some of the key components that Enigma is offering:

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you.

Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 and the blockchain stack by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).  Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Enigma is presenting a permission-less peer-to-peer network that provides a smart-contract platform appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

Today, we will try and provide a brief overview of part of the Blockstack ecosystem developed to not only replace the Domain Naming system (DNS), but one that is designed to be better than the DNS.  The Blockstack architecture that is designed to replace DNS is called the Blockchain Naming system or BNS (identity).

The BNS is similar to the DNS in use today (e.g., thestackcafe.com, blockstack.org…).  But, BNS makes this part – the naming system (namespaces (names and domain names – e.g. abc.com and identification (IDs)) – of the internet much better.

Basically, BNS makes the namespaces used on the internet better because the namespaces are not controlled by third parties (namespaces are owned by the user (data and everything)), are less susceptible to manipulation and failure and BNS bakes trust and security into each namespace used on the Blockstack internet. 

Blockstack proposes: The DNS of today has never been able to achieve what BNS has now achieved – namespaces (online identity) that are contemporaneously unique, human-readable and decentralized (ownership, portability, security…).

BNS provides namespaces that are:

• decentralized
• unique
• human-readable
• owned by you
  • portable
  • controlled by the owner (all the data you generate is now yours)
• pre-built with
  • public keys
  • encryption
  • private keys
  • digital certificates
• rooted in the blockchain for
  • consensus
  • ordering
  • transparency
• secure
• trustworthy

Ultimately, in order to achieve the above, BNS roots a small piece – an important piece – of the namespace in a blockchain (this is the decentralization aspect).  By using a blockchain to store a small piece information (note: the information on the blockchain is encrypted) about the namespace, BNS is able to realize agreement (trust, consensus) on what was stored, when it was stored and the ownership of the same.

And, since blockchain(s) by their very nature are transparent and extremely difficult to tamper with and/or change, it makes BNS a better naming environment than DNS since it is more stable and more secure.

By including decentralization in namespaces, BNS appears to have broken new ground in the namespace arena in that BNS namespaces have achieved something DNS never could- overcoming Zooko’s Triangle (re: offering namespaces which are unique, human-readable and decentralized in one package).  BNS namespaces have all three seminal features at the same time – each namespace is at least unique, human-readable and decentralized. 

But, let’s step back and look at DNS and how BNS makes the namespace (names/domain names) better.

For example, DNS is:

• centralized and controlled by a few organization(s)
  
  • so it is easier to
    • attack and take offline
    • change the mapping/address of the domain name you are trying to visit (e.g. digital certificates provide a sense of security but susceptible too – green lock sign you see on the website – this is the correct site and you can trust it)
      • by changing the information at the DNS server
      • spoofing the reply from the DNS server

DNS has problems –

• it may have/provide decentralized public keys but the public keys are not human-readable (e.g. 1Bndg7esRTYUefui76TYgh4DW75TJkil09)
  • PROBLEM: no central server needed for public key but hard to read and but it is unique (i.e. it is not very good human readable name)
    • Just try and remember a public key day in day out – (gonna be tough and then when you have many of them, oh my!)
• it may have/provide unique and human readable name(s) but it is not decentralized (e.g. if you use social networks like twitter, twitter owns the namespace, not you so you cannot take the name or data with you if you want to use another social network)
• digital certificate fraud (e.g. bad/malicious certificates, so users of website end up trusting the bad certificate

Just think of all the massive data breaches (stolen identities, bad digital certificates… see also 17 biggest, World’s Biggest, Certificates) on websites and spoofing of websites that have happened in the past and may have happened to you. 

These types of issues are at the center of the problems of centralization and DNS centralization.  Basically, DNS has never been able to provide three seminal features at the same time: unique, human-readable and decentralized namespaces in one package (one of three is always missing).

Well, no more, we now have BNS which is similar to DNS only much, much better.

Blockstack believes that BNS has solved the problems (e.g. offering all three seminal features at the same time and in one package) associated with DNS centralization.  BNS is not susceptible to manipulation (e.g. names are tied to the blockchain (hard to tamper with)) and it does away with the other problems associated with centralization (e.g., bad digital certificates, potential outside attack & mapping/routing problems…).

BNS – in a little more detail – provides:

• decentralized naming system (e.g. no central authority has control)
• unique names
• that is owned by you and no one else (portability features)
• human-readable names (e.g., thestackcafe.id and not something like – 1Bndg7esRTYUefui76TYgh4DW75TJkil09)
• automatically provides public keys, digital certificates and security at the outset of registration
  

• when registering a BNS name(s) and domain name(s)
  • both are associated with public keys by default
    • so all namespaces (names/domain names) get digital certificates
      • and if BNS associates public keys to namespaces (names/domain names) by default
        • all namespaces (names/domain names) websites have security certificates and security from the outset
• all of the above being tied to a blockchain
  • that you can trust (well established blockchain (e.g. bitcoin)
    • since blockchain(s) by their very nature are extremely difficult to tamper with and/or change
      • to change the blockchain – where this is stuff is tied to – one would have to go back and change the blocks in the chain (very very very very very very…hard)
        • So if it ain’t easy, most nefarious types will most likely pass on it and go for the easy

BNS provides names and domain names that have two very unique ownership features:

• names and domain names are owned by cryptographic addresses of the underlying blockchain (from the outset of registration)
  • when you register a BNS namespace (name or domain name)
    • it is registered on the blockchain (e.g. it is owned by a cryptographic address on blockchain)so it is encrypted (secret, unique…) and registered on the blockchain (cryptographic address) (remember – blockchain(s) are very hard to tamper with so security and trust exist automatically at a level that far surpasses the centralized DNS system – it is much better on BNS)
• names and domain names are owned by its associated private key (strong encryption from the outset of registration)for example
  • ECDSA-based private keys used in bitcoin is used to encrypt the namespace (name/domain name) from the outset of registration – Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm
    • (wikipedia – In cryptography, the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) offers a variant of the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) which uses elliptic curve cryptography.)
      • So the namespace from the get go is owned by a private key with a strong encryption protocol (again hard to tamper with)

Decentralized BNS is much better than the centralized DNS.  BNS is decentralized, unique, human readable, with public and private keys, encrypted and registered on a blockchain which makes it secure, trustworthy and very hard to tamper with.

In a nutshell, when you use BNS to register a namespace (name or domain name), one gets a secure and trustworthy namespace backed by an encrypted blockchain registered address and a very secure encrypted private key.  BNS provides the complete package to give you security, trust and peace of mind when you interact with the internet, the Blockstack internet. 

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any namespace (name/domain name) or dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet, that is distributed via the blockchain, bitcoin), you must use the Blockstack browser).

Download the Blockstack Browser

For help on installing and using the Blockstack Browser, please visit this link Getting started with the Blockstack Browser.

For a more in depth look into the Blockstack Browser, please visit these links – Inside the Blockstack Browser and Blockstack Browser: It does that?

Resources re: Blockstack and dApps

• Blockstack
• @blockstack
  • @blockstackapps
• Developers
  • Introduction
    • • Papers
      • Videos
    • Tutorials
      • (e.g., todo and multi-player storage)
    • Installation
    • Github
      • Javascript
      • Core API
• Blog
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Blockstack Meetups

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).

Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way.^TM A decentralized internet | The Way The Future.^TM  Try out the new internet, The Blockstack Way.^TM  Blockstack: The New Internet – It Makes The Internet You Use Better!^TM

The post Blockstack: Blockchain Naming System(BNS) – It Makes The Namespace You Use On The Internet Better! appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

In the internet of today, online privacy and the control of identity, security and privacy are hard to come by.  Some solutions to the online privacy problems are taking shape today.  The rise of decentralized networks and ecosystems like the one that Blockstack is building may make a big difference in helping you protect your online privacy.  And, it does not hurt to also use some of the resources shown below to further help you protect your online privacy.  Remember, if you do not like the online privacy practices of the company, service or application you are using, you can always stop using it.

We are currently trying out some these tools (look at the top right corner of the screenshots and you can see some of the icons in use – e.g. ghostery…) and have enjoyed using them and the information each provides.  The more information we can obtain (and control) on what is going on behind the scenes with the websites we visit and the information each is trying to get from us, the better off we think we are. 

Some of the tools are highlighted below with a screenshot and a brief overview for your review.  We hope you find this information helpful.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

• Website
• Twitter

Tools and Resources – Home page

EFF Tools and Articles

EFF – Panopticlick

a tool to help in the browser tracking area

EFF – certbot

a tool used to automatically enable HTTPS on your website (helps provide additionally security with website identification (is this really the correct site)

EFF – Surveillance Self-Defense: Tools, Tips and To-dos for safer online communications

EFF – Privacy Badger

a tool to help block spying ads and invisible trackers

EFF – HTTPS://everywhere

a Firefox, Chrome, and Opera extension that encrypts your communications with many major websites, making your browsing more secure.

Duck Duck Go

a search engine that does not track you.

Website

Twitter

Princeton’s WebTap – Web Transparency & Accountability research center looking into privacy practices

Website

Twitter

Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society

Website

Twitter

Firefox – Facebook container Extension

a tool to help Firefox users have more control over their data

Website

Twitter

Ghostery

a tool that helps you browse smarter by giving you control over ads and tracking technologies to speed up page loads, eliminate clutter, and protect your data.

Website

Twitter

We are not affiliated with any of the above.  We hope this information is helpful.  Thanks again, The Stack Cafe.

The post Online Privacy – Website Tools That May Help Protect You While You Use the Internet appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

And, in order to have applications to use/run on the ecosystem, you need an idea for a decentralized application (e.g., P2P Encrypted Messaging, Community Messaging, Word Processing, Cryptocurrency Portfolios…) and then a developer to build the decentralized application.  Welcome to the Developer’s corner (not only for developers though)…

In this post, and subsequent posts related to this series, we will try and explore some of the tools created for developers (and others) to build the decentralized applications (dApps) that can be used on the decentralized internet.  

To begin with, Blockstack is probably a developer’s dream come true.  By that, we mean Blockstack is making it a lot easier for developers to build decentralized applications for use on the Blockstack ecosystem. 

How did Blockstack make it a little easier, well they setup the kitchen (architecture and infrastructure) with almost everything the cook (developer) needs to create the dish (decentralized application – dApp).  The kitchen – Blockstack’s ecosystem, includes (among many other items):

• a decentralized domain name system (DNS)(it is called BNS)
• a decentralized public key distribution system
• a registry for applications (dApps)
• a registry for user identities
• a decentralized storage system
• tokens…

so the cook (developer) can bake (build) some wonderful creations (dApps).  Below, you will find a couple of different diagrams (e.g., stack for decentralized applications & how blockstack works) laying out the major components – blockchain, virtualchain, routing layer and storage layer – of the Blockstack architecture:

It is all there – the Blockstack infrastructure described above, provides a lot of the tools that a developer might need to build decentralized applications for use on the Blockstack ecosystem.  And, by providing some of the tools needed to build decentralized applications, Blockstack has enabled the developer to more easily build a dApp.  For example, the 

• developer can use java-script (and libraries) to build a single page application(s)
  • that does not plug into the front-end of a centralized API
    • but one that plugs into an API run by the user (as the API is pre-built and runs on the user’s device)
• developer does not have to worry about
  • running servers
  • maintaining databases
  • building out user management systems because:
    • the applications are server-less and decentralized
    • users bring their own storage
    • user/applications use public-key cryptography for authentication
    • the developer’s of the application and the application itself do not have to store anything

To make it even easier, Blockstack also includes libraries and step-by-step tutorials (e.g., identity, storage, tokens (coming soon)) for the developer, hacker, hobbyist and others to build decentralized applications. 

All of this looks so good that we might try and build a decentralized application too.  All kidding aside (not really though), it looks like Blockstack has put forth a complete package so developing decentralized applications should be a lot easier.  In addition, Blockstack has put together a great team in case a question should arise.   And, to top it off, everything Blockstack ecosystem is an open source community project.  So, not only is Blockstack there to help, the open source community of developers, hackers, users and supporters, and others  – already participating in the environment –  are helping out too (e.g. forums, meet-ups, code/programing feedback, testing…).  

Please find below, some links that might be most helpful as you learn more about Blockstack’s tools for developing a decentralized application for use on Blockstack.

Resources re: Blockstack and dApps

• Blockstack
• @blockstack
  • @blockstackapps
• Developers
  • Introduction
    • Papers
    • Videos
    • Tutorials
      • (e.g., todo and multi-player storage)
    • Installation
    • Github
      • Javascript
      • Core API
• Blog
• Frequently Asked Questions

And, if all of the above wasn’t enough, Blockstack and the Blockstack Signature fund have sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top with the dApp bounties – Blockstack: $50,000 Bounty for Messaging Applications.  Bounties – One aspect of promoting the Blockstack ecosystem is to provide a platform to help support the global community of developers, designers, and others to submit their ideas and products for a chance to win a prize (e.g., decentralized application(s), dApp, dApps on the Web 3.0).

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar).  Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM.  A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: Developers Corner… appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

“A decentralized internet is one where users don’t need to trust any intermediaries or remote services. We envision a world where users control their own data, and power flows back to the users. Reducing the friction to deploying new Blockstack nodes is an important step towards that mission.”

In the present day centralized internet, web applications (or owners of the web applications) most likely own all of the user’s data from the use of the web application, control where the user’s data is stored and control the access to the user’s data.  It appears that the user of web applications do not have much if any control.  This is where Blockstack and its vision of a decentralized internet comes into view. Blockstack wants to help bring to fruition:

A decentralized internet free of:

• middlemen
• passwords (e.g., multiple passwords), and
• massive centralized data repositories that are susceptible to being breached.

A decentralized internet where the users:

• control their data;
  • own their data, not the application provider
  • control where their data is stored
  • control who can access their data
• applications (apps) run on the user’s device (not on the server of a third party);
• do not have services tracking them around the internet.

A decentralized internet where developers:

• use java-script to build a single-page application;
• do not plug into the front-end of a centralized API;
  • but can plug into an API run by the user;
• have a complete the step-by-step tutorial and libraries
  • e.g., blockstack.js;
• don’t have to worry about:
  • running servers;
  • maintaining databases; or
  • building out user management systems; and
    • the applications are server-less and decentralized.
    • users bring their own storage
    • use public-key cryptography for authentication
    • applications don’t have to store anything

A decentralized internet where Blockstack:

• includes a decentralized domain name system (DNS),
• includes a includes a decentralized public key distribution system,
• includes a registry for apps and user identities and
• includes a blockstack browser that allows the user to access the decentralized applications (dApps) that are used to access the blockstack decentralized internet
• tokens for use in the ecosystem (see Blockstack)

For more on the resources for developers, please visit:

1. Blockstack – tutorials
2. Blockstack.js.

With all of the above, Blockstack is forging ahead with the new internet for decentralized apps (dApps)(Web 3.0).  From the users perspective, Blockstack gives the user identity freedom and data autonomy.  From the developer’s perspective, things look simpler to build, easier to implement with reduced overhead in maintaining the application.

dApps available @Blockstack:  The latest dApp developed for the Blockstack ecosystem is Graphite (allows the user (with multi-reader storage capability) to write without giving up its privacy)(See our post on Graphite).  Here are the links you may want to check out:

• Blockstack
  • Twitter
• Graphite
  • Website
  • Twitter

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

The post Blockstack: A Quick Look … appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.