Metaverse

HOW WILL WEB3 IMPACT SEARCH ENGINES?

Though Web3 is still being developed experts believe it’s the future of the internet. Let’s figure out if it would affect the way we use search engines.

December 19, 2022

The World Wide Web has constantly advanced, with each new version modifying how we interact with the internet. The current stage of this internet evolution is Web 3.0 which has decentralization, censorship resistance, and privacy protection at its core. Thus, future search engines have the potential to reflect these fundamental characteristics.

What is Web 3.0?

Web 3.0 is the next-gen decentralized internet, that is based on blockchain technology, provides a more personalized and interactive experience and gives users more control over their personal data and privacy.

The chief features of this new generation of the web are a more user-friendly interface, increased security and a greater degree of privacy. In addition, Web 3.0 makes it easier for users to find the information they need and share it with others.

The idea behind web 3.0 is to provide users equal access while eliminating the middleman (faceless organisations) and create an accessible online world where personal privacy and information are protected. There is hope that privacy breaches and data collection will also significantly decrease. Web3 will improve search results in the following ways:

1. Decentralization Will Fight Censorship and Protect Privacy

As people increasingly conduct business, socialize, and communicate through the internet, greater checks must be in place to ensure that their privacy is protected and that they control what information they share online.

Today’s search engines use central databases, and it has been the center of attention in recent years’ debates. Centralized search engines also use cookies to track our online activities and save our personal data to share with advertisers which is also raising trust concerns. Although Google plans to block third-party cookies, it won’t be effective until 2024.

Decentralized solutions enable private information to be shared securely, while users remain in full control of their data, no intermediary interferes with them. Any system that is required to store significant swathes of data, whether that’s in healthcare, finance, or the media, must invest in this technology.

By investing in digital identity solutions, users can take back control of how and when their data is shared, limiting the capacity of hackers and large corporations to collect information that is not authorized. There are many applications that allow users to securely manage their digital identity by storing it on a platform or mobile with a private key that grants access to the verified user only.

2. Web3 Works Well With Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by computer systems. Some examples of AI are expert systems, natural language processing (NLP), speech recognition and computer vision. AI is built on specialized hardware and software that can be used to write and train machine learning algorithms.

AI systems analyze the data for patterns and correlations and use these patterns to predict future states. For instance, a chatbot can be fed text chat examples to make it learn how to have real-life conversations with people. AI is one of the most important factors that will shape the future of the internet. According to Think with Google, 20% of all Google App searches are done by voice search.

In addition, AI algorithms can learn from users’ behaviors and recommend personalized products. This enables e-commerce giants to serve customers better and boost their sales. So if we integrate blockchain solutions with AI, we can have a better internet that protects privacy without forgoing advanced search methods provided by AI technologies.

3. Augmented Reality (AR) and Web3 Make Geo Search Easier in the Metaverse Applications

Augmented reality (AR) is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. It is used to either visually change natural environments in some way or to provide additional information to users. The primary benefit of AR is that it manages to blend digital and three-dimensional (3D) components with an individual’s perception of the real world.

AR delivers visual elements, sound and other sensory information to the user through a device like a smartphone or glasses. This information is overlaid onto the device to create an interwoven experience where digital information alters the user’s perception of the real world. The overlaid information can be added to an environment or mask part of the natural environment.

Aside from visual search, augmented reality is also particularly powerful for geo-based search, as it functions based on the user’s current location. Businesses are already leveraging the geo-based search concept to target prospects in real-time. However, using AR along with blockchain technology will open doors to immersive and intuitive location-based searching in future metaverse applications.

Web3 Search Engines

When it comes to decentralized search engines, visually, Cyber protocol and search results differ a little from centralized search formats. The appearance of search results includes the desired content which can be read or viewed directly, without the need to visit another page. Also, different buttons to interact with specific applications on any blockchains allow payments to be done directly through search snippets.

Let’s take a look at Presearch for example. You can already use their decentralized search engine and per search query, you can earn their token $PRE. When you buy or earn the tokens, you can stake keywords (aka advertise).

Neeva.xyz is another noteworthy Web3 search engine that is still in the preliminary stages. However, private search engine Neeva develops it, a company that already has experience enabling user-controlled web searches. The company has recently raised $40M in a round led by Paradigm to further develop its Web3-powered search engine.

The next new generation decentralized search engine is rss3.io that functions very much as the RSS feeds. It keeps track of activities in major crypto wallets, primarily those registered on the Ethereum blockchain.

We can also think of block explorers as web3 search engines. They are great resources that index every transaction on blockchains. The most well-known is Etherscan which allows us to search through transactions on Ethereum.