While blockchain promises to make Web 3.0 more user-friendly through increased decentralization, it does not seem to be able to eliminate some of the demons of centralized social networks. Indeed, marginalized people continue to be anonymously harassed on the blockchain, much to the chagrin of those in the cryptosphere. The latter fear that this practice is becoming more open and inclusive in the Web 3.0 era.

Web 3.0: Anonymous harassment on the blockchain


The controversy surrounding the ENS's director of operations

Last week, an old tweet by Brantly Millegan, Director of Operations of the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), resurfaced and caused a great deal of controversy in the cryptosphere. In it, he demonized homosexuals, transgender people, abortion, and contraception. As a result of the mounting criticism of Mr. Millegan, ENS officials were forced to remove him from his position. This did not satisfy members of the LGBTQ+ community who called for an outright boycott of ENS services.

ENS delegate Chris Blec condemned the thought police ruling and said he would fight to ensure that cancel culture does not become a fad in the cryptosphere. In response to this outing, Entropy.xyz's transgender CEO Tux Pacific said transphobia and homophobia were a major problem and a valid concern for Web 3.0. "People still think that we shouldn't exist or that we shouldn't belong in this space. What is happening today is not identity politics," he said.


Increasing cases of anonymous harassment

The community manager for Ethereum wallet app Rainbow, Dame says marginalized people are experiencing more harassment as non-binary people in Web 3.0. "Now that crypto is going mainstream, the culture of the ecosystem is changing for the better and becoming more welcoming. Unfortunately, there is a toxic cohort of anonymous DeFi/crypto Twitter accounts that don't like it and are willing to incite harassment towards people trying to make a positive impact in the ecosystem," he said.

He shared images showing how members of the LGBTQ+ community have been anonymously harassed through encrypted messages sent as Ethereum transactions to their wallet addresses. In response to his gratuitous attacks, Dame has published a guide entitled How to deal with harassment from DeFi/crypto anons, to support marginalized communities who feel persecuted in the cryptosphere. It outlines a number of tools and tips for blocking certain types of accounts en masse based on the content they like.

While it is true that cancel culture is not the best solution to ban such behavior, victims want to remove anonymity from accounts on the blockchain. They argue that this is the only way to stop the harassment of marginalized communities within Web 3.0.


Source: Decrypt

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