Over the last several years, more and more people have become privy to the sheer magnitude of corporate and government snooping in their daily lives and communications. From the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook scandal to numerous high-profile hacks from both non-state and state actors, many individuals have begun to reassess the way they interact in digital spaces.
Unfortunately, these days it’s almost impossible for internet users to fully safeguard their privacy and online data. While some alternatives to the mainstream internet protect user privacy and access to uncensored information, “dark web” networks end up fostering illicit activities. Furthermore, in many places around the globe, oppressive regimes use censorship as a mechanism to squash dissent and hang on to control.
tomi, a DAO-governed alternative internet led by sevencrypto leaders, aims to tackle these pressing problems. The DAO offers a different vision for the internet—one governed by the community that prevents surveillance, resists censorship, and respects user privacy. This vision manifests itself in tomiNet, a secure and encrypted network focused on promoting freedom of speech and access to uncensored information.
Let’s review some of the progress tomi has made since announcing its vision for building a decentralized alternative internet about 18 months ago.
First off, tomi has transformed the concept of domain ownership, empowering users and businesses to create tomiNet domains that are sold at public auctions to the highest bidders. Other users can acquire these domains, maximizing the potential to own rare and invaluable addresses on tomi’s alternative internet network. The winning bidder owns the domain outright through a minted partner NFT, not a centralized registrar, and can then use the .com or .tomi domain however they choose.
The auction process for top-tier domain names, such as Amazon, on its tDNS (tomi Domain Name System) platform kicked off during the summer, where users and businesses can bid to secure their .tomi addresses through May 2024.
Secondly, tomiNet is at the center of the DAO’s ecosystem, where it leverages a privacy storage network that makes it virtually impossible for the network to be captured, censored, or subject to pressure from large entities. Another important feature is tomiPay, which serves as the payments backbone for tomiNet.
Powering the ecosystem is the native TOMI token, which is available on several major exchanges including HUOBI, KuCoin, Bitfinex, Bybit, MEXC, and BitMart. TOMI is governed by the DAO, while pioneer members—founding members of the community—have fully flexible governance rights over the tomiDAO.
The community-led DAO governs the alternative network and votes on proposals about everything, ranging from code alterations to censoring content that doesn’t meet the network’s community guidelines. Terror, child exploitation, and other forms of violence are among the categories in the guidelines to be voted down and strictly prohibited by the DAO. In the spring, tomi announced it had raised $40 million in a funding round led by DWF Labs, Ticker Capital, and other backers.
The core developer team of tomi will be participating in Binance Blockchain Week, held in Istanbul from November 8-9, 2023. The team will take the stage to unveil an exciting new feature to the tomi ecosystem during the event.
While the announcement is a tightly kept secret, some speculate if it could be a new, exciting integration, possibly, a major announcement regarding the DAO or an upgraded multichain wallet.
It’s been a busy year for tomi, and with the anticipated buzz of its big announcement at Binance Blockchain Week, the DAO is focused on further expanding the tomiNet and extending the reach of its community across the globe.