Womentech Global Conference 2023

May 9 12:00 AM-May 14 12:00 AM PST

Session: Breaking the Internet: How open source, Web3 technologies can help level the playing field (and smash the tech patriarchy)

Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Jeff Bezos and, now, Elon Musk. These are the men at the center of the current Internet. Ironic given the network was very intentionally developed to survive and thrive as a distributed communications system. But, thanks to the evolution of web technologies, the data, and therefore the power, is largely centralized on a few key platforms. At first glance, that might seem okay. You can log in with a Facebook or Google account to sites around the world and go about your business without added effort. However, where the data goes, the money goes. And the influence goes. The power players, both in tech and finance, are fully in the driver’s seat while you have lost control over your information, opinions, transactions and more.

But there is a better way. The shift to Web3 is about breaking the centralized power structure of the Internet and returning to the vision of a decentralized network and, by extension, power structure. The blockchain and related technologies we host at Hyperledger Foundation have a central role in the technical infrastructure of Web3. And so we have a big responsibility to make sure that technology is built in ways that, finally, level the playing field. In this talk, I will discuss the roles that a diverse community and open development process play in ensuring the promise of Web3. This includes:

– How Web3 technologies flip the script on the current, centralized Web 2.0 model
– How decentralization boosts overall efficiency, equity and privacy and enables a new generation of applications and services for finance, communications, entertainment, and more
– Why it is critical to bring new and diverse voices into the development of these technologies and the applications they power
– How open source and open development foster this diversity and can help smash the tech patriarchy

 

Key Takeaways

  • An understanding of Web3 and how it flips the script on the current, centralized Web 2.0 model
  • Insights into why and how to engage a diverse community in developing Web3 technologies and the applications they power
  • Data confirming that diversity in participation produces better outcomes and more robust technologies—that diverse communities are simply stronger communities
  • A call to action for women in business and technology to help break the centralized power structure of the Internet and build a network that, finally, levels the playing field

Details:

Start:
May 9 12:00 AM

End:
May 14 12:00 AM

Event Website:
https://shop.womentech.net/collections/frontpage