The Domain Startups Building an Uncensorable Internet on Top of Ethereum

Ethereum developers are leveraging blockchain's censorship-resistant nature to launch the next iteration of the internet, Web 3.0.Last weekend at ETHDenver - one of the conference circuit's top gatherings of ethereum coders - decentralized internet alternatives were on display, including Ethereum Name Service, Unstoppable Domains and UniLogin.

Launched in 2017 and 2018, respectively, ENS and Unstoppable Domains are confronting the hierarchical nature of the internet stack and the Domain Name System by building out a peer-to-peer internet alternative.

Buying, naming and controlling a domain is dependent on the good will of hosting providers, said the teams.

Perhaps the best example of the perils of this dynamic is the controversial planned sale of the.org domain to a private equity firm.

Using the ethereum blockchain, this new crop of startups is helping developers get decentralized websites onto the internet without the approval of DNS authorities.

Built on ethereum, Unstoppable Domains co-founder Brad Kam told CoinDesk the product is purpose-built to protect free speech online.

While Unstoppable Domains has built out a domain registry and browser, ENS has focused on the former with its increasingly popular.

"Our ambition is that ENS, long term, upgrades the tech stack of the domain name system of the internet," said ENS Director of Operations Brantly Millegan.

Eth domains are dependent on the ethereum network and not web hosting partners.

Originally intended to make crypto addresses similar to email, a recent report by Decrypt showed how ENS domain names could be used to gather personal information such as business deals or people's locations.