As HOPR protocol is to target privacy for Metadata the one of the most logical dapp to build would be an email provider. Majority of the individuals specially who are living in developing countries, currently use free email service providers as they are not in a situation to pay for such basic services. Big tech giants are currently using this to make money by harvesting these individuals’ data and I think its time to put a stop for this.
I see HOPR protocol as the answer to address this issue as there is a void (If I’m not mistaken) in web 3.0 with regards to providing an decentralize email solution which is quite a fundamental service.
This is how I envision a decentralized email service solution and happy to change any of the points below based on constructive feedback.
• The user interface for the email web/desktop app and mobile app (if possible) should act as a node in the background to run the HOPR protocol so that whoever is using the email at any given time would also be an active node.
• The email solution should use any upcoming decentralized storage protocols to store emails or use a centralized privacy-based cloud solution until a proper decentralized storage solution is available. Furthermore, HOPR could partner with a private email service provider such as proton mail to develop this solution.
• We should provide free a subscription with at least 2-3 emails per individual and have a paid subscription for anyone who needs more emails/alias and for organizations. The cost of providing a free email service should ideally be covered by being an active node.
• We should also develop a login like google login for web 3.0
• If possible, HOPR mail could also provide incentives like brave browser for using the email service in addition to running the node.
Advantages
• This will drive significant adaptation of HOPR protocol across the globe which would also help general public to adopt the web 3.0 ecosystem.
• HOPR nodes across the globe would increase significantly.
• This would set the foundation for HOPR protocol to be one of the top crypto projects in the future.
• This type of project would provide a lot of insights for the HOPR developers to improve its protocol and to apply this for other applications.
Next Steps
• Conduct a feasibility study if this is possible.
• Obtain community feedback on the proposal and suggestions on features for the email service.
• Identify developers/resources and budget to invest on this dapp.
Great idea but there are a few things that I disagree on:
The node in the background should be completely optional or there will be no good adoption for this client. Not everyone likes or understands what that means and it can be a deterrent.
One single email address should be enough for a free solution.
Proton Mail isn’t free over one address and that’s pretty limited as well. Don’t know what the incentive would be for them to build this client unless it’s on top of their own solution, as it would otherwise cut into their business.
If there’s no node running in the background, I don’t think it’s a good idea to provide further incentives other than the privacy you get.
Great proposal @MeowMeow23 - just some pointers for other projects that might be beneficial here to think about:
Log in with Ethereum allows you to log in without relying web2.0 legacy services that can be censored
Anonymous credential schemes such as Panther Protocol could allow you to authenticate (e.g. paying) users without revealing their identity.
I find it important to realize that HOPR is not trying to conquer the entire stack but do the most fundamental layer (transport) right. There’s a bunch of other relevant services that we can leverage, the two above are maybe relevant within the framework of this proposal.
First of thank you for your constructive1 feedback. appreciate it
Totally agree on point 1.I also think that most of the people in the world do not have unlimited internet, therefore it totally make sense.
The reason I mentioned 2-3 email alias is that I think an individual needs more than one email to manage their personal affairs considering cyber security risks/hacking etc. Its not wise to use one email address for all personal matters including finance/social media etc. Its a risk to the consumer. Therefore I thought it would be nice to provide this feature. I do acknowledge proton mail provides only one email but that does not’ mean we also have todo the same.
Finally the reason I quoted proton mail is that, If I’m not mistaken they started as a non profit organization to advocate privacy and HOPR solution would be quite attractive for them to move into the web3.0. As both are swiss projects, I think there is high probability for a partnership
I also think Storj seem to be an ideal decentralised storage protocol we could use for this proposal. Not sure how feasible as I do not understand the tech side of it but seems to be a promising project.
Finally, I totally agree on you point that we should leverage existing services and incorporate HOPR where it is required
Great idea @MeowMeow23
I have been using protonmail (Swiss made email service) and always was thinking how to increase it’s security unless found out about Hopr.
The main problem here in my opinion is organization of decentralized data storage. What is one or several dedicated servers that hosting email will be compromised? Is there any solution to keep data mixed on all decentralized network?
well it seems there are many decentralised storage projects in the crypto space. Filecoin, storj are some of it. You can get a list in Coingecgko if you filter coins based on storage protocols. I think one of theses projects would definitely be in scope for this idea.
Thanks for the proposal @MeowMeow23. I’ve marked it as incomplete for now, because I’d like to see more information related to @SCBuergel’s point about other projects. I’ve added some notes about composability in far-reaching dApp ideas to the validity guidelines: Proposal Validity Guidelines - UPDATED
This doesn’t need to be in-depth, but a valid proposal should acknowledge where HOPR only has a partial (but crucial) role to play.
Thanks for your inputs, Do I need to add more information to make this proposal valid or you are awaiting the tech team to confirm if this is feasible. I have done my best to capture all points as per the Proposal Validity Guidelines and I’m afraid, Im unable to capture all other protocols that can be in scope in order to achieve this idea as I’m not a tech guy.