Kevin Rose: Why We Need Trusted Social Communities in the AI Era
▼ Summary
– Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian believes the “dead internet theory” is real, meaning much of online activity is driven by bots rather than humans.
– Digg’s founder Kevin Rose and Ohanian have partnered to rebuild Digg as a social platform focused on trusted micro-communities to combat bot infiltration.
– Digg plans to use zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for anonymous verification, allowing users to prove attributes like product ownership without revealing their identity.
– Rose advocates for compensating moderators and giving them control over their communities, contrasting with platforms like Reddit where they work without pay or ownership.
– The new Digg aims to empower community founders with revenue sharing and portability, similar to models like Substack or Patreon.
The growing challenge of distinguishing authentic human interaction from artificial intelligence online has sparked a major push toward verified social communities. This movement, championed by tech pioneers like Kevin Rose, aims to create digital spaces where users can trust they are engaging with real people. Rose, who recently regained control of the original Web 2.0 news aggregator Digg, is at the forefront of this effort. He envisions a future for social networking built around protected environments and micro communities of trusted users.
During a recent industry conference, Rose expressed serious concerns about the proliferation of AI-powered bots. He predicts that as the cost to deploy these automated agents plummets, the internet will become flooded with bots convincingly masquerading as humans. His proposed solution centers on creating small, trusted communities where proof of a human presence is a foundational requirement. This concept, which he refers to as “proof of heartbeat,” ensures there is an actual person behind every account.
Current verification methods often rely on intrusive steps like facial recognition scans, uploading personal identification, or making small credit card payments. These approaches understandably make many users hesitant to participate. To address this privacy concern, Digg is exploring the use of advanced cryptographic technology known as zero-knowledge proofs, or ZKPs. Rose describes this as a sophisticated mathematical technique that can confirm a user meets a specific requirement for a community without revealing their actual identity.
For example, a moderator for a private group dedicated to Oura ring enthusiasts could use a ZKP to verify that a new member genuinely owns the device. This grants them trusted status and posting privileges without forcing them to disclose their real name or other personal details. This method of anonymous verification is particularly valuable for communities discussing sensitive subjects like health conditions or personal finance, where privacy is paramount.
Another core principle of the revamped Digg platform is granting moderators greater autonomy and compensation. Rose believes the individuals who cultivate and manage these online spaces should have more control and receive a fair share of the value they create. He contrasted this with the model of other large platforms, where moderators often perform extensive, unpaid labor, managing spam, resolving conflicts, and fostering engagement, without any financial reward or ownership over the community they built.
He highlighted the significant power imbalance that currently exists. Moderators invest immense effort into building vibrant communities on a platform, yet they cannot easily migrate their audience elsewhere, collect member contact information, or even guarantee their own continued leadership role. Rose cited an instance where the founder of a famous financial subreddit was blocked from using the community’s name for a book. He argues the model should shift to resemble platforms like Substack or Patreon, which provide creators with direct ownership and control over their work and their audience. This empowers community leaders to build something of lasting value that they truly own.
(Source: TechCrunch)
