# Blockchain for decentralization of internet: prospects, trends, and challenges Content type: Research Paper Summary: This article explores the transformative potential of blockchain technology in decentralizing the existing client-server architecture of the Internet. The authors categorize current research into themes of decentralized identity, data management, and network infrastructure, analyzing how distributed ledger technology (DLT) can address inherent vulnerabilities such as single points of failure and lack of user autonomy. Through a systematic literature review, the paper evaluates the feasibility of Key concepts: Zibin Zheng, Shaoan Xie, Hongning Dai, Xiangping Chen, Huaimin Wang, web3, decentralization, distributed systems, scalability, governance
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Blockchain for decentralization of internet: prospects, trends, and challenges

Zibin Zheng, Shaoan Xie, Hongning Dai, Xiangping Chen, Huaimin Wang

Academic PaperJanuary 2021

Abstract

This article explores the transformative potential of blockchain technology in decentralizing the existing client-server architecture of the Internet. The authors categorize current research into themes of decentralized identity, data management, and network infrastructure, analyzing how distributed ledger technology (DLT) can address inherent vulnerabilities such as single points of failure and lack of user autonomy. Through a systematic literature review, the paper evaluates the feasibility of blockchain-enabled decentralized protocols, highlighting the shift toward decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and decentralized finance (DeFi) as structural components for a Web3 ecosystem. It emphasizes the balance between performance metrics like throughput and latency versus security and decentralization, identifying scalability as the primary barrier to mainstream adoption. The authors provide a detailed taxonomy of existing frameworks and conclude with a research roadmap emphasizing interoperability and governance mechanisms required for the transition to a decentralized internet model.

Key Findings

  • 1Blockchain provides a viable technological foundation for eliminating centralized intermediaries in internet infrastructure.
  • 2Scalability limitations remain the most significant technical hurdle for mass-market decentralized internet applications.
  • 3Governance models in decentralized systems require further refinement to handle complex protocol updates.
  • 4Interoperability between heterogeneous blockchain networks is essential for a unified decentralized internet architecture.

Topics

web3decentralizationdistributed systemsscalabilitygovernance
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Citation

Zibin Zheng, Shaoan Xie, Hongning Dai, Xiangping Chen, Huaimin Wang (2021). Blockchain for decentralization of internet: prospects, trends, and challenges. Academic Paper. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10586-021-03301-8

BibTeX

@misc{blockchainfor2021,
  title = {Blockchain for decentralization of internet: prospects, trends, and challenges},
  author = {Zibin Zheng and Shaoan Xie and Hongning Dai and Xiangping Chen and Huaimin Wang},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {\url{https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10586-021-03301-8}},
}

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