It can be said, in a very succinct way, that "Web 3", expression used for the first time in 2014 by Gavin Wood , represents a real change in the current paradigm of the web, based on the premise of decentralization to transfer to the hands of users, much of the power that is now in the hands of large technology companies.

In fact, with the beginning of the web as we know it today, the so-called "Web 2", has been linked to companies that, in "exchange" for the content they make available to users, appropriate their data to "sell" them products, services, and experiences, but also ideas and behaviors that they were often unaware of being able to adopt, but that algorithms know how to explore down to the smallest detail, powered by the huge databases held by the internet giants.

Now, one of the main changes in "Web 3" is precisely this aspect, that is, the need for an intermediary to intervene in the process, with the information being stored in a decentralized way (which makes it difficult to create large databases as they exist today), using protocols such as IPFS , as well as blockchain technology, most of the time the projects are developed in "open source", thus guaranteeing total transparency. Another great feature is the verifiability of everything through encryption, which makes it possible, in particular, to verify the validity of transactions and the reliability of contents.

It is hoped that with "Web 3", it will be possible to solve one of the current major concerns of internet users, especially the more enlightened ones, which is related to privacy, security, use, and exploitation of their data, whether by "big tech" that currently centralize them, whether by other entities and organizations that acquire them, using them to manipulate groups and even voters, thus putting the democratic system at serious risk.

In "Web 3", through "smart contracts", any agreement is automatically executed, all this without the need for an intermediary, which makes it difficult to collect data, giving the user greater control over them, competing with you the decision whether or not to monetize them and in what way, and you can even be paid, through "tokens", for browsing the internet and for seeing ads.

If it is true that many of the staunchest defenders of "Web 3" see it as a way to correct some of the current problems of the internet, it is important not to forget that, like all new technologies, there is always a long way to go, not being this case different. In fact, "Web 3" is still at a very early stage, and several projects that are being developed in this area are not truly decentralized, and others that intend to be more faithful to the concept face several challenges.

Although it is already being adopted by users with high technical knowledge, until "Web 3" can be adopted on a large scale, most of these challenges will necessarily have to be solved, namely, issues related to the complexity of the most decentralized applications, which require very specialized knowledge to interact with them.

On the other hand, also in terms of the scalability of the service and the forms of monetization, to encourage product developers, there are some challenges. All this without mentioning issues such as regulation, harmonization of legal frameworks, and governance of organizations that develop projects in "Web 3", areas that seem to increasingly capture the attention of policymakers.

I am sure that there is still a long way to go before "Web 3" is a reality of large-scale adoption, but I am equally sure that this path that has been started has no return and that this will, sooner or later, become a reality generalized.

[1] https://gavwood.com/dappsweb3.html

[2] https://docs.ipfs.tech/concepts/how-ipfs-works/