Protocols Kiwix and Swarm have joined forces to develop a novel proof-of-concept (PoC) for uncensorable content. The PoC will be leveraged to create a decentralized version of the world’s largest online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
The goal is to develop the revolutionary PoC during the WEAREMILLIONS (WAM) hackathon. The event, which started on the 1st of March and extended to the 21st, was organized by Swarm, a blockchain protocol dedicated to decentralized storage and communication.
Building a decentralized encyclopedia
Kiwix was developed to store and search for content offline and has helped numerous people worldwide circumvent censorship and gain free access to knowledge. Kiwix is an instrumental tool for those lacking internet access, which accounts for roughly half of the world’s population.
Kiwix’s features and high compression rate enable online content, including the whole of Wikipedia, to be compressed into image files that can be accessed even when the internet is inaccessible or restricted.
Through the new partnership and upcoming PoC for uncensorable content, Swarm and Kiwix aim to develop a decentralized Wikipedia that will be accessible at all times and increasingly resistant to any form of political pressure.
Storing a read-only snapshot of Wikipedia on the Swarm network will enable information to be accessed anywhere, anytime. Swarm users and node operators will gain access to a library of content and knowledge, allowing data to be shared with plausible deniability while eradicating the risk of communication leaks and censorship.
“Knowledge should be accessible to all without restrictions and censorship. This is why we are very excited to partner with Kiwix on making Wikipedia censorship-resistant by hosting it on Swarm – together, we empower digital freedom and wisdom, making knowledge unstoppable.” – Gregor Žavcer, Director at Swarm
Connecting the world and empowering society
As online censorship is ramping up, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other geopolitical crises like the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, decentralized initiatives will be crucial in maintaining freedom of speech and unrestricted flow of information.
Through the new decentralized Wikipedia, Swarm and Kiwix will empower society with the ability to combat the nefarious effects of censorship, which often lead to ignorance and lack of creativity, and have the freedom to speak out about power abuses and other evil practices.