Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP) and User Empowerment: An Analysis of Online Identity Ownership, Data Privacy, and Comparative Assessment with Other Decentralized Protocols

This thesis dives into the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP) and its integration within the Polkadot ecosystem, particularly through the Frequency Blockchain. It investigates the transformative potential and challenges of implementing DSNP as a means to enhance user control, privacy, and ownership of digital identities while competing with centralized social media platforms. The study assesses DSNP’s current functionalities, focusing on user and developer experiences, and identifies key areas for future enhancements, such as seamless, walletless user interactions and improved content interoperability across decentralized platforms. By analyzing these aspects, the thesis provides a comprehensive overview of DSNP’s role in advancing a decentralized, user-centric digital landscape, highlighting the essential shifts needed to achieve widespread adoption and the realization of a truly decentralized social media ecosystem.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Nay, Matthew

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Roy, Deb

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
• Copyright retained by author(s)

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156782

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/156782