Context Of Web 2 Vs. Web 3
In this article you will read about the evil that can be done in web 3. Same evil methods as web 2, but the issue comes down to immutability and how it will be a problem in web 3. This one comes from my imagination!
NEW RULE
All criminals in web 3 will be called Immutable Psychos.
1. Killer Releases NFT Manifesto, Freezes Metadata
Say I am a killer and I want to justify my actions without worry of being censored; what I do? I would release a manifesto as an NFT, freeze the metadata, and use an ENS domain or my wallet address to point to the manifesto. Simply the way I would do this is I would use an ERC-721 standard contract that allows me to mint the NFT and immediately freeze the metadata at the time of the mint. Or I will just use a free online platform. Or if I am lazy I will just upload a screenshot of my manifesto on opensea as an erc-1155 token and freeze the metadata there. Then I will destroy my ledger, my paper with private key and seed phrase, and then my computer. That way no one can get access to my wallet, but with the metadata frozen even if they did get access to my wallet the NFT stays for life.
How is this different from web 2? In web 2 the authorities can redact the manifest then release it back to the public. In web 3 the manifesto stays for life as long as the metadata gets frozen.
2. Revenge Porn
This goes without saying. Freeze the metadata and the nudes are there for life and can be easily found. How is this different than web 2? In web 2 you can’t completely eliminate them, but you can hide them as best as you can, in web 3 the sourcing will be much easier. Be careful about sending nudes in this new age! If you thought Hunter Moore was bad, wait till we have a web 3 version of Hunter Moore!
3. Rogue Government Agents
Imagine if web 3 was around when Snowden and Assange released the files! Now obviously what they did was noble, but the majority of government leakers do it for a monetary compensation. Again freeze the metadata! The world would have imploded overnight had the un-redacted files never been censored when Assange and Snowden did it!
How is this different than web 2? In web 2 these files can be sourced and retracted (not completely, but enough for the novice to not know how to get un-redacted files). In web 3 the sourcing is easy.
4. Wallet-To-Wallet Messaging
Imagine you are a criminal and you need to communicate with co-conspirators without the feds having a way to snoop in how would you do it? Use a platform than can only be used to transmit messages using wallets that can only be seen by the wallets in connection and screenshots, bugs, and recording are automatically manipulated showing the feds something different. When the feds come after you then you will just destroy your ledger and burn the paper of your seed phrase and private key. Even if your co-conspirator gets caught you still might have an alibi by deleting your information.
How is this different from web 2? Even with end-to-end encryption, in web 2 if the authorities want your private messages they can be sourced. In web 3 if the feds don’t have your seed phrase and private keys they won’t see them. In web 3 masking metadata will be much easier than in web 2, in web 2 the original metadata can still be traced and sourced. Keep an eye out for Monero!
5. Terrorism, Drugs, And Arms Sales
This has already been going on a lot in web 2 via the use of the tor browser and the “dark web.” In web 3, using a blockchain browser is going to be a much easier version of using the tor browser. There are also many impressive privacy features in web 3 that can keep the sourcing of the transactions private. In web 3 for the government to take down bad actors they are going to probably use entrapment operations much more to catch bad guys!
Innovation of private messaging on Monero is going to be the next big feat in web 3. This can be done on Ethereum, but Monero is much safer. Although building dapps on Monero is extremely difficult at the moment!
6. Corporate Espionage
Imagine you have been hired by Microsoft to spy on Apple, and then your job is to gather information you got from spying and upload the docs as an NFT to where only certain wallet addresses can access this information. This is a secure way for Apple to access this information without Microsoft even knowing they got spied on, unless the spy goes rogue.
This is different from web 2, because companies have bots that scan the web for potential secret leaks that can spot the leaks even if the files are encrypted and the metadata is altered. In web 3, before freezing the metadata, the metadata can be altered and only an authorized wallet can access this information. In web 3, where not even bots can scan it unless they have token-gated permissions.
7. RentAHitman.eth (Rent-A-Hitman)
In web 2, the FBI has a joke website called rentahitman.com. This website is supposed to be a joke, but idiots still think they can hire a cheap hitman and end up facing time in prison. In web 3 the idea of having a cheap hitman becomes much more realistic as the perception of anonymity, privacy, and token-gating in web 3 is easy to understand for both hitman seekers and hitmen themselves who think they will get away with murder. Most of the hitmen who accept the job are obvious scammers or feds. But there will be some people who are crazy enough to take the job and actually do it!
Psychos taking the job in web 3 is different, because once the masses understand decentralization and token-gating it will give many weirdos the courage to commit horrendous crimes. If you think idiots taking the bait in web 2 was bad, wait until web 3 becomes fully understood!
8. DNA Identity Theft
One of my biggest dystopian predictions about web 3 is that DNA will be it’s own form of a private seed phrase and will be tokenized on the blockchain. DNA technology has advanced rapidly since 2010 and can even tell apart identical twins! My prediction is that once the internet moves completely into web 3, DNA replication will be a tool criminals use to get access to peoples wallets. Note that DNA is not the same as biometrics. You can match the two for unlocking the something, but they are not the same.
9. Biometric Identity Theft Via AI
Biometric identity will be tokenized in web 3 giving it a lot of validity as a seed phrase. If the advancements in AI recently with Chat-GPT are anything to go one there should be no reason an AI could not duplicate a biometric indicator to replicate someone’s fingerprints, eye-prints, and face. If they can trick a scanner that uses biometric ID to unlock wallets to unlock using a fabricated biometric creator imagine the amount of peoples whose life earnings will get stolen?
10. Wallet Highjacking Via Quantum Computers
If quantum computing is almost here who is to say that it won’t be able to figure out seed phrases and private keys? Expect even the most secure wallets in web 3 to get highjacked once quantum computing become a reality. Even your ledger will be figured out.
Conclusion
This post came mainly from my own imagination, but in my estimation these crimes will happen and it will be insane when it does!