Free Cities Podcast

101 - Ben Arc: Nostr, Anarchy & Algorithms

Oct 25, 2024

In this engaging discussion, Ben Arc, founder of LNbits and a pioneer in the Nostr movement, explores the revolutionary potential of decentralized social media. He explains how Nostr provides a censorship-resistant environment using cryptographic technology, making it a game changer for free speech. From contrasting Nostr with Blue Sky to examining communal living ideas in Wales, Arc delves into anarchism and innovative economic models in Honduras. He passionately advocates for the transformative power of decentralized technologies in enhancing digital identity and community empowerment.

02:05:27

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Episode guests

Ben Arc

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Nostr functions as a decentralized and censorship-resistant protocol, enabling users to share content without reliance on central authorities.

Unlike traditional social media, Nostr empowers users with ownership of their identity and social graph, allowing seamless data portability across platforms.

The Nostr community extends beyond social media, actively working towards creating a censorship-resistant version of the internet that upholds free speech.

Recent developments reveal the risks associated with centralized platforms, underscoring the necessity for alternatives like Nostr to promote user autonomy.

Establishing a decentralized reputation system on Nostr is crucial for enhancing user trust and facilitating safer interactions within its ecosystem.

Deep dives

Introduction to NOSTA

NOSTA, standing for Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays, is a decentralized and censorship-resistant protocol that aims to reshape social media. It allows users to create and share content without relying on central servers or authorities, thus providing a more democratic platform for communication. Unlike traditional social media, where user data is monetized and controlled by the platform, NOSTA users preserve ownership of their identity and social graph. The protocol operates similarly to Bitcoin, whereby users send messages through a network of relays, facilitating censorship resistance.

Intro

5min

Exploring Nostra: A Decentralized Alternative to Social Media

5min

Social Media Evolution: NOSTR vs. Blue Sky

10min

Embracing Decentralization: The Journey with Fountain and NOSTA

22min

Transforming Digital Identity Through Cryptography

4min

The Power of Public Key Cryptography

14min

Exploring Liquid and NIP05 Identifiers in Blockchain

2min

The Intersection of Technology and Community Accountability

27min

Exploring Communal Living and Governance

15min

10.

Navigating Anarchism and Global Systems

16min

11.

Innovative Economic Models in Honduras

2min

12.

Enhancing Visibility in the Nostr Ecosystem

2min

Nostr, Social Media, Algorithms, Censorship, Freedom of Speech, Cryptography, Anarchism, Hutting, Próspera, Honduras, Fountain App, Amethyst.

Timothy Allen talks with Ben Arc.

You may have noticed recently that I’ve been talking a fair bit about Nostr on this podcast. We’re even reading out Nostr messages at the beginning of each episode. Well, it’s time to take a deeper dive, but before we do, I want to give my best 101 intro to start you off.

This is important. As far as I can tell, Nostr is not just another fly-by-night social media platform that will never get enough onboarders to change the world. Yes, it’s true that most people are using the protocol for social media right now, but that misses the point of this incredible new technology.

Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is a decentralized, censorship-resistant protocol for creating and sharing content.
It uses no central servers or authorities.

As an open protocol, anyone can use, implement, and build upon it without requiring permission.

In the same way Bitcoin works, users identify themselves with cryptographic public-private key pairs and send messages through a network of relays. This makes censorship on the platform incredibly difficult since users can connect to whichever relays they choose. So, if a relay is censoring content, you just switch to another that isn’t.

Social media apps are just the start, as you’ll hear in this episode. As we speak, there is a massive and growing community of people building out a new censorship-resistant version of the internet on top of Nostr.

On Nostr, you own your own identity and data—or what people refer to as your social graph—and you can take it to whichever app the sits on the protocol that you like.

Ben Arc is the founder of LNbits and a developer who was involved in Nostr from its early beginnings.

Enjoy the conversation.

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:30) Introduction

(11:29) Nostr, Bluesky and Jack Dorsey

(21:30) Freedom of speech requires a free space