Vitalik Drops Bombshell: Maxis Were Right, Behold the Sovereign Web!

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So Vitalik Buterin says Bitcoin maximalists were largely right about digital sovereignty, and that today’s internet has drifted into the hands of corporate bigwigs. Great news for us, because what the web needed was more control and fewer cat videos, am I right? 🙄

He frames sovereignty as more than just resisting governments-it’s about privacy, attention, and autonomy from profit-driven platforms that treat you like a data point wearing a username. Yeah, because nothing screams freedom like a feed optimized to make you click one more thing before bed. 😒

From the Open Web to the Sovereign Web

His remarks followed a January 1 post by X user Tom Kruise (not Tom Cruise, in case you’re wondering), predicting the internet would split into three parts: an “open web,” a heavily controlled “fortress web,” and a smaller encrypted “sovereign web” built on trust. Vitalik says he’s with roughly 60% of that, pointing to a long-overlooked divide between user-controlled systems and what he calls “corposlop.”

Corposlop, he says, is a mix of corporate power, glossy branding, and behavior that quietly works against you. Examples include attention-grabbing social feeds, large-scale data harvesting, closed platforms that block links to rivals, and a repetitive, risk-averse media loop. On the surface, these things look helpful, but they’re slowly siphoning away your choices. Fantastic, right? 🙃

The Ethereum developer notes that early Bitcoin supporters sensed this risk years ago. Their resistance to ICOs, alternative tokens, and complex apps was about keeping Bitcoin independent rather than being wrapped in corporate incentives. But he argues they wandered into danger by leaning on heavy limits or state pressure instead of tools that actually expand user freedom. Classic misstep: “We’ll fence you in for your own good.”

This stance fits with Buterin’s recent criticism of major platforms, including a December warning that X had become a magnet for hostility and algorithm-driven outrage. A month earlier, he raised alarms about the platform’s country-label feature, saying even small location leaks could harm vulnerable users. Great for privacy, terrible for weekends. 🗺️

What Building the Sovereign Web Could Look Like

Looking ahead, Buterin outlines a user-first internet: local-first apps that limit data sharing, social platforms that give people direct control over what they see, and financial tools that avoid pushing extreme risk-taking. He also backs open, privacy-focused AI systems that support human work instead of replacing it. A nice dream, except for the person who has to code it, probably wearing two hoodies at once. 😅

Zac Williamson, founder of privacy-focused Aztec, echoed those views earlier, arguing the attention economy has weakened shared understanding and turned users into products. While Williamson warned that changing incentives will involve conflict and trade-offs, he agreed that cryptography and decentralized systems offer a path forward. Hint: it’s not a magic wand, it’s math and maybe some stubborn optimism. 🤷‍♂️

Some community voices remain cautious. Mark Paul wrote that crypto began as an alternative to corporate-heavy tech but has often mirrored it, though he suggested the sector may still outgrow that phase. Progress, or a mirror maze? Time will tell, but I’m rooting for the exit sign. 🪪

For Buterin, the challenge now is as much cultural as technical, with a goal of building tools that respect privacy, resist manipulation, and give people room to think and act on their own terms. His closing message is simple: reject systems that drain agency, and commit to software that puts users back in control. So basically, don’t let the algorithm run your life, okay? 💡

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2026-01-12 21:26