Catch up quick | Wednesday, April 06, 2022
| | | | | | | Presented By Raytheon Technologies | | | | Axios Finish Line | | By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Apr 06, 2022 | | Apr 06, 2022 | | Welcome back. Hit us at FinishLine@axios.com with your questions and candor. - Smart Brevity™ count: 498 words ... 2 minutes.
| | | | | | 1 big thing: The next great free speech debate |  | | | Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios | | | | We want to prepare you for the next frontier in America's free speech argument: putting the power of what you read, see and hear in your hands alone. - The concept carries a pedestrian name: the "decentralized" web, or "web3." But its consequences are profound — rewiring the very foundation of social media and speech policing.
Why it matters: Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey (co-creator of Twitter) and many others believe that you — not the government or social media platforms — should decide who and what you get to read and hear online. - Think of it this way: Right now, Twitter decides if former President Trump can post on its platform, and whether to delete a post about vaccines if it and most scientists deem the post misinformation.
- In a decentralized web, you would decide if Trump appears on the web3 equivalent of your Twitter feed — and set your own thresholds on vaccine information providers.
📚 Speedy history lesson: The decentralized web is what the web you know was when it started. It changed because big companies stepped in and gave people what a lot of them wanted, which was not to have to make these choices. 🔭 What to watch: Musk just bought 9% of Twitter, in part to push the platform to stop playing speech cop — and move toward a world where its algorithm (the technology that decides what users see) is open to everyone to see and shape. - The Musk camp believes all social media should move into this new state of being.
- Not to overcomplicate things, but this is very similar to how we explained cryptocurrencies in Finish Line: Basically, we build a completely public infrastructure for all to see and contribute to, pulling power away from centralized authorities, like the government or big companies.
The dangers: It would be the Wild West of speech and power. The rule-makers America has relied on since its founding — government and business — would be replaced by a brave new world of astonishing individual freedom. - Critics, who are powerful and numerous, warn that unsuspecting individuals would be subject to more fake, false or unhealthy information and would be more easily manipulated by bad actors. Most people don't have the time to study what's real and reliable, and history shows how susceptible most are to harmful misinformation campaigns.
- Supporters counter that the government and big companies are lousy at — and biased in — policing speech so it's time for something radically new.
So pay attention, folks. |     | | | | | | A message from Raytheon Technologies | | In aerospace and defense, data is driving everything | | |  | | | | Companies like Raytheon Technologies are in a digital transformation — a golden age of data that's enabling: - Engineers to design faster.
- Factory workers to build smarter.
- Products to predict their own performance.
See how the company uses data to optimize every aspect of its operations. | | | | | | Read on... |  | | | Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios | | | | If you want to go deeper on this topic, here are two good reads: 💬 Got more questions? Ask us anything at FinishLine@axios.com, and we'll get you answers from Axios experts. | | | | | | Thanks for reading. Invite your friends to sign up here. |  | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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