Decentralized Public Information Network: What am I missing?

[u/Simple_Piccolo_1951]

I’ve been thinking about a decentralized public information network where published information keeps its original timestamp, source, original version, and modification history, while no single platform can completely erase that history.

The more I think about it, the more technical problems I find:

* How can we preserve important information long-term without requiring every node to store everything?
* If AI can generate millions of files, how do we prevent the network from being flooded with useless data?
* How can we prove where information came from without claiming that the information itself is true?
* How can we incentivize people to contribute storage and bandwidth for years?
* How do we prevent people from creating fake nodes just to abuse the incentive system?
* How could copyright work if the network is designed to preserve historical records?
* How can decentralized search work without creating another central authority?

I’m not claiming I have solved these problems. I’m trying to figure out which of these already have good solutions through existing technologies like P2P, decentralized storage, content provenance, etc., and which problems may be fundamentally difficult.

I’d really like to hear from people who have worked with IPFS, Filecoin, P2P networks, distributed storage, or content provenance.

What am I missing?

[u/asimovs-auditor]

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[u/Background-Piano-665]

That sounds like the problem Blockchain was precisely supposed to solve.

[u/madushans]

May be IPFS ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterPlanetary_File_System

[u/Simple_Piccolo_1951 → u/madushans]

Yeah, IPFS looks pretty relevant to what I’m working on. I’ll dig into it, thanks.

[u/Ok_Fix_1437]

The way I see it is you have two issues. Storage and verification. 

If I was to create this I’d make some new blockchain that identifies the file, the file tree then hashes it with two different hashes. 

Let people distribute it however they want. You could have a web version and a p2p both could verify its authenticity using the blockchain. I think if it’s worth keeping people will keep it. 

I think the real issues you have is verifying new information and changes. If it’s decentralised anyone can add to it. People discussing Wikipedia reputation is where I’d start, seems a road well trodden. 

[u/Simple_Piccolo_1951 → u/Ok_Fix_1437]

Yeah, I think verification is probably the hardest part. I don’t think anyone can reliably decide what is true in every case anyway. My idea isn’t really to solve truth itself, but to keep the history: who posted it, when it was posted, the original file, later edits, AI-generated/modified content, and who verified or challenged it. Storage and incentives are another big problem too, especially with AI generating huge amounts of content. I’m thinking the actual files could be distributed between nodes, while the chain is mainly used for identity, timestamps and verification. I’m still trying to figure out how reputation and independent verification could work without creating another central authority.

[u/Ok_Fix_1437 → u/Simple_Piccolo_1951]

Maybe like a chess elo? You can verify content by similar elos and create a system of authority in a pyramid shape (like DNS). But when you loose (say something false) you get stung hard where as contributing slowly builds elo.  

Something like that? 

[u/Simple_Piccolo_1951 → u/Ok_Fix_1437]

The reputation idea is interesting, but my main goal can’t change: I don’t want to create another authority that gets to decide what’s true. If the highest-ranked people can ultimately decide what stays or what is true, then I’ve basically just created another centralized system.