ما هو البريد الإلكتروني القائم على Blockchain؟
Bird
08/07/2019
البريد الإلكتروني
1 min read
النقاط الرئيسية
الهدف: توضح هذه المقالة كيف يمكن لتقنية البلوكشين — دفتر الأستاذ اللامركزي وراء العملات المشفرة — أن تعيد تشكيل كيفية تخزين البريد الإلكتروني والتحقق منه وتأمينه.
الفكرة الأساسية: عن طريق ربط كل رسالة كـ "كتلة" في سلسلة غير قابلة للتغيير، يمكن للبريد الإلكتروني عبر البلوكشين أن ينشئ سجلات اتصال لا يمكن التلاعب بها ويؤكد على أصالة المرسل.
الفوائد:
تعزيز الأمن: التحقق اللامركزي يجعل عمليات القرصنة واسعة النطاق أو التصيد شبه مستحيلة.
إثبات غير قابل للتغيير للموافقة: يبسّط المسار الدائم والقابل للتحقق الامتثال لقوانين الخصوصية والتسويق.
التحقق بالتصميم: يتم التحقق من كل رسالة بواسطة الشبكة، مما يقلل من البريد العشوائي وانتحال الهوية.
خصوصية المستخدم: اللامركزية تمنع أي مزوّد واحد من فحص أو بيع أو قفل الوصول إلى بيانات المستخدم.
المرونة: التخزين الموزع يعني عدم فقدان أو تلف الرسائل الإلكترونية وتسليم مباشر من نظير إلى نظير.
التسويق الأذكى: يمكن للبيانات المصادق عليها للمستخدمين أن تمكن استهدافات دقيقة وآمنة للخصوصية.
التحديات: متطلبات التخزين الهائلة، ومحدودية القابلية للتوسع، والضمانات غير المؤكدة للخصوصية من المشاريع المغلقة المصدر، ومشاكل التشغيل المتبادل في "الحدائق المغلقة"، وحدود حجم المرفقات.
التوقعات: بينما يظل التبني السائد بعيداً، قد يتم تعزيز التحقق المستند إلى البلوكشين الهجين (مثل براءة اختراع Salesforce للتحقق من المرسل) — لكنه لن يستبدل البنية التحتية للبريد الإلكتروني الحالية.
أبرز الأسئلة والأجوبة
ما هو البريد الإلكتروني بتقنية البلوكشين ببساطة؟
إنه نظام يقوم بتخزين كل معاملة بريد إلكتروني على دفتر أستاذ مشترك غير قابل للتلاعب، مما يضمن الأصالة والشفافية والأمان.
لماذا يحتاج أي شخص إلى تقنية البلوك تشين للبريد الإلكتروني؟
لإزالة التصيد، الاحتيال، والسيطرة على بيانات الجهات الخارجية أثناء إنشاء مسارات اتصال يمكن التحقق منها لكل من المرسلين والمستلمين.
كيف يختلف عن أدوات أمان البريد الإلكتروني الحالية (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)؟
تلك الأدوات تتحقق من المرسلين عند وقت التسليم، بينما يمكن أن تتحقق blockchain من كل رسالة بشكل دائم عبر شبكة لامركزية.
ما الذي يجعل البريد الإلكتروني على بلوكتشين صعب التوسع؟
إن الحجم الهائل للبريد الإلكتروني على مستوى العالم — أكثر من 100 تريليون رسالة سنويًا — سيتطلب سعة تخزين وعرض نطاق محظورين إذا تم تسجيل كل بريد إلكتروني على السلسلة.
هل سيحل البلوك تشين محل البريد الإلكتروني التقليدي؟
غير محتمل على المدى القصير. من المرجح أكثر أن تقوم التكنولوجيا الأساسية بتعزيز الأنظمة الحالية من خلال تحسين التحقق وتتبع الموافقة بدلاً من إعادة بناء البريد الإلكتروني من البداية.
مثل السحابة منذ عدة سنوات، تعتبر العملات المشفرة هي الكلمة الطنانة الجديدة في التكنولوجيا التي ولدت الكثير من الحديث بينما تركت الكثيرين يتساءلون ما إذا كان هناك الكثير من اللغط حول لا شيء. وغالبًا ما يأتي مصطلح "البلوكشين" مرتبطًا بالحديث عن العملات المشفرة، ولكنه له تطبيقات تتجاوز ذلك، بما في ذلك البريد الإلكتروني.
البلوكشين هو طريقة لامركزية لجمع وتخزين سجلات الاتصالات. كل إضافة إلى السلسلة، أو الكتلة، ترتبط بالآخرين في نفس المحادثة. عندما يتم تطبيق هذه العملية على البريد الإلكتروني، فإنها تصبح وسيلة لإنشاء شكل دائم من الاتصال المقاوم للتغيير والتزوير.
مثل السحابة منذ عدة سنوات، تعتبر العملات المشفرة هي الكلمة الطنانة الجديدة في التكنولوجيا التي ولدت الكثير من الحديث بينما تركت الكثيرين يتساءلون ما إذا كان هناك الكثير من اللغط حول لا شيء. وغالبًا ما يأتي مصطلح "البلوكشين" مرتبطًا بالحديث عن العملات المشفرة، ولكنه له تطبيقات تتجاوز ذلك، بما في ذلك البريد الإلكتروني.
البلوكشين هو طريقة لامركزية لجمع وتخزين سجلات الاتصالات. كل إضافة إلى السلسلة، أو الكتلة، ترتبط بالآخرين في نفس المحادثة. عندما يتم تطبيق هذه العملية على البريد الإلكتروني، فإنها تصبح وسيلة لإنشاء شكل دائم من الاتصال المقاوم للتغيير والتزوير.
مثل السحابة منذ عدة سنوات، تعتبر العملات المشفرة هي الكلمة الطنانة الجديدة في التكنولوجيا التي ولدت الكثير من الحديث بينما تركت الكثيرين يتساءلون ما إذا كان هناك الكثير من اللغط حول لا شيء. وغالبًا ما يأتي مصطلح "البلوكشين" مرتبطًا بالحديث عن العملات المشفرة، ولكنه له تطبيقات تتجاوز ذلك، بما في ذلك البريد الإلكتروني.
البلوكشين هو طريقة لامركزية لجمع وتخزين سجلات الاتصالات. كل إضافة إلى السلسلة، أو الكتلة، ترتبط بالآخرين في نفس المحادثة. عندما يتم تطبيق هذه العملية على البريد الإلكتروني، فإنها تصبح وسيلة لإنشاء شكل دائم من الاتصال المقاوم للتغيير والتزوير.
لمحة تاريخية عن البلوكشين
ظهرت تقنية البلوكشين لأول مرة خلال الركود الاقتصادي العالمي في عام 2009 كشريك لـ Bitcoin. رأى رجل أعمال ياباني مجهول العيوب المحتملة في نظام العملة الحالي في العالم وقام بإنشاء Bitcoin كاستجابة. في نفس الوقت، بدأ في تصميم خطة لتأمين وحماية دفاتر معاملات Bitcoin للحصول على سجلات دقيقة، وكانت البلوكشين هي الحل الذي توصل إليه.
ظهرت تقنية البلوكشين لأول مرة خلال الركود الاقتصادي العالمي في عام 2009 كشريك لـ Bitcoin. رأى رجل أعمال ياباني مجهول العيوب المحتملة في نظام العملة الحالي في العالم وقام بإنشاء Bitcoin كاستجابة. في نفس الوقت، بدأ في تصميم خطة لتأمين وحماية دفاتر معاملات Bitcoin للحصول على سجلات دقيقة، وكانت البلوكشين هي الحل الذي توصل إليه.
ظهرت تقنية البلوكشين لأول مرة خلال الركود الاقتصادي العالمي في عام 2009 كشريك لـ Bitcoin. رأى رجل أعمال ياباني مجهول العيوب المحتملة في نظام العملة الحالي في العالم وقام بإنشاء Bitcoin كاستجابة. في نفس الوقت، بدأ في تصميم خطة لتأمين وحماية دفاتر معاملات Bitcoin للحصول على سجلات دقيقة، وكانت البلوكشين هي الحل الذي توصل إليه.
الصناعات النموذجية التي تستخدم حالياً تقنية البلوك تشين
تظهر طرق البلوكشين في العديد من قطاعات الأعمال البارزة لدينا، بما في ذلك:
التجزئة: للبلوكشين العديد من التطبيقات، من التحقق من الأصالة إلى منع عمليات الشراء والبيع الاحتيالية.
الرعاية الصحية: بفضل ميزاتها الأمنية المحسنة وقابليتها للتشغيل البيني، يحسن البلوكشين خصوصية المعلومات والوظائف.
الخدمات المالية: يوفر حماية للمعاملات وتسوية سريعة مما يحقق تخفيضات في التكاليف وكفاءات تشغيلية.
تظهر طرق البلوكشين في العديد من قطاعات الأعمال البارزة لدينا، بما في ذلك:
التجزئة: للبلوكشين العديد من التطبيقات، من التحقق من الأصالة إلى منع عمليات الشراء والبيع الاحتيالية.
الرعاية الصحية: بفضل ميزاتها الأمنية المحسنة وقابليتها للتشغيل البيني، يحسن البلوكشين خصوصية المعلومات والوظائف.
الخدمات المالية: يوفر حماية للمعاملات وتسوية سريعة مما يحقق تخفيضات في التكاليف وكفاءات تشغيلية.
تظهر طرق البلوكشين في العديد من قطاعات الأعمال البارزة لدينا، بما في ذلك:
التجزئة: للبلوكشين العديد من التطبيقات، من التحقق من الأصالة إلى منع عمليات الشراء والبيع الاحتيالية.
الرعاية الصحية: بفضل ميزاتها الأمنية المحسنة وقابليتها للتشغيل البيني، يحسن البلوكشين خصوصية المعلومات والوظائف.
الخدمات المالية: يوفر حماية للمعاملات وتسوية سريعة مما يحقق تخفيضات في التكاليف وكفاءات تشغيلية.
إيجابيات وسلبيات البريد الإلكتروني القائم على البلوك تشين
It might seem surprising, but blockchain email is a thing, and there are a few projects in development that want to use it to disrupt traditional email systems. Because a blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that’s replicated across many computers and has no centralized point of access, it’s seen as immune to attacks by bad actors. Those features make it attractive for email, which has many weaknesses that can be exploited.
Figuring out a way to make email more secure is key because it’s not going away any time soon. According to OptinMonster, people send a staggering 102.6 trillion emails annually, and in the U.S., it’s used by more than 90% of everyone over the age of 15 (yes, even those who have never known a world without social media).
In addition, 60% of consumers join email lists to get promotional offers, compared to 20% of consumers who follow brands on social media for the same reason. And with a potential return on investment of up to 4400%, email marketing remains a strong growth driver for many businesses.
Blockchain email has benefits that make it attractive to email marketers, but it has drawbacks too, as we’ll explain.
It might seem surprising, but blockchain email is a thing, and there are a few projects in development that want to use it to disrupt traditional email systems. Because a blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that’s replicated across many computers and has no centralized point of access, it’s seen as immune to attacks by bad actors. Those features make it attractive for email, which has many weaknesses that can be exploited.
Figuring out a way to make email more secure is key because it’s not going away any time soon. According to OptinMonster, people send a staggering 102.6 trillion emails annually, and in the U.S., it’s used by more than 90% of everyone over the age of 15 (yes, even those who have never known a world without social media).
In addition, 60% of consumers join email lists to get promotional offers, compared to 20% of consumers who follow brands on social media for the same reason. And with a potential return on investment of up to 4400%, email marketing remains a strong growth driver for many businesses.
Blockchain email has benefits that make it attractive to email marketers, but it has drawbacks too, as we’ll explain.
It might seem surprising, but blockchain email is a thing, and there are a few projects in development that want to use it to disrupt traditional email systems. Because a blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that’s replicated across many computers and has no centralized point of access, it’s seen as immune to attacks by bad actors. Those features make it attractive for email, which has many weaknesses that can be exploited.
Figuring out a way to make email more secure is key because it’s not going away any time soon. According to OptinMonster, people send a staggering 102.6 trillion emails annually, and in the U.S., it’s used by more than 90% of everyone over the age of 15 (yes, even those who have never known a world without social media).
In addition, 60% of consumers join email lists to get promotional offers, compared to 20% of consumers who follow brands on social media for the same reason. And with a potential return on investment of up to 4400%, email marketing remains a strong growth driver for many businesses.
Blockchain email has benefits that make it attractive to email marketers, but it has drawbacks too, as we’ll explain.
فوائد البريد الإلكتروني المستند إلى بلوك تشين
There are several reasons why blockchain email is an attractive prospect for anyone who wants to disrupt the status quo, including:
Benefit | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Enhanced Security | Hard to hack due to decentralized verification |
Contract Management & Consent | Permanent proof simplifies compliance |
Authenticated Messages | Eliminates spoofing and sender impersonation |
User Privacy | No central provider scanning or storing data |
Direct Communication | Peer-to-peer messaging without gatekeepers |
Resilience | No single point of failure; messages preserved |
Better Targeting | Verifiable data improves campaign precision |
Enhanced Security
The number of nodes involved in a blockchain network makes hacking improbable. A cybercriminal would have to take over 51% of existing nodes to control the entire blockchain. With nodes numbering in the billions, that’s no small feat. This increased protection significantly reduces the potential for spam, spoofing and phishing.
Contract Management and Proof of Consent Ease
Blockchain email technology is beneficial for negotiating and finalizing contracts since it relies upon a ledger and consensus. Once the parties concur, the blockchain provides an immutable record of the terms of the agreement.
With the permanent record, it’s also quick and easy for a business to prove a user consented to receive marketing emails. Rapidly producing those records saves a business time and money and prevents infractions of privacy and promotion regulations.
Each Message Would Be Authenticated
Because a blockchain is an immutable set of records that are authenticated by each of the computers that store copies of it, a blockchain email system would feature a message database that accurately reflects the sending and receiving activity of everyone using it. Despite the development of such security tools as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, spam continues to plague our inboxes, and nearly all of us have been the recipients of phishing and spearphishing attempts by the bad guys.
However, blockchain email would provide a single source of truth for each message sent and received, allowing users to easily verify that everything they receive came from a trusted sender. Bad actors couldn’t impersonate others, and they would have a hard time sending spam, since their messages would need to be verified.
Users Would (Likely) Have Privacy
Putting email on a decentralized blockchain means that no single party would have control over users’ accounts and their messages. Today, many people “pay” for free email services by letting companies parse their messages for signals that feed advertising machines. Blockchain email would let them keep their messages free from prying eyes, even if those doing the snooping are silicon-based.
In addition, if someone wanted to shut down their blockchain email account, they could easily do so without worrying that their information won’t be completely deleted, unlike many free services that essentially put accounts in hibernation when users attempt to shut them down. If a single third party has control over the data, they can do what they want with it, but if a blockchain email database is copied across many computers, only users will be able to dictate how their information is handled.
Direct Communication With Another
Blockchain technology permits two different nodes to communicate directly with each other. This process eliminates the need for a third-party provider in some cases and also prevents someone else from maintaining control over your business data.
No One Would Ever Lose an Email Again (Hopefully)
A blockchain email system’s database couldn’t become corrupt because there would be no central email server that could be damaged or experience a failure. Even deleted messages could be saved via a mechanism such as an off-chain node, allowing the creation of an archive that users could access when needed.
Email Marketers Could Send More Precisely Targeted Campaigns
Blockchain email could, in theory, result in a wealth of data about its users. Since each person’s identity would be authenticated and the blockchain would contain an immutable source of truth about their email history, email marketers could use artificial intelligence to sift through that data and more precisely target the right people for their campaigns.
While many people might groan at such a concept, it could provide a way to pay for a blockchain email platform. In addition, if people are going to see ads, isn’t it better for them to see ones that are targeted to their interests?
There are several reasons why blockchain email is an attractive prospect for anyone who wants to disrupt the status quo, including:
Benefit | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Enhanced Security | Hard to hack due to decentralized verification |
Contract Management & Consent | Permanent proof simplifies compliance |
Authenticated Messages | Eliminates spoofing and sender impersonation |
User Privacy | No central provider scanning or storing data |
Direct Communication | Peer-to-peer messaging without gatekeepers |
Resilience | No single point of failure; messages preserved |
Better Targeting | Verifiable data improves campaign precision |
Enhanced Security
The number of nodes involved in a blockchain network makes hacking improbable. A cybercriminal would have to take over 51% of existing nodes to control the entire blockchain. With nodes numbering in the billions, that’s no small feat. This increased protection significantly reduces the potential for spam, spoofing and phishing.
Contract Management and Proof of Consent Ease
Blockchain email technology is beneficial for negotiating and finalizing contracts since it relies upon a ledger and consensus. Once the parties concur, the blockchain provides an immutable record of the terms of the agreement.
With the permanent record, it’s also quick and easy for a business to prove a user consented to receive marketing emails. Rapidly producing those records saves a business time and money and prevents infractions of privacy and promotion regulations.
Each Message Would Be Authenticated
Because a blockchain is an immutable set of records that are authenticated by each of the computers that store copies of it, a blockchain email system would feature a message database that accurately reflects the sending and receiving activity of everyone using it. Despite the development of such security tools as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, spam continues to plague our inboxes, and nearly all of us have been the recipients of phishing and spearphishing attempts by the bad guys.
However, blockchain email would provide a single source of truth for each message sent and received, allowing users to easily verify that everything they receive came from a trusted sender. Bad actors couldn’t impersonate others, and they would have a hard time sending spam, since their messages would need to be verified.
Users Would (Likely) Have Privacy
Putting email on a decentralized blockchain means that no single party would have control over users’ accounts and their messages. Today, many people “pay” for free email services by letting companies parse their messages for signals that feed advertising machines. Blockchain email would let them keep their messages free from prying eyes, even if those doing the snooping are silicon-based.
In addition, if someone wanted to shut down their blockchain email account, they could easily do so without worrying that their information won’t be completely deleted, unlike many free services that essentially put accounts in hibernation when users attempt to shut them down. If a single third party has control over the data, they can do what they want with it, but if a blockchain email database is copied across many computers, only users will be able to dictate how their information is handled.
Direct Communication With Another
Blockchain technology permits two different nodes to communicate directly with each other. This process eliminates the need for a third-party provider in some cases and also prevents someone else from maintaining control over your business data.
No One Would Ever Lose an Email Again (Hopefully)
A blockchain email system’s database couldn’t become corrupt because there would be no central email server that could be damaged or experience a failure. Even deleted messages could be saved via a mechanism such as an off-chain node, allowing the creation of an archive that users could access when needed.
Email Marketers Could Send More Precisely Targeted Campaigns
Blockchain email could, in theory, result in a wealth of data about its users. Since each person’s identity would be authenticated and the blockchain would contain an immutable source of truth about their email history, email marketers could use artificial intelligence to sift through that data and more precisely target the right people for their campaigns.
While many people might groan at such a concept, it could provide a way to pay for a blockchain email platform. In addition, if people are going to see ads, isn’t it better for them to see ones that are targeted to their interests?
There are several reasons why blockchain email is an attractive prospect for anyone who wants to disrupt the status quo, including:
Benefit | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Enhanced Security | Hard to hack due to decentralized verification |
Contract Management & Consent | Permanent proof simplifies compliance |
Authenticated Messages | Eliminates spoofing and sender impersonation |
User Privacy | No central provider scanning or storing data |
Direct Communication | Peer-to-peer messaging without gatekeepers |
Resilience | No single point of failure; messages preserved |
Better Targeting | Verifiable data improves campaign precision |
Enhanced Security
The number of nodes involved in a blockchain network makes hacking improbable. A cybercriminal would have to take over 51% of existing nodes to control the entire blockchain. With nodes numbering in the billions, that’s no small feat. This increased protection significantly reduces the potential for spam, spoofing and phishing.
Contract Management and Proof of Consent Ease
Blockchain email technology is beneficial for negotiating and finalizing contracts since it relies upon a ledger and consensus. Once the parties concur, the blockchain provides an immutable record of the terms of the agreement.
With the permanent record, it’s also quick and easy for a business to prove a user consented to receive marketing emails. Rapidly producing those records saves a business time and money and prevents infractions of privacy and promotion regulations.
Each Message Would Be Authenticated
Because a blockchain is an immutable set of records that are authenticated by each of the computers that store copies of it, a blockchain email system would feature a message database that accurately reflects the sending and receiving activity of everyone using it. Despite the development of such security tools as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, spam continues to plague our inboxes, and nearly all of us have been the recipients of phishing and spearphishing attempts by the bad guys.
However, blockchain email would provide a single source of truth for each message sent and received, allowing users to easily verify that everything they receive came from a trusted sender. Bad actors couldn’t impersonate others, and they would have a hard time sending spam, since their messages would need to be verified.
Users Would (Likely) Have Privacy
Putting email on a decentralized blockchain means that no single party would have control over users’ accounts and their messages. Today, many people “pay” for free email services by letting companies parse their messages for signals that feed advertising machines. Blockchain email would let them keep their messages free from prying eyes, even if those doing the snooping are silicon-based.
In addition, if someone wanted to shut down their blockchain email account, they could easily do so without worrying that their information won’t be completely deleted, unlike many free services that essentially put accounts in hibernation when users attempt to shut them down. If a single third party has control over the data, they can do what they want with it, but if a blockchain email database is copied across many computers, only users will be able to dictate how their information is handled.
Direct Communication With Another
Blockchain technology permits two different nodes to communicate directly with each other. This process eliminates the need for a third-party provider in some cases and also prevents someone else from maintaining control over your business data.
No One Would Ever Lose an Email Again (Hopefully)
A blockchain email system’s database couldn’t become corrupt because there would be no central email server that could be damaged or experience a failure. Even deleted messages could be saved via a mechanism such as an off-chain node, allowing the creation of an archive that users could access when needed.
Email Marketers Could Send More Precisely Targeted Campaigns
Blockchain email could, in theory, result in a wealth of data about its users. Since each person’s identity would be authenticated and the blockchain would contain an immutable source of truth about their email history, email marketers could use artificial intelligence to sift through that data and more precisely target the right people for their campaigns.
While many people might groan at such a concept, it could provide a way to pay for a blockchain email platform. In addition, if people are going to see ads, isn’t it better for them to see ones that are targeted to their interests?
العيوب في بريد Blockchain الإلكتروني
However, there are some reasons why you don’t hear a lot of talk about blockchain email these days, including:
Downside | Impact |
|---|---|
Storage Requirements | Massive data footprint makes scaling difficult |
Unclear Privacy Guarantees | Closed-source projects undermine trust |
Walled Gardens | Limited interoperability between platforms |
File Transfer Limits | Reduced attachment capability for businesses |
The Staggering Storage Requirements
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, uses a blockchain that was 210GB as of April 2019. While that’s a big database, it’s still not much compared to the amount of space emails typically take up. The average email is 75KB – multiply that by the 102.6 trillion emails sent every year and you’ll see that a blockchain email platform with even a modest number of users would quickly have sizable storage requirements. These massive email volumes represent just one aspect of email's incredible reach and impact. For more surprising statistics and entertaining facts about email, explore our 13 fun email facts you might not know.
Since a copy of the blockchain needs to reside on each computer in the network (5 million of them, in the case of Bitcoin), that means a blockchain email platform could easily dwarf the storage requirements for cryptocurrencies. That’s a scalability problem that would intimidate even the most seasoned IT professionals, although a clever developer could potentially solve that problem by, for example, storing messages off the blockchain and only using it to verify senders and receivers.
In fact, Salesforce recently won a patent for a blockchain-based platform that would store only part of an email, so that the sender and recipient’s copies could be compared to determine whether a message is authentic. A discrepancy would result in the email being marked as spam.
The Need for Guaranteed User Privacy
There are a few companies developing blockchain email, but it’s not clear that any of them are going to make their code open source. Any company that can’t make their code available can’t necessarily guarantee user privacy, which would be a deal-breaker for something as sensitive as email.
The Possibility of Creating “Walled Gardens”
At least one blockchain email service currently in development only lets its users email each other, leaving anyone on another platform out in the cold. It’s reminiscent of the old days, before the web became dominant, when people on AOL and CompuServe couldn’t send messages between the two services.
However, this limitation doesn’t seem to be in place for every blockchain email platform that’s in the works, so it’s possible that this problem could end up being nonexistent.
File Transfer Limits
Many of today’s blockchain providers limit the sizes of attachments you can transmit or store, potentially washing out the benefits of using the technology for some businesses.
A company can use a file hosting system or web applications that are compatible with their email programs to counteract transfer and storage limits.
However, there are some reasons why you don’t hear a lot of talk about blockchain email these days, including:
Downside | Impact |
|---|---|
Storage Requirements | Massive data footprint makes scaling difficult |
Unclear Privacy Guarantees | Closed-source projects undermine trust |
Walled Gardens | Limited interoperability between platforms |
File Transfer Limits | Reduced attachment capability for businesses |
The Staggering Storage Requirements
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, uses a blockchain that was 210GB as of April 2019. While that’s a big database, it’s still not much compared to the amount of space emails typically take up. The average email is 75KB – multiply that by the 102.6 trillion emails sent every year and you’ll see that a blockchain email platform with even a modest number of users would quickly have sizable storage requirements. These massive email volumes represent just one aspect of email's incredible reach and impact. For more surprising statistics and entertaining facts about email, explore our 13 fun email facts you might not know.
Since a copy of the blockchain needs to reside on each computer in the network (5 million of them, in the case of Bitcoin), that means a blockchain email platform could easily dwarf the storage requirements for cryptocurrencies. That’s a scalability problem that would intimidate even the most seasoned IT professionals, although a clever developer could potentially solve that problem by, for example, storing messages off the blockchain and only using it to verify senders and receivers.
In fact, Salesforce recently won a patent for a blockchain-based platform that would store only part of an email, so that the sender and recipient’s copies could be compared to determine whether a message is authentic. A discrepancy would result in the email being marked as spam.
The Need for Guaranteed User Privacy
There are a few companies developing blockchain email, but it’s not clear that any of them are going to make their code open source. Any company that can’t make their code available can’t necessarily guarantee user privacy, which would be a deal-breaker for something as sensitive as email.
The Possibility of Creating “Walled Gardens”
At least one blockchain email service currently in development only lets its users email each other, leaving anyone on another platform out in the cold. It’s reminiscent of the old days, before the web became dominant, when people on AOL and CompuServe couldn’t send messages between the two services.
However, this limitation doesn’t seem to be in place for every blockchain email platform that’s in the works, so it’s possible that this problem could end up being nonexistent.
File Transfer Limits
Many of today’s blockchain providers limit the sizes of attachments you can transmit or store, potentially washing out the benefits of using the technology for some businesses.
A company can use a file hosting system or web applications that are compatible with their email programs to counteract transfer and storage limits.
However, there are some reasons why you don’t hear a lot of talk about blockchain email these days, including:
Downside | Impact |
|---|---|
Storage Requirements | Massive data footprint makes scaling difficult |
Unclear Privacy Guarantees | Closed-source projects undermine trust |
Walled Gardens | Limited interoperability between platforms |
File Transfer Limits | Reduced attachment capability for businesses |
The Staggering Storage Requirements
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, uses a blockchain that was 210GB as of April 2019. While that’s a big database, it’s still not much compared to the amount of space emails typically take up. The average email is 75KB – multiply that by the 102.6 trillion emails sent every year and you’ll see that a blockchain email platform with even a modest number of users would quickly have sizable storage requirements. These massive email volumes represent just one aspect of email's incredible reach and impact. For more surprising statistics and entertaining facts about email, explore our 13 fun email facts you might not know.
Since a copy of the blockchain needs to reside on each computer in the network (5 million of them, in the case of Bitcoin), that means a blockchain email platform could easily dwarf the storage requirements for cryptocurrencies. That’s a scalability problem that would intimidate even the most seasoned IT professionals, although a clever developer could potentially solve that problem by, for example, storing messages off the blockchain and only using it to verify senders and receivers.
In fact, Salesforce recently won a patent for a blockchain-based platform that would store only part of an email, so that the sender and recipient’s copies could be compared to determine whether a message is authentic. A discrepancy would result in the email being marked as spam.
The Need for Guaranteed User Privacy
There are a few companies developing blockchain email, but it’s not clear that any of them are going to make their code open source. Any company that can’t make their code available can’t necessarily guarantee user privacy, which would be a deal-breaker for something as sensitive as email.
The Possibility of Creating “Walled Gardens”
At least one blockchain email service currently in development only lets its users email each other, leaving anyone on another platform out in the cold. It’s reminiscent of the old days, before the web became dominant, when people on AOL and CompuServe couldn’t send messages between the two services.
However, this limitation doesn’t seem to be in place for every blockchain email platform that’s in the works, so it’s possible that this problem could end up being nonexistent.
File Transfer Limits
Many of today’s blockchain providers limit the sizes of attachments you can transmit or store, potentially washing out the benefits of using the technology for some businesses.
A company can use a file hosting system or web applications that are compatible with their email programs to counteract transfer and storage limits.
آفاق البريد الإلكتروني بتقنية البلوكشين
بريد بلوكتشين يتخلف حاليًا عن العملة المشفرة عندما يتعلق الأمر بالتبني والاهتمام بآفاق التكنولوجيا على المدى الطويل. كما يبدو أنه يكتسب جاذبية أقل من المراسلة والمدفوعات داخل التطبيق وإنشاء العقود وحالات الاستخدام الأخرى.
ومع ذلك، فإن إمكانية استخدامه لمكافحة جميع أنواع الاحتيال تعد جذابة للغاية للشركات، لذا فمن المحتمل أن يفوز الحل القائم على بلوكتشين مثل الذي تطوره Salesforce في النهاية. حتى إذا لم يتمكن بلوكتشين من توفير حل بريد إلكتروني شامل، فإنه يمكن أن يكمل البيئة الحالية على الأرجح.
بريد بلوكتشين يتخلف حاليًا عن العملة المشفرة عندما يتعلق الأمر بالتبني والاهتمام بآفاق التكنولوجيا على المدى الطويل. كما يبدو أنه يكتسب جاذبية أقل من المراسلة والمدفوعات داخل التطبيق وإنشاء العقود وحالات الاستخدام الأخرى.
ومع ذلك، فإن إمكانية استخدامه لمكافحة جميع أنواع الاحتيال تعد جذابة للغاية للشركات، لذا فمن المحتمل أن يفوز الحل القائم على بلوكتشين مثل الذي تطوره Salesforce في النهاية. حتى إذا لم يتمكن بلوكتشين من توفير حل بريد إلكتروني شامل، فإنه يمكن أن يكمل البيئة الحالية على الأرجح.
بريد بلوكتشين يتخلف حاليًا عن العملة المشفرة عندما يتعلق الأمر بالتبني والاهتمام بآفاق التكنولوجيا على المدى الطويل. كما يبدو أنه يكتسب جاذبية أقل من المراسلة والمدفوعات داخل التطبيق وإنشاء العقود وحالات الاستخدام الأخرى.
ومع ذلك، فإن إمكانية استخدامه لمكافحة جميع أنواع الاحتيال تعد جذابة للغاية للشركات، لذا فمن المحتمل أن يفوز الحل القائم على بلوكتشين مثل الذي تطوره Salesforce في النهاية. حتى إذا لم يتمكن بلوكتشين من توفير حل بريد إلكتروني شامل، فإنه يمكن أن يكمل البيئة الحالية على الأرجح.
