Categories below are none-exhaustive list of building blocks for a better, more decentralized internet that enables freedom from survaillance capitalism and governmental overreach. It focuses on topics I think don’t get enough attention nowaday and skips the ones with plenty like bitcoin and artificial intelligence.
Confidential Computing
Confidential computing enables a whole new paradigm. On one hand it removes a lot of the trust requirements needed while at the same time enables cheaper infrastructure.
Decentralized DNS
We are building all kinds of cool decentralized systems but keep forgetting that majority of them still relay on DNS which is very prone to seizure and manipulation.
Decentralized compute
Most people have spare compute and bandwidth, at least the ones with desktop PCs and routers. Cryptography can remove the issues with trust models and makes every computer plugged into internet and power a productive asset.
Full Homomophic Encryption
In a world where your private information is not for sale and your attention is not the product data is a liability not an asset. FHE can enable privacy preserving solutions for many/most database applications.
Private Information Retrieval
Fighting tyranny with math. Every company or individual is one court order away from needing to decide how long they are willing to spend behind bars for not sharing the data with the government. Designing systems that are default private and cryptographically sound makes sure you have nothing to share with them.
Off-Grid Networks
When the internet goes down or is censored, mesh networks and delay-tolerant protocols keep communications alive. LoRa, Reticulum, and similar technologies enable off-grid, decentralized connectivity.
Lightning Network & DLCs
The Lightning Network enables instant, low-cost Bitcoin payments through payment channels. Discreet Log Contracts (DLCs) extend Lightning with oracle-based conditional payments, enabling Bitcoin-native derivatives without trusted third parties.
Nostr
A minimalist, censorship-resistant social protocol built on cryptographic keys and relay servers. Nostr’s simplicity and extensibility through NIPs has created a thriving ecosystem of clients, relays, and applications.
Liquid Network
Blockstream’s Bitcoin sidechain with Confidential Transactions (Bulletproofs) hiding amounts and asset types. Enables fast 1-minute blocks, issued assets, and larger confidential transfers complementary to Lightning.
CoinJoin & Bitcoin Privacy
Bitcoin transaction privacy techniques where multiple parties merge transactions to break chain analysis. Covers Wasabi, JoinMarket, Payjoin, and the evolving landscape of on-chain privacy tools.
Atomic Swaps
Trustless cross-chain cryptocurrency exchange using Hash Time-Locked Contracts and adaptor signatures. Enables decentralized trading without custodians, with improving privacy via scriptless scripts.
Decentralized Marketplaces
Peer-to-peer exchanges and marketplaces that reduce custody, KYC chokepoints, and platform dependency. Covers Bisq, Haveno, BasicSwap, RoboSats, OpenBazaar, and Particl-style private commerce.
Encrypted Messaging
End-to-end encrypted messaging protocols and metadata-resistant communication. Covers Signal Protocol, Matrix, MLS (RFC 9420), SimpleX, Cwtch, and modern encryption tools replacing GPG.
Post-Quantum Cryptography
Quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms standardized by NIST: ML-KEM, ML-DSA, SLH-DSA, and FN-DSA. Open source implementations, hybrid key exchange for TLS, and migration guidance.
Self-Sovereign Identity
Decentralized identity systems: W3C DIDs, Verifiable Credentials, decentralized PKI, and zero-knowledge identity proofs. Identity without intermediaries.
Mix Networks & Anonymous Routing
Network-level anonymity through mix networks, onion routing, and noise-generating protocols. Tor, I2P, Nym mixnet, and censorship circumvention tools.
Zero-Knowledge Proofs
Cryptographic proofs that verify statements without revealing underlying data. ZK rollups, privacy-preserving smart contracts, ZK identity, and proof systems (SNARKs, STARKs, Bulletproofs).
Surveillance Countermeasures
Practical tools for reducing tracking and surveillance: hardened browsers, mobile OS hardening, Tor routing, URL-cleaning extensions, private search proxies, and fingerprinting audits.
Multi-Party Computation
Secure computation protocols where multiple parties jointly compute over private inputs without revealing them. Covers MPC frameworks, TLSNotary-style attestations, and privacy-preserving ML tools.
For any suggestions or comments submit a PR/open an issue or send smoke signals over nostr to aljaz@nostr.si