In our ever-evolving Age of Big Data, the integration of Holochain and blockchain heralds a new era of balance between privacy and transparency. At the heart of Holochain lies its agent-centric architecture, championing individual autonomy and data sovereignty. By empowering users through a distributed approach, Holochain enables them to maintain full control over their data and interactions within their own chain, serving as a stronghold for confidentiality and accessibility.
Consider the scenario where you'd want to keep certain transactions, confidential health information, messaging, and social media interactions private, sharing them solely with trusted entities like your treating physician, family, or friends, rather than exposing them to public scrutiny by AI algorithms, data brokers, or insurance companies.
Blockchains offer transparent public ledgers, providing a robust infrastructure for recording and verifying transactions in a trustless manner. Blockchain excels in applications like voting, government and corporate smart contracts, and public archives such as intellectual property (IP) rights and asset ownership. However by requiring consensus, blockchain poses challenges for scalability and user privacy, this is where Holochain’s agent-centric approach comes to the fore!
Holochain operates without gas fees by eliminating the need for on-chain transaction costs. Blockchain, despite the promise of layer 2 protocols, requires nodes to be updated with consistent validation which makes transactions or updates to the ledger expensive.
Unlike blockchain, Holochain's validation process is conducted locally and verified using its unique distributed hash table (rrDHT) implementation which enables trustless on-chain verification by a number of randomised agents on the same chain.
Holochain’s framework empowers agents (users) to individually host and manage their data on their local chain (on their own device), a stark departure from blockchain networks that are reliant on global consensus mechanisms. This fundamental shift eliminates the need for the transaction or gas fees associated with centralised validation processes.
By eliminating the need for network-wide consensus and prioritising trust on a human level, Holochain allows data to be shared according to users' preferences and requirements.
This collaborative verification mechanism ensures the overall reliability and security of the entire network. By fostering individual accountability for on-chain data integrity, agents are motivated to fulfil their role in data verification processes as a gesture of reciprocity to the network they are part of whether it be with friends, colleagues, or others using the same DHT.
So when might a developer opt to integrate blockchain and Holochain technology? In this hybrid approach, data segregation based on sensitivity is key to harnessing the best of both worlds. Private data can be held in Holochain's agent-centric architecture while data destined to be a public record could be stored on a blockchain.
Imagine a collaborative music-making application where artists each contribute their part to the composition; vocals, percussion, lyrics etc. They’d be able to work together in real-time, as well as asynchronously, through a Holochain application (hApp). Then, when releasing their finished piece using the hApp, the specifics of their intellectual property could be published to Ethereum for later referencing. This gives the group the ability to work privately, within the sanctity of a secure source chain, while not being required to upload any of their music to centralised servers until they’re ready.
An environmental regeneration initiative could, for example, leverage Chainlink oracles to access offline data from IoT devices measuring soil quality, weather patterns, and biodiversity metrics locally. Integrating them into a hApp, the data could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of reforestation efforts. Offering a scalable, cost-effective, p2p environment in which to engage with stakeholders, the hApp could enhance trust by demonstrating capability using verifiable data.
Picture a scenario where a video sharing hApp seeks to combine the privacy and cost efficiency of Holochain with the high availability offered by blockchain solutions like Filecoin, Swarm, Threefold or Storj among others. This hybrid approach ensures that even viral videos, attracting millions of views within hours, remain accessible without compromising user privacy or incurring high costs. Users could choose to upload their videos to these more centralised platforms as needed from within the hApp.
Alternatively, they could also use Holo hosting and tap into its distributed network of hosts, to seamlessly share videos while guaranteeing data integrity, availability, and resilience - all from within the Holochain ecosystem. But you knew that already!
The subject of this article was suggested by Andre.HC on the hAppenings.communtiy Discord server. I’m thankful to them for reaching out and sharing their request. Join and share yours!
Resources to dive deeper into this subject. I’m thankful to their creators for sharing their knowledge and informing this article:
The Power of Peer-to-Peer. This 3 part series of articles by Art Brock and Josh Zemel are invaluable resources for those looking to understand Holochain.
Holochain: Core Concepts explains the fundamental principles of their development framework.
This article, by Nicolas Luck, explains agent-centricity in more detail and offers a perspective that application architects could consider: ‘Holochain: Reinventing Applications’.
Read Holochain’s own take on blockchain in this engaging article by Josh Zemel and Art Brock: ‘Blockchain: A Holochain Perspective’.
For an overview of why our data environment needs to be re-evaluated check out The Center For Humane Technology.
🌟 Latest Official News and Events from Holochain and Holo
Holochain Digest: February 2024 on LinkedIn
“We're thrilled to be attending ETHDenver and showcasing a collaboration that paves the way for verifiable energy solutions. Plus, we're all about revisiting some rad pieces from the past that showcase Holochain's awesome innovations and contributions. Let's make waves together!”
Blog: Verifying Energy: DeFi meets DePIN
Those who have been following Holochain for a while have heard of The Internet of Energy Network (IOEN). In short, IOEN’s goal is to support a sustainable energy transition by enabling microgrids of local renewables to collectively account for the energy they produce and to engage in the global financial market.
For a complete listing of all of the Holo Ltd and Holochain Foundation events go to their ‘Upcoming Events’ page!
🌟Other Related News & Events
Article: Holochain and generative identity by Philip Sheldrake of Generative Identity
“Holochain is one of the most promising projects leading the way to a (re)decentralized web. To be more accurate and indeed more expansive, it's one of a stable of interrelating projects aiming to approach the digitalization of human societies ecologically, i.e. as living ecosystems. You'll appreciate immediately then that the Holochain team's vision and values align very closely with our motivations here for generative identity.”
Video: CTA: An Experimental Network of Prosocial Tech Builders with Tibet Sprague
“We had an an exciting talk with Tibet Sprague about the Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA). CTA exists to facilitate collaboration, coordination, and community among platform designers, developers, and stewards who are committed to building social technology that benefits both people and planet. It is a decentralized alliance that works on the principles of wellbeing, co-creation, agency, justice, openness and emergence.”
Article: Pioneering Distributed Apps Together: Bitcoin & Holochain
“In recent years, the world has witnessed the rapid growth of decentralized technologies, driven by the desire for a more transparent, secure, and inclusive digital ecosystem. These technologies aim to disrupt traditional centralized systems by providing decentralized alternatives that empower individuals and communities. Two significant players in this space are Bitcoin and Holochain, each offering a unique approach to decentralization. In this article, we will explore the potential synergy between Bitcoin and Holochain and how they can pioneer distributed apps (dApps) together.”
Video: EU Open Source Policy Summit 2024 Panel: The Case for a Big EU OSS Fund
“Should the European Union heavily invest in open source with billion-dollar commitments? We will investigate the economic arguments for governments to think a lot more ambitiously and strategically about open source.”
Article: From Gamified EdTech in Web 3.0 to The Need of Warm Data by Alina Tudorache on LinkedIn
“How to use Gamification design for Education in any EdTech, blockchain or holochain scenario where Warm Data has a core purpose for the learning journey. In visualizing the future of Education, I think times are shifting very fast and I believe that we are set out on a voyage of limitless possibilities, where the confluence of gamification and decentralization turns learning into an engaging and gratifying experience.”
Article: Freedom to exit by Gordon Brander
“Do you own your data? Here’s an easy test: can you leave and take your data with you?
If you can take your data out, if you can move it from one piece of software to another, then you own your data. If you cannot, if the software can tell you no, then you don’t own your data. Let’s call this quality “freedom to exit”.
Freedom to exit: you can take your data and leave, and no one can tell you no.”
Article: Property & Beyond: introducing a new part of the Dark Matter Labs ecosystem
“The concept of property is deeply embedded in our modern socio-economic systems. So much so, that it is often viewed as sacrosanct, a near-natural law-like means to distribute agency, power, and freedom, breaking away from the dominance of the few and old empires. Yet, property has simultaneously been part of a pathway of dispossession, violence, environmental degradation and the exclusion of vast and growing numbers of people.”
Video: Art Brock explains Holochain succinctly at #ETHDenver!
Blog: The Dual Identity of a Climate Solution by Adam Bornstein of The Green Climate Fund
“As the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds become increasingly blurred, the idea of identity is also shifting. This evolution isn’t just reshaping how we see ourselves and each other; it’s also influencing our approach to one of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change.”
Newsletter: All Tech Is Human raises $2.5 million to expand! New hires, upcoming livestreams, and more! and Event: Responsible Tech Mixer, NYC on March 11th
“✨All Tech Is Human is building something really special—a better approach to tackling thorny tech & society issues. Right now, society is stuck. We aim to get us unstuck by building the world’s largest multistakeholder, multidisciplinary network in Responsible Tech that moves at the speed of tech, leverages collective intelligence, and diversifies the types of people involved in the process. Yeah, we’re going big.”
Newsletter: Prosocial World March Newsletter
“This month, we're thrilled to bring you a wealth of opportunities to deepen your understanding, expand your network, and actively participate in shaping a world that works for all.”
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