Progress, Immutable Porn and web3
Written by Paul Tuohy
In week 3 I have: 1) made progress on planning the project and the assessment 2 proposal, and 2) considered the implications of ownership and consent around NFTs and web3 architecture and how that intersects with adult (pornographic) content.
First, I have produced a project GANNT flow and a task list on Asana which outlines the remaining assessments up until the submission of the final report. I have also written out my ethics statements and my methodology statement with the assistance of SAGE Research Method. While reflecting on my project planning I became incredible grateful that the assessments were structured in the appropriate way to move the overall project forward. I wish more subjects employed a similar structure of building upon work done over the entire subject. Also, a method that's been really helpful so far, each of my blog post drafts has been written via voice dictation and then rewritten into a final publication. I have found this to be a surprisingly effective method of expressing my thoughts (which is quite freeing) and it has removed a lot of the blocks that I struggle with from typing (like the initial staring at the blank document - you'd be surprised how little you have to talk for before there's an entire paragraph in front of you). This recommendation came from Noah Feldman on an interview from the Tim Ferriss podcast.
Second, I've been thinking about the permanence (or the impermanence) of online content and what happens to non-consensual content when we adopt blockchain technology (and web3 plans) to make the architecture of the internet immutable. So I'm wondering what applications there are around adult (pornographic) content published as a NFTs and who owns this content, where is it stored, how access is granted and revoked, and can it be destroyed. I came across a blockchain venture called [RarePorn] (currently Pokmi) that (apparently) eliminates several of the issues that the current system of making and distributing adult content - this includes reducing or eliminating the spread of Revenge or non-consensual content. This seems to be managed with an internal AI filtering service (with probable manual screening) but I'm not sure how effective that will be compared to traditional filtering. On further thinking, I'm not sure how data science techniques apply to the blockchain architecture. I believe blockchains aren't strictly databases so I am curious to know what limitation or advantages current data science techniques offer.
(P.S. A personal note: I am currently in self isolation which will end on the weekend (Day 6: I am Covid-19 Negative). This has added some personal stress and rapid adjustments to my routine. I also have commitments to travel to Melbourne for family and a Funeral next week. This hasn't interfered with my project too much but it is important enough to note.)