[DAO: QmaKQq9] Would you like to see web 3.0 become the same as it's previous heavily censored versions?

by 0x9f3d842b08f83a85b3ce5cf31fb5635a6e133f0c (Unabomber)

Votes to ban names go against one of the few major tenets and use cases of blockchain: Censorship resistance. We are very disappointed to see this being embraced so early in what was touted to be a censorship resistant environment.

Being offended is subjective so even the most innocuous names could be perceived as being offensive by any individual or group at any time. E.g. Snowflake, Cracker, Yellow, Red, Brave, Monkey just to name a few.

The idea: Unban all banned names and switch to a user controlled ecosystem where each individual has the ability to decide on their own what they want or don’t want to see similar to chat. This gives users more control over their experience without anyone being subjected to or coerced by reddit/twitter style outrage mobs, while preventing endless future dao votes on the subject as people start to add or change characters over time to circumvent these blanket bans.

We believe this to be the most reasonable solution to restore censorship resistance and confidence within Decentraland while granting ALL users the ability to have control over who and what they want to see. If you deem something offensive all you will have to do is press a couple of buttons and it’s no longer an issue.

To allow name banning in such a frivolous manner is to allow and reinforce prejudice by definition (not to mention the inefficiencies that come with voting and banning each name that someone happens to find offensive) As citizens of Decentraland, we believe users should be blocked and/or ostracized based on their actions; not what they refer to themselves as while also leaving the door open for any individual user to block any username/user they don’t like without any time being wasted on feelings based votes and blanket bans that are far too often passed as a result of a single user having sufficient vp to get their way. This is neither healthy nor sustainable; the slippery slope is very real.

There are many recent examples that support our assertions.

To allow such censorship is to repeat the very mistakes blockchains intended to solve, thereby making it directly contradictory to the Ethos of Decentraland and cryptocurrency in general. If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read and don’t forget to vote!

  • switch to a user controlled blocking mechanic
  • keep status quo
  • Invalid question/options

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO

View this proposal on Snapshot

Very important topic to bring up as it sets a precedent for content beyond names and name censorship.

What happens when inevitably someone creates a wearable or publishes content to a parcel of Land that is inappropriate or offensive to some? Will the DOA vote to ban specific wearables or scenes?

Its been talked about many timed before, but I agree with Unabomber. I think censorship on the end of the user is more inline with the projects ethos than limitations on what can and cannot be created as a name, wearable, or scene.

Perhaps instead of outright banning names/content, users of the DAO can vote to put it on a list that tags it as NSFW or Controversial. As a default, tagged content is filtered out of user view, but they have the option to toggle it on or off similar to how reddit filters out NSFW content.

1 Like

Obviously the proposed filtering system is a huge undertaking. While I think it is important, I personally believe optimization of the platform and content creation should take priority and be the main focus of the dev team.

Have to have the tools/community to create NSFW content before you can talk about standards for controlling it.

1 Like

Thank you! The free flow of ideas and creativity gets stifled irreparably where rampant censorship exists. I think it would be tragic for Decentraland to succumb to it. I have reached out to the smart kids about it’s technical feasibility have yet to hear back but I am optimistic a solution can be reached in due time. Hopefully if all goes well and we get a resounding ‘yes’ vote then I will try again or bring it up at the next town hall. Thanks again!

Would you like to see web 3.0 become the same as it’s previous heavily censored versions?

This proposal is now in status: FINISHED.

Voting Results:

  • Switch to a user controlled blocking mechanic 99% 757,642 VP (29 votes)
  • Keep status quo 1% 4,100 VP (1 votes)
  • Invalid question/options 0% 0 VP (0 votes)

Would you like to see web 3.0 become the same as it’s previous heavily censored versions?

This proposal has been PASSED by a DAO Committee Member (0xfe91c0c482e09600f2d1dbca10fd705bc6de60bc)