Mission & Values for Ocean Protocol

Democratizing data while retaining privacy rights

Written by the Ocean Protocol team.

The Battle For The Internet You Never Heard About

In the late 90s, the Web (version 1.0) was exploding in popularity. Network Solutions Inc. (NSI) was running the modern Domain Name System (DNS). But NSI had massive challenges:

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) had given control of the DNS to NSI in the early 90s. A few years in, the DoD realized that having control would be extremely useful to them strategically. So, they decided to try to take it back.

NSI was working to hand control to a more public body (which eventually became ICANN.) The White House was pressuring NSI to create a single “fat” database that had not just the mapping from domain name to IP address, but also personally identifiable information (PII) about the domain owner (address, phone number, email). This would have been a privacy nightmare.

Heavy stuff. Here’s what happened next.

NSI kept the DoD at bay until it eventually created ICANN and handed it off. Yes, ICANN is imperfect but it was a pretty decent solution at the time. It’s not easy to create a database that helps to power the internet, with a measure of governance (“the worst, except for all the rest”).

As an alternative to the “fat” privacy-invading database, NSI designed a two-tier system: a “thin” database which simply mapped domain name to IP address, and a network of domain registrars which handled the PII for their customers. NSI managed to get this through during the flux of presidential election season.

In short: the good guys (NSI) fought for their ideals over the privacy of internet — and won! This is amazing. Hats off to the technical & business architects behind this in NSI, notably David Holtzman (NSI CTO) and Jim Rutt (NSI CEO). It took guts and steely determination. And at the very heart, it took unshakable values.

The New Battle for the Internet

Web 1.0 had democratic ideals. The unsung heroes of NSI and ICANN helped to keep it that way.

Web 2.0 promised social but it delivered silos. In connecting people, it people farmed. Facebook is the epitome, basically taking rights to data for themselves, without people really realizing the value that they’re giving up.

We’re now on the cusp of Web 3.0. Can we swing the pendulum back and — to paraphrase Brewster Kahle — lock it open, for good?

The passing of the Generalized Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was a landmark success for the data rights of citizens worldwide. We’re delighted by GDPR. Yet, few people actually gave up Facebook when GDPR arrived. GDPR was a great start from a legal angle. But to move the needle for actual users, the technology itself must change. It must default towards the ideals of data protection, towards democratizing data while retaining privacy rights.

How do we accomplish this? For starters: if you look closely, the silos are getting created in order to feed AIs, in turn to sell more ads and make more money. We realized it was about the data. In founding Ocean Protocol, we asked:

Society runs on data, yet much of it is controlled by a handful of companies with more power, resources, and reach than most nations. How can we equalize access to data, and therefore opportunity to make the most of modern AI and compute?

From the earliest days in the Ocean project, we had long and passionate discussions about what we wanted to achieve. Our ideals correlate with those of the early web and the early blockchain community— with an emphasis on data and building up. We’ve crystallized those ideals in the form of a mission and values.

Mission

Here is the mission of Ocean Protocol Foundation, and of the Ocean Protocol network:

Ocean aims to unlock data, for more equitable outcomes, using a thoughtful application of both technology and governance.

Values

Here are the values for Ocean Foundation, and of the Ocean network.

Unlock data — make data ever more accessible to a broader range of people & organizations. More opportunity to maximize the latent potential of the data.

— make data ever more accessible to a broader range of people & organizations. More opportunity to maximize the latent potential of the data. Human right to personal data privacy & consent (default to private) with democratizing data (default other data to open after a time period). Privacy must be a first-class citizen. The data providers must have both rights and control on the use of their data, with verifiable audit.

(default to private) with democratizing data (default other data to open after a time period). Privacy must be a first-class citizen. The data providers must have both rights and control on the use of their data, with verifiable audit. Spread of power — transparent governance. Democratic ideals (vs a new plutocracy). Strive to decouple capital from governance, while accounting for “skin in the game.

— transparent governance. Democratic ideals (vs a new plutocracy). Strive to decouple capital from governance, while accounting for “skin in the game. Spread of value — spread wealth creation among the community (vs a new oligarchy). Rewards are based on actions consistent with values. Discourage speculation, encourage building & community.

— spread wealth creation among the community (vs a new oligarchy). Rewards are based on actions consistent with values. Discourage speculation, encourage building & community. Work with the law. Be proactive rather than “asking for forgiveness” later. Follow data compliance regulations that care for human right to personal data privacy & consent.

Network Design Requirements

These values imply that the network must have the following characteristics. We consider these to be design constraints in the design of the network.

Censorship-resistant — users must be able to participate in the network without fear for their safety. All transactions must be immutable. All transactions should aim for zero-knowledge anonymity.

— users must be able to participate in the network without fear for their safety. All transactions must be immutable. All transactions should aim for zero-knowledge anonymity. Trustless — the network’s design minimizes the amount of trust needed in any entity or group of entities.

— the network’s design minimizes the amount of trust needed in any entity or group of entities. Public utility — the network must be permissionless, rent-free, and actually useful to the world. There is no small group of gatekeepers that control whether an entity can use the network or become a validator of transactions. Updates to the protocol must follow a fair, transparent, inclusive governance process.

— the network must be permissionless, rent-free, and actually useful to the world. There is no small group of gatekeepers that control whether an entity can use the network or become a validator of transactions. Updates to the protocol must follow a fair, transparent, inclusive governance process. Anti-fragile — the network will function normally without its creators, i.e. it is self-sustaining. Furthermore, it gets stronger from attacks. Finally, it has long-term perspective, at Long Now scales.

— the network will function normally without its creators, i.e. it is self-sustaining. Furthermore, it gets stronger from attacks. Finally, it has long-term perspective, at Long Now scales. Balance data commons with data marketplaces. In the data commons, data is free to use; people are rewarded for contributing to the commons. Data marketplaces have paid data. Free and paid work hand-in-hand, making each other stronger.

Community, Collaboration, Future

Ocean Protocol’s values and vision correlate with many other Web 1.0 and Web 3.0 / blockchain pioneers. Over the years we’ve worked hard to share knowledge and find ways to grow & build together with these communities and the broader ecosystem. These include co-creating the blockchain IP standard COALA IP, working with data regulators on data guidelines, improving best practices in token design, helping industries create win-win scenarios such as MOBI for autonomous driving, countless talks & meetups, and more. We embrace visionary startups, governments, NGOs, and enterprises that are working to correct misaligned incentives and building towards a future that correlates with our values.

However, just as the heroes of the DNS and other Web 1.0 visionaries found, we recognize that some parties aren’t going to be happy about Ocean Protocol. Some incumbents like Facebook and Google, with their huge siloes of data and complementary AI expertise, likely won’t be. We recognize that at times we’ll have to make tough choices. But just like the DNS heroes, we’re going stand up for our values. We’re readying ourselves.

And in the end, we hope to democratize data for humanity: spreading control and value across the community while reconciling privacy. Maybe we won’t succeed. But we must try.

Onward, upward!

Acknowledgements

Many people have had a hand in the writing of this article and influences that led to its content, especially the team at Ocean Protocol and BigchainDB, Jim Rutt, David Holtzman, and Luis Cuende. Thank you!!