The Internet as we know it is not up to the demands of the future. Bandwidth is reaching its limits as technology grows exponentially and the Internet is becoming available for new populations in under-developed countries. Personal devices are multiplying, household appliances are feeding you more information and self-driving cars are about to become a reality. The Web in its present form is bursting at the seams and unless something is done the requests for more bandwidth will have to go begging and all will come to a shuddering standstill.

Bandwidth is also particularly damaging to business and lack of it is causing latency that is costing enterprises literally billions in lost revenue. For example, even as far back as 2012, a study reported that for Amazon, a one-second delay in a page loading was costing them $1.6 billion in lost sales. 10 years later and Amazon has experienced a further 6% drop in sales, totally attributable to an ever-increasing latency cost.

What we have at present needs to be replaced root and branch and this means completely re-designing the protocols, the browsers and the platforms so that they are able to operate with vastly increased speed, security and efficiency.

The current state of the web

HTTP

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) is a protocol based on TCP that was built for the internet of the past. All web applications use both HTTP and WebSockets but heavy demands such as applications opening and closing multiple connections during their use mean that the time is approaching when they can no longer be fit for purpose — they are already struggling to cope.

HTTP has received its own updates and we are now on HTTP3, which puts TCP into retirement and uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol). Google has also invented its own UDP based protocol called QUIC, which has given a noticeable increase in speed in the Chrome Google Browser and also in Google Services generally.

Notwithstanding, these are only patches for a system that needs to be totally changed in the near future

DNS

DNS (Domain Name Server) is like a phonebook of the Internet. We all access the information we require through visiting domain names such as Amazon.com or Bbc.com. The DNS turns the domain names into IP addresses so that our web browser can load the webpage.

However, there are a lot of security concerns around DNS. Primary among them is that viruses or malware can change your DNS server to one that is malicious and that points to sites that may well look like the usual websites that one visits daily but are in fact sites set up to scam visitors.

DNS also suffers from latency issues and these equate to high loading times. Geographical proximity and network congestion can also badly affect DNS servers.

A lack of accountability and identity

Bad as well as good actors are using the Web each and every day. It doesn’t take huge resources for a bad actor to spoof IP addresses and pretend to be someone else. There are however limited resources to patrol the Web and they are becoming more expensive and complex. There needs to be a way to keep track of the bad actors such as a public ledger where malicious acts can be reported and logged.

The future of the Web

Replacing HTTP and TCP

Given that the present web architecture is no longer fit for purpose, Sentivate (parent company 'Arity') is looking to replace it by building a ‘Universal Web’. Firstly, they are going to supplant HTTP and TCP in their entirety with their own protocol UDSP (Universal Data Stream Protocol).

UDSP is a UDP based low-latency, real-time, bi-directional, encrypted, and reliable Data Transport Protocol

UDSP would be used instead of HTTP for all data transfers on the Universal Web. This protocol is perfect for the new era of IOT (Internet Of Things) as it is “low-latency high-throughput communication making it ideal for dispersed computing and parallel computing environments which require dynamic changes to the protocol.”

VIAT is the native cryptocurrency of the Sentivate network. It’s designed to be fast and secure and will provide extremely low transaction fees. The Sentivate team have identified that the Web of the future needs to live on a ‘hybrid’ blockchain — that is centralised as well as de-centralised. So VIAT will have both portions built-in (See how Sentivate incorporates puzzles into a Dynamic-Proof-Of-Work in order to mine VIAT).

A Universal Identity System

The first layer of protection on the network is the Identity Registrar, which signs the certificates and maintains an accurate record of active certificates on the network. The second is the Identity Certificates themselves. These are likened to a kind of ‘passport’, which does away with usernames and passwords. Your Identity Certificate allows you to log in and enables purchases. Cryptographically protected ‘Key Pairs’ give a user heightened security and provides them with an identity for browsing the Internet.

Universal Domain System

The Domain Registrar enables the registering and managing of domains and furnishes the Domain Information System with real-time domain information.

Any changes to a domain such as ownership, routing, or cryptography will automatically notify the DIS

The Domain Information System hosts the Domain Certificates and serves them to a client when requested which enables them to access the network by establishing a UDSP stream.

Hybrid Apps (hApp)

Imagine a bridge that builds itself as you walk across it. This is similar to the way that Hybrid Apps are streamed and self-construct on an as-needed basis. Hybrid Apps are single-page-applications that are delivered once only when the client needs them. Thereafter, they are dynamically self-built using modular development methodologies.

Sentivate’s components allow for highly modular asset streaming. For example, components can share the same CSS or HTML assets which ensures shared assets are only downloaded once and the duplicate code is never sent over the wire. Server loads and bandwidth is drastically decreased with this methodology as now the client is only pulling exactly what is needed.

With hApps there is no hashing or encrypting of passwords so a user can quickly connect given that they are authenticated and authorised at the initial connection handshake.

Conclusion

Sentivate is addressing the problem of data congestion by prioritising data traffic into fast and slow lanes. The traditional protocols of HTTP and DNS do not work together so they need to be completely changed. Therefore, Sentivate has come up with UDSP and DIS, which does everything in just one connection thereby reducing time, resources and bandwidth.

The changeover from the present Web architecture to that proposed by Sentivate is a long-term project, which is a pretty massive undertaking as it replaces a long-standing and totally embedded system. It would rely on adoption globally and a collective recognition that this is the way to go.

The Sentivate team is still small considering the sheer size of the project they have undertaken. They would certainly need to grow the team significantly and make crucial partnerships.

Marketing and getting the VIAT token out there should also be a priority. At present, the project uses the SNTVT token, which will be swapped before main net launch for the VIAT token. In short, this is a move from a governance token model to a true utility token.

The fact is that the Sentivate team have identified a major problem, which is impacting heavily on the Web of today. Instead of short-term workarounds, they are proposing a brand new model, which will revolutionise the Internet as we know it. The future speed and implementation of new technology will probably depend directly or indirectly on their success.

Disclaimer: This article should in no way be taken as financial advice or as an encouragement to invest in any particular asset or company. All those wishing to invest in the crypto market should do their own research or use the services of a fully certified financial adviser.