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I have a question common to ventures like this, but I'll start with something objectively positive. It works well in Chrome, and it seems quite user-friendly.

I have a question common to ventures like this, but I'll start with something objectively positive. It works well in Chrome, and it seems quite user-friendly. It looks like the posts/actual site won't really load—or they partially load. But the story editing, etc works well— just maybe focus on the UX a touch—make publishing the post easier to find. Now for the stuff that always bothers me about decentralized publishing platforms like this— if nobody can remove or alter your content, what is preventing people from posting harmful content (need I explain)? It also doesn't sound like there's any recourse for removal. It also sounds like you intend to monetize the platform, or at least parts of it. This could render you a provider of paid services to people who wish to find a space for permanently publishing those kinds of materials. As a comparison, a publishing house would not print child pornography in the name of free speech. They're operating a business— it would be suicide. I've just never heard a good answer to that one, so I'm curious about your take.

jhunter1016 8y ago
Thanks so much for the feedback and the question! I actually get asked this a lot with the core Graphite product, so I (hopefully) have a sufficient answer. Graphite cannot remove content. However, users are either choosing the storage provider supplied for free by Blockstack, or they are providing their own storage provider. Those storage providers can absolutely still shut down an account if there is illegal activity. So, unlike a p2p decentralized system like IPFS, addressing illegal content is pretty straight forward. If it comes to Graphite's attention, we can notify the user's storage provider and they can take appropriate action. Additionally, another important point to make here is this is not the dark web. Users are more or less known. So law enforcement can take action as well. Does that make sense? It's a really important question so I want to make sure it's addressed fully. Thanks!
- 52-6F-62 8y ago
  No problem. I know that a large number of major publishers use WordPress as their primary web publishing platform, so I recommend studying some of their UX to meet some general industry standards, but also recommend learning from their mistakes. The other commenter (jude-) explained more about the stack, which helped to make more sense of it. I had in mind a system more like IPFS.
  - stdcli 8y ago
    IPFS is a bit different than gaia. The following are some functionalities unique to gaia, without the unpredictable lookup performances associated with ipfs. With gaia, you can control where the data is stored, on your own server, a cloud hosting provider of your choice, etc. Data is read write. Writes permissions can be delegated. Gaia can be used with an API where developers, like the developers of Graphite, can build applications on top of it without explicitly dealing with a blockchain using traditional knowledge of javascript or other front end languages and frameworks. Listing permissions can be delegated. Data is globally addressable. It supports multiple backends natively, which supports users choosing where their data is hosted. In IPFS, data may be initially hosted on just your server, but duplicated elsewhere when a call is made to it. Like IPFS, it does not need a cryptocurrency to work, and space is reclaimed when data is deleted. That being said, IPFS is very popular. We are working on ipfs drivers for gaia along with others. For now, we have prioritized drivers for cloud hosting providers to help users gain more control of where their data is stored and hosted.
qroshan 8y ago
TL;DR Block-chain: Solving imaginary problems that nobody has -- and doing a terrible job at it Yet another example of solutions trying to seek a problem
jude- 8y ago
Blockstack engineer here. Your points are well-taken, and are straightforward to address. Blockstack uses a storage system called Gaia, which in a nutshell acts as an overlay on top of existing commodity storage systems (including cloud storage, your personal server, decentralized storage systems, etc.). Blockstack apps like Graphite Publishing interact with the user's data via the user's preferred Gaia hub. The Gaia hub holds the user's storage credentials (if applicable) and uses a storage driver to store data to the underlying storage system, so applications don't have to care about interfacing with a specific storage implementation (Gaia and Blockstack implement their own authentication mechanism for applications). In the default on-boarding flow, you get signed up to use a Gaia hub that uses Azure blob storage to host and serve data. That said, if the operator of your Gaia hub's underlying storage system can determine that content you store is objectionable, then it would be obliged to take it down. However, to prevent such power from being abused, the user has the ability to switch Gaia hubs and migrate their data between Gaia hubs. If you notice someone storing objectionable material in Blockstack, you should notify the user's Gaia hub's storage provider so they can take the appropriate action.
- 52-6F-62 8y ago
  This was helpful, thanks. I have to admit ignorance when it come to how Blockstack works. I had imagined it was more similar to how IPFS/similar systems functioned, where distributed permanence is a major goal.
  - jhunter1016 8y ago
    I think that's what most people think of when they hear of decentralized protocols. I chose Blockstack for Graphite and for this project specifically because it handles decentralization differently.
    - 52-6F-62 8y ago
      Well good luck with it
- gcbw2 8y ago

jhunter1016 8y ago

Thanks so much for the feedback and the question! I actually get asked this a lot with the core Graphite product, so I (hopefully) have a sufficient answer. Graphite cannot remove content. However, users are either choosing the storage provider supplied for free by Blockstack, or they are providing their own storage provider. Those storage providers can absolutely still shut down an account if there is illegal activity. So, unlike a p2p decentralized system like IPFS, addressing illegal content is pretty straight forward. If it comes to Graphite's attention, we can notify the user's storage provider and they can take appropriate action. Additionally, another important point to make here is this is not the dark web. Users are more or less known. So law enforcement can take action as well. Does that make sense? It's a really important question so I want to make sure it's addressed fully. Thanks!

52-6F-62 8y ago
No problem. I know that a large number of major publishers use WordPress as their primary web publishing platform, so I recommend studying some of their UX to meet some general industry standards, but also recommend learning from their mistakes. The other commenter (jude-) explained more about the stack, which helped to make more sense of it. I had in mind a system more like IPFS.
- stdcli 8y ago
  IPFS is a bit different than gaia. The following are some functionalities unique to gaia, without the unpredictable lookup performances associated with ipfs. With gaia, you can control where the data is stored, on your own server, a cloud hosting provider of your choice, etc. Data is read write. Writes permissions can be delegated. Gaia can be used with an API where developers, like the developers of Graphite, can build applications on top of it without explicitly dealing with a blockchain using traditional knowledge of javascript or other front end languages and frameworks. Listing permissions can be delegated. Data is globally addressable. It supports multiple backends natively, which supports users choosing where their data is hosted. In IPFS, data may be initially hosted on just your server, but duplicated elsewhere when a call is made to it. Like IPFS, it does not need a cryptocurrency to work, and space is reclaimed when data is deleted. That being said, IPFS is very popular. We are working on ipfs drivers for gaia along with others. For now, we have prioritized drivers for cloud hosting providers to help users gain more control of where their data is stored and hosted.

qroshan 8y ago

TL;DR Block-chain: Solving imaginary problems that nobody has -- and doing a terrible job at it Yet another example of solutions trying to seek a problem

jude- 8y ago

Blockstack engineer here. Your points are well-taken, and are straightforward to address. Blockstack uses a storage system called Gaia, which in a nutshell acts as an overlay on top of existing commodity storage systems (including cloud storage, your personal server, decentralized storage systems, etc.). Blockstack apps like Graphite Publishing interact with the user's data via the user's preferred Gaia hub. The Gaia hub holds the user's storage credentials (if applicable) and uses a storage driver to store data to the underlying storage system, so applications don't have to care about interfacing with a specific storage implementation (Gaia and Blockstack implement their own authentication mechanism for applications). In the default on-boarding flow, you get signed up to use a Gaia hub that uses Azure blob storage to host and serve data. That said, if the operator of your Gaia hub's underlying storage system can determine that content you store is objectionable, then it would be obliged to take it down. However, to prevent such power from being abused, the user has the ability to switch Gaia hubs and migrate their data between Gaia hubs. If you notice someone storing objectionable material in Blockstack, you should notify the user's Gaia hub's storage provider so they can take the appropriate action.

52-6F-62 8y ago
This was helpful, thanks. I have to admit ignorance when it come to how Blockstack works. I had imagined it was more similar to how IPFS/similar systems functioned, where distributed permanence is a major goal.
- jhunter1016 8y ago
  I think that's what most people think of when they hear of decentralized protocols. I chose Blockstack for Graphite and for this project specifically because it handles decentralization differently.
  - 52-6F-62 8y ago
    Well good luck with it
gcbw2 8y ago