5 Problems the Normal Internet Can’t Solve (That Qortal Already Has)

The internet has come a long way since the dial-up days, but many of its biggest problems have arisen since then. The extremely slow loading times and clunky websites, which were real problems for those growing up with the internet in the 90s and early 2000s, have been replaced by centralized data hoarding and privacy encroachment by big tech. From social networks harvesting every click to infrastructure providers pulling the plug on entire websites, it’s clear that the Web2 model isn’t cutting it anymore.

Enter Web3 and projects like Qortal, a community-run blockchain platform that’s already tackling issues the old internet can’t fix. In this post, we’ll explore five fundamental problems of the modern internet (censorship, data harvesting, centralized DNS, KYC walls, and high hosting costs) and see how Qortal’s decentralized architecture offers real solutions for each. Let’s dive in!

1. Censorship Everywhere vs. Censorship-Proof Networking

On today’s internet, censorship has become commonplace. Sometimes it’s governments blocking access (think Great Firewall of China), and other times it’s Big Tech or hosting providers deplatforming users. Even in Western democracies, we’ve seen examples like Amazon Web Services unilaterally shutting down the social network Parler by refusing to host it.¹ Entire communities can be erased overnight because a centralized entity decides they violated some policy.

Qortal was built to make this kind of top-down censorship impossible. It’s a peer-to-peer blockchain network where no single company, government, or node can control who says what. Content is distributed across the network, tied to on-chain identities, and cannot be deleted by third parties.² The worst that can happen is local filtering, where you can block content you don’t want to see, but you can’t stop others from seeing it.³

Traditional networks route traffic through firewalls and gatekeepers. Qortal removes these barriers entirely—users connect directly, peer to peer.⁴

2. Data Harvesting vs. User Privacy and Data Sovereignty

In Web2, you are the product. Google, Meta, and Apple all collect your data, build profiles, and sell that information to advertisers. According to research from the Norwegian Consumer Council, even seemingly innocent apps send personal data to dozens of third parties.⁵

Qortal flips that model on its head. On Qortal, there are no ads, no tracking, and no algorithm manipulating your attention. Decentralized apps like Q-Tube on Qortal don’t even record what videos you’ve watched.⁶ Apps have to request access to your data explicitly, and you can inspect exactly what they want and decline if you wish.⁷ The idea of data sovereignty is real here: you decide what to share, and it’s never sold to any third parties.

3. Centralized DNS & Single Points of Failure vs. Decentralized Web Infrastructure

The DNS system on the normal internet is a single point of failure. ICANN or your government can block or seize a domain name. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud collectively dominate the global cloud infrastructure market, accounting for approximately 63% of its share. This concentration means that a significant portion of cloud-based services, including web hosting, rely on these providers.⁸ Even IPFS, while promising, often relies on gateways like Cloudflare or Infura, introducing dependencies.

Qortal’s Qortal Data Network (QDN) works differently. When you publish a site or app, it’s distributed across the network and served by peers.⁹ No centralized DNS, no single point of hosting, and no reliance on cloud providers. If even one peer holds your data, it can be retrieved. This makes Qortal truly resilient.

4. KYC Walls and Walled Gardens vs. Permissionless Participation

If you try opening an account on Coinbase, Binance, or even Patreon without uploading a passport nowadays, you’ll hit a KYC wall! This means you cannot open these accounts without first divulging highly personal information to these giant companies, which can thereafter do what they plee with it, including selling it to third parties! This is a far cry from Web3’s ideals of decentralization and open access. Projects like Uniswap have also come under pressure to geo-block users, with some frontend restrictions now baked in.¹⁰

Qortal doesn’t play that game. Its built-in Trade Portal lets users perform atomic swaps without giving up any personal information, or without needing any third party.¹¹ All you need is an account and name on Qortal’s blockchain, which anybody can make anonymously! In other words, you can publish, transact, and participate in the ecosystem without permission. Gone are the country bans, age checks and KYC walls that plague the normal internet. Instead, Qortal offers complete asset ownership throughout the whole exchange process!

Welcome to Web2: Please surrender your face, passport, and soul to access... a meme coin¹²

5. High Hosting Costs vs. Community-Powered Hosting for Free

Hosting isn’t cheap. Running a video site like YouTube privately would cost tens of thousands per month in storage and bandwidth. That’s why platforms monetize you, with ads, trackers, and fees. According to a 2022 survey, 73% of independent creators say rising platform costs are squeezing their margins.¹³

Qortal avoids this entirely. Hosting is distributed and incentivized. Minters are rewarded in QORT for running nodes that keep content live.¹⁴ You don’t pay for any AWS servers. You don’t run a VPS. You publish, and the network takes care of the rest. Qortal turns hosting into a community function, not a business model.

Conclusion: A new internet is here. Now is the best time to join It!

We’re not waiting on a Web3 future anymore. We will build it ourselves! Qortal has been live since 2020, is censorship-proof, and already solving problems the "normal" internet has ignored for decades. You can create, transact, and share, all without giving up your data, your rights, or your wallet! Install Qortal today and buy QORT. The more people who join, the stronger the network gets. If you’ve been looking for a real alternative to the extractive Web2 model, this is it. Let’s build the internet we were promised.

The internet is broken, and these five problems prove it. Qortal doesn’t patch over Web2’s failures. It replaces them entirely.

1. Greene, J., Lerman, R., & Romm, T. (2021, January 13). Seldom-seen Amazon unit made the call that brought down pro-Trump Parler. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/13/amazon-parler-takedown/The Washington Post

2. Qortal Project. (n.d.). Qortal Dev Blog: hOONUh9pp5. Qortal. https://qortal.dev/blog/qortal-dev-blog-hOONUh9pp5

3. Qortal Project. (n.d.). Qortal Dev Blog: q7dRjT6VgG. Qortal. https://qortal.dev/blog/qortal-dev-blog-q7dRjT6VgG

4. Exa Networks. (2021, June). What is a firewall? [Image]. Exa Knowledge Hub. https://exa.net.uk/knowledge-hub/security/what-is-a-firewall/

5. Norwegian Consumer Council. (2018, June 27). Deceived by design. https://www.forbrukerradet.no/rapporter/deceived-by-design/Consumer Reports Advocacy+5Forbrukerrådet+5storage02.forbrukerradet.no+5

6. Qortal Project. (n.d.). Qortal Dev Blog: mdMCvAdnPT. Qortal. https://qortal.dev/blog/qortal-dev-blog-mdMCvAdnPT

7. Qortal Project. (n.d.). Qortal Dev Blog: dgHNawPR2u. Qortal. https://qortal.dev/blog/qortal-dev-blog-dgHNawPR2u

8. Kazeem, A. (2025, April 25). AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Comparison of the Big Three Cloud Providers. Cloudwards. https://www.cloudwards.net/aws-vs-azure-vs-google/Cloudwards

9. Qortal Project. (n.d.). Qortal Dev Blog: BkPWmiu8zP. Qortal. https://qortal.dev/blog/qortal-dev-blog-BkPWmiu8zP

10. Rubin, J., & De, N. (2021, July 23). Uniswap Labs limits access to some tokens. Nasdaq. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/uniswap-labs-limits-access-to-some-tokens-2021-07-23

11. Qortal Project. (n.d.). Qortal Dev Blog: 2tiNT0lDZ8. Qortal. https://qortal.dev/blog/qortal-dev-blog-2tiNT0lDZ8

12. Onfido. (2022, October). KYC features – Smart Capture SDK [Image]. Onfido. https://onfido.com

13. ConvertKit. (2024). State of the Creator Economy Report 2024. Kit. https://kit.com/reports/creator-economy-2024Kit+1Kit+1

14. Qortal Project. (n.d.). Qortal Dev Blog: lqn375xXCM. Qortal. https://qortal.dev/blog/qortal-dev-blog-lqn375xXCM