Question about node boundary, code of conduct and Dfinity authority

Hello everyone,

I have a question about Dfinity’s authority over the network, specifically regarding the node boundary and code of conduct.

As I understand, the code of conduct ensures that the network is not used for illegal activities that are universally recognized as such, like child sexual abuse, selling guns or drugs, or supporting criminal groups. This code essentially protects the platform from becoming another darknet.

However, my question is: even though the code of conduct seems to be positive, it does indicate that there is some level of control over the network. Where there is control, major world powers and governments won’t miss the opportunity to intervene. For example, what if a social media app on the network is trying to protect freedom of speech, and some users start expressing political views that go against what the U.S. or major EU powers support? Let’s say users support Russia over Ukraine, Iran over Israel or the U.S., or even support Palestine and post anti-Zionist content. This could potentially lead the U.S. government, for example, to pressure Dfinity to shut down the website if they can’t do it themselves, using any excuse. Something similar happened to Telegram and its owner just months ago.

Also, what if I try to save my money in the form of ICP, ckUSDC, or ckBTC, and for some reason, authorities get upset with me? Could they force the network to block me from accessing my assets, perhaps using node boundaries? Or even worse, could they block entire groups of citizens from their assets based on their IP, as we’ve seen happen to Syrian and Palestinian citizens when some centralized exchanges started blocking them?

Additionally, there are no nodes in Russia, China, or their allied countries. We need diversity to ensure that all nodes aren’t concentrated in one political alliance’s area.

In the end, my question is: is it possible for something like this to happen, and if not, how does the system prevent it?

DFINITY operates Boundary Nodes using the icp0.io and ic0.app domains and maintains a content filter for these domains pursuant to the terms of the Code of Coduct.

However, this filter only applies to the HTTP endpoints, allowing other gateway providers and IC-native clients “unfiltered” access to the IC. Any community member can set up and run a gateway using their own domain and define their own policy.

There are plans underway for decentralizing the BNs. You can learn more about the Boundary Node roadmap and updates here: Boundary Node Roadmap

The governance of the Internet Computer network is determined by the Network Nervous System (NNS), which is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that is hosted fully on-chain. The NNS makes decisions on a variety of topics, including network topology, software run on the nodes, tokenomics, governance rules, and motion proposals. Any neuron that has tokens staked for at least 6 months can submit proposals to the Network Nervous System (NNS) on the Internet Computer. These proposals can be related to topology that includes ‘diversity’ of countries that aren’t always ‘aligned’ on their view of the world.

You can learn more about on-chain governance and the NNS here: Network Nervous System: Internet Computer Blockchain Governance | Internet Computer

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