Names are so integral to the human experience that a strong argument can be made that if something doesnt have a name, it does not exist.
The name needs to not only be understood by humans but also needs to be uniquely identifiable by machines amongst the billions of potential destinations.
Hence, an effective naming system cannot merely be a standard or a protocol, it has to meet all the other aspects of running an internet-scale namespace - including enforcement of unique names, the management of the naming records, scaling to internet traffic, while remaining fully accessible to anyone, anywhere.
All of the crucial namespaces belong to centralized entities who control the namespaces and take that control away from you.
As a result, your name on the internet does not belong to you, but rather to the owners of these centralized namespaces.
They unilaterally set the framework for what protocols can be used, which use cases are permitted, and what information can flow.
The power to enforce monopolies with little consequence also makes these centralized namespaces some of the most valuable properties on the internet today. Verisign makes billions a year controlling .com with practically zero innovation, while ICANN has the power to arbitrarily raise price caps of entire TLDs with their pet cartel companies.
Its early days yet for Handshake, the decentralized web, and most of all, what it means for all of us to exist, collaborate and coordinate on the Internet.
Original article