(Before I get into my summary and thoughts on the article, I want to say that it was the best sales pitch for BitClout that I’ve seen on the internet, and I’m not even sure if it was intentional or not. It lays out a clear example of the small chance of complete domination by BitClout and that is enough that it should be taken seriously. I signed up for a BitClout account, same as my Twitter handle @cdjarrell, public key BC1YLih56UY4D3zR9UzWvfcER9tntox73hzbstfJ9QTfxxuAmckshV1)
Here is the article from Jon Stokes https://1729.com/the-billion-user-table. 1729 is a website from Balaji Srinivasan that wants to help people learn about crypto through challenges and tasks. This challenge/task was:
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In summary, the argument for The Billion User Table is that instead of each app/company keeping their own proprietary store of user information, a single, public, decentralized spreadsheet could be kept on the blockchain that everyone could easily access and securely use. Put another way, it’d be the mother of all APIs: able to seamlessly share sensitive, personal information across any service or platform anonymously, privately, and securely.
I view it almost as the single sign-on (SSO) to rule them all, in Lord of the Rings terms: you could instantly download any app, sign in with your blockchain digital identity (DID) private key, and it would pull all of your personal info directly into the app. The new app is seamlessly customized with no effort from the user but also with their total trust, again because it’s on the blockchain.
The Billion User Table might also lead to scenarios where the apps look to enable certain features for certain tiers/types of users; giving power users more control over their influence in the apps. Another useful possibility is an AI that ephemerally tests different apps that are not fully downloaded for a preview of what they could do if fully enabled, almost as an alternate realities App Store combinator.
For example: The User Table could allow an AI program to see how your data from the TripAdvisor app you already have downloaded and use to plan your dream “remote work road trip around the US” could possibly line up with AirBNB or VRBO data (apps that you haven’t downloaded) of their vacancies and then could suggest places to stay along the way with the dates and locations already pre-programmed by the TripAdvisor data. Maybe they even offer you a discount to book the entire trip with VRBO over AirBNB or something! Then you could choose who to fully share your data with when you download those apps and use them to their capabilities.
The ultimate end goal would be to take on someone like Google, one of the Web2 digital identity behemoths that might or might not be able to adapt to Web3 (remains to be seen). The first question you ask is: how could you possibly take on Google? Well one way you could start is by becoming a more convenient/safe/beneficial product for the user than Google is currently as a SSO/DID. From there, you adapt.
Just as water will always find the easiest path downhill, society adopts technology that reduces friction in things that it wants to do.