ViewChain

There are a few challenges in the current content distribution systems on cell phones. One of the challenges is that YouTube (45-55% split), Toutiao, and Kuaishou hold the lion’s share (typically 90% and above) of the income generated from their content distribution service. The current profit model heavily favors the dominant centralized content distribution platforms in the market. In contrast, although massive in number, content creators of short videos, apps, etc. are weak players individually and do not have collective bargaining power. The platforms even use dominant power to coerce the small content creators to agree on shared copyrights for the contents of their own creation. In an ideal system, content creators would be the copyright owners and the platforms are distributors of contents, with the latter paying the former a split of the revenue for use of the copyrighted contents. Another challenge is that leading centralized systems enforce tight censorship to minimize risk to their platforms. Since they are dominant in developed countries, these systems set up and enforce strict censorships codes according to their corporate interests. As a direct result of this, they choose to exclude any contents that are deemed inappropriate according to their own rules, leaving content creators with no say in the process. While it is important to follow censorship codes, it limits the average person’s freedom of speech. In reality, it is common for people to exchange content in private settings where they enjoy some degree of freedom and do not necessarily follow the self-serving rules employed by the current distribution systems. Sharing is a fundamental human need and the current systems are known to restrict everyone’s ability to do so.