The first Indian smart name registry for Web3 is here

The internet we know today and commonly referred to as Web 2.0 is being disrupted by the “New Internet” also known as the dWeb (Decentralised Web) or Web 3.0. Web3 is not just a better version of Web2. Web3 is designed from the ground up in a decentralised fashion and is fundamentally and structurally different from how the legacy internet functions.

One of the fundamental building blocks of the internet is its “namespace” or also known as DNS (Domain Name System). On Web 2.0 the namespace is built on Top Level Domains (TLDs) such as .com, .org, .in, etc. The names created on these TLDs are used as names for websites. For instance, in the name “google.com”, the phrase ‘google’ is the name and ‘.com’ is the TLD. However, this technology is now severely limiting for the kind of use cases Web3 demands.

On Web 2.0 our digital Identities are given to us by centralised entities like Google and Facebook as ‘usernames’, which we then use to log into other apps, on Web3 your “Username” belongs to you and is controlled by you.

Since everyone will have a unique username, unlike the current namespace or DNS that is relevant only to website owners, the Web3 namespace will be relevant to everyone. Domain Name system or DNS will evolve into a Smart Name System or SNS.

As Web3 becomes ubiquitous over time the danger of a digital divide based on proficiency in English becomes real. While Apps and Site support local languages the larger structure of the internet continues to be English. For instance, domain names, usernames, passwords and email ids are all mostly English. This is intimidating to many who use their mother tongue as their first language. Over time this becomes a barrier in terms of their ability to use the internet to its fullest potential. Thus, it is important that the namespace develops in a manner that is inclusive and fulfils the aspirations of all Indians.

Agaamin a start-up based in Gurgaon is creating the infrastructure for an ‘Indian internet’ that works in vernacular languages. Agaamin will introduce “Smart Names” in All major Languages of India. Smart names are unique ‘usernames’ which users can use to identity themselves as the larger Web3 eco-system develops. Smart names have many innovative use cases will form the basis of this “Indian Internet”

The First TLD in Devanagri script Went live on the 1st of Jan this year. The TLD consists of the first devnagri alphabet from the word Bharat and has the sound ‘bha’. This TLD supports names in Hindi, Sanskrit, Bhojpuri, Marathi and even in Emojis. The next vernacular TLD in line is in Bangla script, the first alphabet of the word Bharat in Bangla Script. This TLD supports languages like Bengali, Assamese, Tripuran, Khasi and Emojis. Similar ‘Bha’ series TLDs will be launched in all major languages of India. April -May will see Malayalam, Gurmukhi and Urdu TLDs being launched.

Agaamin also has plans for an exclusive women specific tech product this International Women’s Day. The TLD consists of the Indian Flag Emoji followed by a Women’s Emoji. This TLD supports Smart Names in all languages on the planet and also Emojis. This will go live at 00:00 hours on 8th of March 2022.

The TLD especially the ‘Bha’ series can essentially be considered the equivalent of “real estate” for the respective language. In the namespace once a word is owned it would be literally impossible to do anything of substance without the consent of the person who holds the word in question.

Speaking at their launch, Agaamin’s Lead Developer, Raju Gupta spoke about the potential of Smart TLDs,” Our TLDs support vernacular languages, numbers, signs, symbols and even emojis. As programmable words, Smart Names have limitless possibilities and the only possible limiting factor is human imagination”

S. However, some of the near future use cases for your smart names are: –

1. Your unique name for your avatar in the metaverse.
2. It can be your unique wallet address just like your phone number is for UPI.
3. A domain name for your website.
4. It will be your universal log into all the Apps on the new internet.
5. It’s an investment as a Non-Fungible Asset.
6. Vanity email ids like नमस्ते@नेहा.भ or even ☺@🙏.भ

The names will ensure that every individual can build anything they wish to on the internet. Apart from the digital empowerment it also allows local cultures of India to flourish with users being able to build, share and prosper from digital goods and services that cater to the local population. It will also encourage micro businesses. Imagine sites that cover news for a small locality or community. Larger networks can then easily source vetted hyper content from this extremely rich pool of micro news outlets.

Apart from the registration of names, plans are also afoot by Agaamin to create services like a secondary marketplace where users can buy and sell their smart names thus creating value for the holders of the smart names. An Email service is also in the works.

Agaamin’s TLDs are rooted in a decentralised protocol called Handshake instead of the legacy internet which is managed by a centralised organization called ICANN based in USA. An open-source protocol like Handshake ensures that the internet remains free and open and countries like India with a significant digital footprint can finally have a stake in how the global internet is managed.

Opera Recently become one of the major browsers Opera to announce support for Handshake Smart Names. Users can also can easily access Web3 sites via Beacon Browser for IOS and Puma Browser for Android. Those who really like privacy and decentralisation can just install a free opensource resolver called “Fingertip” on their system which will allow them access web3 sites from any browser securely.

Speaking about the future of Web3 and namespace in particular Sajan said, “dWeb is going to disrupt literally everything on the internet. Creating an early dWeb infrastructure in India means giving a head start to 1/6th of the human race”.

CT Bureau