¿Qué es el correo electrónico de blockchain?
Pájaro
8 jul 2019
Correo electrónico
1 min read
Puntos clave
Purpose: Este artículo explica cómo la cadena de bloques — la tecnología de registro descentralizado detrás de la criptomoneda — podría transformar cómo se almacena, verifica y asegura el correo electrónico.
Core idea: Al vincular cada mensaje como un "bloque" en una cadena inmutable, el correo electrónico basado en blockchain podría crear registros de comunicación a prueba de manipulaciones y verificar la autenticidad del remitente.
Benefits:
Enhanced security: La verificación descentralizada hace que el hacking o phishing a gran escala sea casi imposible.
Immutable proof of consent: Un rastro permanente y verificable simplifica el cumplimiento con las leyes de privacidad y marketing.
Authentication by design: Cada mensaje es validado por la red, reduciendo el spam y la suplantación de identidad.
User privacy: La descentralización evita que un único proveedor pueda escanear, vender o bloquear el acceso a los datos del usuario.
Resilience: El almacenamiento distribuido significa que no hay correos electrónicos perdidos o corruptos y que se puede realizar una entrega directa entre pares.
Smarter marketing: Los datos de usuario autenticados podrían permitir una segmentación precisa y segura para la privacidad.
Challenges: Requisitos de almacenamiento masivo, límites de escalabilidad, garantías de privacidad inciertas de proyectos de código cerrado, problemas de interoperabilidad de "jardín amurallado" y límites de tamaño de archivos adjuntos.
Outlook: Aunque la adopción generalizada aún está lejana, la verificación híbrida basada en blockchain (como la patente de Salesforce para la validación de remitentes) puede complementar — no reemplazar — la infraestructura de correo electrónico existente.
Destacados de Q&A
¿Qué es el correo electrónico basado en blockchain en términos simples?
Es un sistema que almacena cada transacción de correo electrónico en un libro mayor compartido e inalterable, asegurando autenticidad, transparencia y seguridad.
¿Por qué alguien necesitaría blockchain para el email?
Eliminar la suplantación de identidad, el phishing y el control de datos por terceros mientras se crean rastros de comunicación verificables para ambos, remitentes y destinatarios.
¿En qué se diferencia de las herramientas de seguridad de correo electrónico actuales (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)?
Esas herramientas verifican a los remitentes en el momento de la entrega, mientras que la blockchain podría verificar permanentemente cada mensaje a través de una red descentralizada.
¿Qué hace que el correo electrónico blockchain sea difícil de escalar?
El enorme volumen de correo electrónico global — más de 100 billones de mensajes al año — exigiría un almacenamiento y ancho de banda prohibitivos si cada correo electrónico se registrara en la cadena de bloques.
¿Reemplazará blockchain el correo electrónico convencional?
Poco probable a corto plazo. Es más probable que blockchain complemente los sistemas existentes al mejorar la verificación y el seguimiento del consentimiento, en lugar de reconstruir el correo electrónico desde cero.
Al igual que la nube hace varios años, la criptomoneda es la nueva palabra de moda tecnológica que ha generado mucho alboroto, dejando a muchos preguntándose si es mucho ruido y pocas nueces. El término “blockchain” a menudo va de la mano con la charla sobre criptomonedas, pero tiene aplicaciones más allá de eso, incluido el correo electrónico.
Blockchain es un método descentralizado para recopilar y almacenar registros de comunicación. Cada adición al hilo, o bloque, se vincula a los demás en la misma conversación. Cuando el proceso se aplica al correo electrónico, es una forma de crear una forma permanente de comunicación resistente a alteraciones y falsificaciones.
Al igual que la nube hace varios años, la criptomoneda es la nueva palabra de moda tecnológica que ha generado mucho alboroto, dejando a muchos preguntándose si es mucho ruido y pocas nueces. El término “blockchain” a menudo va de la mano con la charla sobre criptomonedas, pero tiene aplicaciones más allá de eso, incluido el correo electrónico.
Blockchain es un método descentralizado para recopilar y almacenar registros de comunicación. Cada adición al hilo, o bloque, se vincula a los demás en la misma conversación. Cuando el proceso se aplica al correo electrónico, es una forma de crear una forma permanente de comunicación resistente a alteraciones y falsificaciones.
Al igual que la nube hace varios años, la criptomoneda es la nueva palabra de moda tecnológica que ha generado mucho alboroto, dejando a muchos preguntándose si es mucho ruido y pocas nueces. El término “blockchain” a menudo va de la mano con la charla sobre criptomonedas, pero tiene aplicaciones más allá de eso, incluido el correo electrónico.
Blockchain es un método descentralizado para recopilar y almacenar registros de comunicación. Cada adición al hilo, o bloque, se vincula a los demás en la misma conversación. Cuando el proceso se aplica al correo electrónico, es una forma de crear una forma permanente de comunicación resistente a alteraciones y falsificaciones.
Una Breve Historia de Blockchain
Blockchain hizo su primera aparición en la recesión económica global de 2009 como un socio de Bitcoin. Un empresario japonés no identificado vio desventajas potenciales en el sistema monetario existente del mundo y creó Bitcoin como respuesta. Al mismo tiempo, comenzó a diseñar un plan para asegurar y proteger los registros y transacciones de Bitcoin para mantener registros precisos, y blockchain fue su solución.
Blockchain hizo su primera aparición en la recesión económica global de 2009 como un socio de Bitcoin. Un empresario japonés no identificado vio desventajas potenciales en el sistema monetario existente del mundo y creó Bitcoin como respuesta. Al mismo tiempo, comenzó a diseñar un plan para asegurar y proteger los registros y transacciones de Bitcoin para mantener registros precisos, y blockchain fue su solución.
Blockchain hizo su primera aparición en la recesión económica global de 2009 como un socio de Bitcoin. Un empresario japonés no identificado vio desventajas potenciales en el sistema monetario existente del mundo y creó Bitcoin como respuesta. Al mismo tiempo, comenzó a diseñar un plan para asegurar y proteger los registros y transacciones de Bitcoin para mantener registros precisos, y blockchain fue su solución.
Industrias Típicas que Actualmente Usan la Tecnología Blockchain
Los métodos de Blockchain aparecen en varios de nuestros sectores empresariales más destacados, incluyendo:
Retail: Blockchain tiene muchas aplicaciones, desde la verificación de autenticidad hasta la prevención de compras y ventas fraudulentas.
Healthcare: Con sus características de seguridad mejoradas e interoperabilidad, blockchain mejora la privacidad de la información y la funcionalidad.
Financial Services: La protección de transacciones y los acuerdos rápidos proporcionan reducciones de costos y eficiencias operativas.
Los métodos de Blockchain aparecen en varios de nuestros sectores empresariales más destacados, incluyendo:
Retail: Blockchain tiene muchas aplicaciones, desde la verificación de autenticidad hasta la prevención de compras y ventas fraudulentas.
Healthcare: Con sus características de seguridad mejoradas e interoperabilidad, blockchain mejora la privacidad de la información y la funcionalidad.
Financial Services: La protección de transacciones y los acuerdos rápidos proporcionan reducciones de costos y eficiencias operativas.
Los métodos de Blockchain aparecen en varios de nuestros sectores empresariales más destacados, incluyendo:
Retail: Blockchain tiene muchas aplicaciones, desde la verificación de autenticidad hasta la prevención de compras y ventas fraudulentas.
Healthcare: Con sus características de seguridad mejoradas e interoperabilidad, blockchain mejora la privacidad de la información y la funcionalidad.
Financial Services: La protección de transacciones y los acuerdos rápidos proporcionan reducciones de costos y eficiencias operativas.
Los Pros y Contras del Blockchain Email
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.
The Benefits of Blockchain Email
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?
Los inconvenientes del Blockchain Email
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.
Los Prospects para Blockchain Email
Blockchain email actualmente está muy por detrás de las criptomonedas en cuanto a adopción e interés en las perspectivas a largo plazo de la tecnología. También parece estar ganando menos tracción que la mensajería, los pagos dentro de la aplicación, la creación de contratos y otros casos de uso.
Sin embargo, la posibilidad de usarlo para combatir todo tipo de fraude es muy atractiva para las empresas, por lo que es probable que soluciones basadas en blockchain, como la que está desarrollando Salesforce, puedan imponerse a largo plazo. Incluso si blockchain no puede proporcionar una solución de correo electrónico de extremo a extremo y completa, probablemente pueda complementar el entorno actual.
Blockchain email actualmente está muy por detrás de las criptomonedas en cuanto a adopción e interés en las perspectivas a largo plazo de la tecnología. También parece estar ganando menos tracción que la mensajería, los pagos dentro de la aplicación, la creación de contratos y otros casos de uso.
Sin embargo, la posibilidad de usarlo para combatir todo tipo de fraude es muy atractiva para las empresas, por lo que es probable que soluciones basadas en blockchain, como la que está desarrollando Salesforce, puedan imponerse a largo plazo. Incluso si blockchain no puede proporcionar una solución de correo electrónico de extremo a extremo y completa, probablemente pueda complementar el entorno actual.
Blockchain email actualmente está muy por detrás de las criptomonedas en cuanto a adopción e interés en las perspectivas a largo plazo de la tecnología. También parece estar ganando menos tracción que la mensajería, los pagos dentro de la aplicación, la creación de contratos y otros casos de uso.
Sin embargo, la posibilidad de usarlo para combatir todo tipo de fraude es muy atractiva para las empresas, por lo que es probable que soluciones basadas en blockchain, como la que está desarrollando Salesforce, puedan imponerse a largo plazo. Incluso si blockchain no puede proporcionar una solución de correo electrónico de extremo a extremo y completa, probablemente pueda complementar el entorno actual.
