Olas Protocol

Olas Protocol

@olasprotocol.bsky.social

An open protocol for sharing, interrogating and aggregating trustworthy information. Join our forum and be part of building a decentralized future for journalism and knowledge sharing. Let’s shape it together: https://forum.olas.info

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Here's a glimpse of what's coming from Olas. We're trying to address all the key challenges and shift towards a more fair and sustainable information-sharing system. Take a closer look at our vision. See anything that catches your eye? ↓Any thoughts or questions are welcome.

💭 In the future, everyone will have a chance to contribute to the narrative and play a key role in shaping it. The rise of new #AI technologies is breaking boundaries (looking at you, DeepSeek), leaving traditional Western models behind in terms of profitability and usability. 1/4

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While the U.S. has long been the leader in tech innovation, recent events have made people question digital freedom and the opportunities available to people. Meanwhile, China is surging ahead. 💡3/4

🔹Unlimited innovation 🔹Growth in social commerce 🔹Expanding global influence in tech 🔮China’s advancements are offering a peek into the future for us all. The creator economy is not just a trend—it’s a reality, and more people should embrace it. 4/4

💭 In the future, everyone will have a chance to contribute to the narrative and play a key role in shaping it. The rise of new #AI technologies is breaking boundaries (looking at you, DeepSeek), leaving traditional Western models behind in terms of profitability and usability. 1/4

Recent developments, such as the TikTok ban and the explosive growth of the creator economy in China, are signs of a significant shift. The U.S. and China are clearly in a race for technological dominance. 2/4

Ever catch yourselfver catch yourself in a trance scrolling a social media, consuming content you did't even ask for? On TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram, some hidden algorithm is choosing what goes viral. It's like having someone else pick what you'll eat for dinner every day.

🔮 What’s next for private voting at Olas? It’s a big challenge to work on something that essentially combines cryptography with a publishing platform. But it’s opening doors to a whole new level of privacy and trust.

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2️⃣ Imagine being able to prove your vote is valid without revealing anything about it. Tools like Noir.js (NoirLang) let users create these proofs locally on their devices, and systems like Garaga by Starknet allow us to verify them directly on Starknet.

🔮 What’s next for private voting at Olas? It’s a big challenge to work on something that essentially combines cryptography with a publishing platform. But it’s opening doors to a whole new level of privacy and trust.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming. 1️⃣ What if votes could stay private forever? With homomorphic encryption, we can tally votes while they’re still encrypted. No exposure, ever—even after the market ends.

🛠️ Building private voting isn’t easy—but it’s worth it! We know this can get technical, so we’ll keep it as clear and to the point as possible. We’ll break down the requirements and how we’re designing a system for secure, private, and verifiable voting. Ready? 1/7

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› Olas contract uses a randomness oracle (currently experimenting with Pragma Oracle & Chainlink VRF for our randomness needs) to select votes at random which are decrypted and verified against the Merkle Tree to achieve a statistical certainty that votes were correctly aggregated. 6/7

Still, there’s more to refine. For now, encrypted votes become public after market settles. Full privacy? That’s next! We’re exploring advanced cryptography techniques like homomorphic encryption to keep votes private forever. More on this in future updates. 💭 7/7

🛠️ Building private voting isn’t easy—but it’s worth it! We know this can get technical, so we’ll keep it as clear and to the point as possible. We’ll break down the requirements and how we’re designing a system for secure, private, and verifiable voting. Ready? 1/7

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Users encrypt their votes off-chain using Drand's public key + a salt value. This ensures votes are private and are difficult to guess. When encrypted, the votes are submitted as a ciphertext to the contract. What happens when voting ends? 🤔 4/7

📊 After the market closes: › Olas Coordinator decrypts the individual votes using the private key released by Drand › OC aggregates the votes, creates a Merkle Tree and calculates the final tally. › Aggregation results (i.e. the Merkle Root, Final Tally) are submitted back to the contract on-chain

🛠️ Building private voting isn’t easy—but it’s worth it! We know this can get technical, so we’ll keep it as clear and to the point as possible. We’ll break down the requirements and how we’re designing a system for secure, private, and verifiable voting. Ready? 1/7

🧩 The core requirements: › Encrypt votes client-side & store them encrypted on-chain › Keep vote values hidden while markets are live › Decrypt votes only after the market closes › Tie each vote to its user to update reputation accurately 2/7

Here's how we make it happen. 👇 🔐 First, encryption: We use TLE (Time-Lock Encryption) offered by the Drand Network (@drand_loe) which allows us to use a public key to encrypt votes which would ONLY be decrypt-able by a private key which is released in the future by the Drand Network. 3/7

At Olas, we're constantly aiming to improve privacy & anonymity within the protocol. 🕵️‍♂️ Our latest mission is to build a system that allows users to vote privately in our markets. Why is this so important for us? 1/3 ⬇️

Olas market mechanisms relies on anonymity & privacy. In a typical market, participants can be easily influenced by where the market stands. To prevent this, votes and running tally must be private while the market is open. How does it work? Encryption, decryption & some blockchain magic! ⊹₊⟡⋆ 2/3

Let's look at what's happening with Meta dropping fact-checkers. 🔍 Some see this as a major win - Zuckerberg following Musk's path toward "free speech." Zuckerberg mentioned it is part of a bigger cultural shift, with Trump's influence in the mix. 1/4 🧵

Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com

By dropping fact-checkers, Facebook is putting truth to the test. But Community Notes done well can be a useful tool.

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Critics point out @Meta waited until after the election and kept an eye on how advertisers would react. The reality? The relationship between tech platforms and regulatory oversight isn't new. Companies often adjust their policies based on market conditions and stakeholder feedback. 3/4

💭 Will this help or hurt information quality online? We'll see. Big tech will keep tweaking these systems as it tries to balance keeping users happy, advertisers on board, and regulators off its backs. 4/4

Let's look at what's happening with Meta dropping fact-checkers. 🔍 Some see this as a major win - Zuckerberg following Musk's path toward "free speech." Zuckerberg mentioned it is part of a bigger cultural shift, with Trump's influence in the mix. 1/4 🧵

Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com

By dropping fact-checkers, Facebook is putting truth to the test. But Community Notes done well can be a useful tool.

What's interesting is how politicians are reacting. Some are worried about "lies running wild" before elections. Others say community notes might actually force politicians to be more honest since it's harder to control narratives when fact-checking is in users' hands. 2/4

Who do you trust with your health? 🌍 Misinformation makes it hard to know what's true! Vaccination rates are dropping, preventable diseases are back, and trust in public health is, in some places, in dire condition 🚨

Okay, if #DeSci is rising, where will researchers post and peer-review their work? A decentralized platform for that doesn’t exist yet… or maybe someone's working on that. 👀 With $2.3B in DeSci already, could it mirror DeFi's growth to $230B? Time to watch this space closely. 👀

Gallup reports that trust in media is at an all-time low! 36% of U.S. adults have no trust at all in news outlets, while only 31% believe the media can report fully and fairly. The disconnect between the public and those delivering the news has never been clearer. 1/3

The divide runs even deeper along political lines: 54% of Democrats trust the media, compared to just 12% of Republicans and 27% of independents. Media consumption is no longer just about information—it’s a reflection of our divisions. So, where do we go from here? Can trust be rebuilt? 2/3

Stories like these remind us why communities depend on journalists who don’t flinch, even under pressure. When we think about the future of journalism, it’s clear-finding ways to fund and sustain local newsrooms is just as vital as the stories they tell.

Dan Diamond@ddiamond.bsky.social

Shoutout to the Los Angeles Times reporters who are doing essential journalism under very difficult circumstances. They’ve dropped their paywall, but their ongoing coverage is a good reminder of why local newsrooms need support — and what we lose when those outlets are hollowed out.

The holiday season reminds us why we started: to promote authentic voices. As 2024 wraps up, we’re grateful for every line of code and breakthrough that’s helped protect honest knowledge sharing. 🎇 Merry Christmas and here’s to keeping knowledge free in 2025! 🥂

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• Anyone who has something of quality to contribute • These people are there to add a mix of perspectives and knowledge. • This system allows Contributors to stake on their opinion. If the opinion is valid—they get rewarded!

Content contributors are planned to be just that—people who contribute content. With the rising creator economy, we thought this could be an optimal model for both Readers and Contributors. Who is a good Content Contributor? 2/4

What if your ideas could reshape media and research? Olas is creating a space where academics, researchers, and thinkers connect, share, and make a difference. It’s about reimagining how knowledge is shared—open, transparent, decentralized. 💬 Join the conversation: forum.olas.info

forum.olas.infoOlas CommunityOlas Protocol Forum – the community space for discussions, insights, and collaboration on the future of decentralized media. Engage with journalists, researchers, developers, and enthusiasts to explor...

• Judges oversee disputes between contributors and Fact Checkers. • Panels are selected randomly, vote anonymously, and rely on a staking system to stay unbiased. • Reputation matters because honest, skilled Judges gain access to more panels and higher rewards. ⤵️

Internet naturally finds ways to bypass censorship, like it’s hardwired for freedom. It has been one of the most powerful tools for personal liberty we’ve ever had. The real challenge stays open and available for everyone.

Social Media Lab@socialmedialab.ca

Content moderation is not censorship. But it's subjectivity makes it prone to being corrupted & co-opted. "For two years, Hannah Byrne was part of an invisible machine that determines what over 3 billion people around the world can say on the internet." theintercept.com/2024/12/04/m...

Isn’t it wild how something meant to help can cause so much harm? Bots weren’t meant to trick, but people have found ways to misuse them. That’s why we’re focused on building tools that matter—reputation-based quality control and decentralized verification. How? Stay tuned.

theconversation.comHow AI bots spread misinformation online and undermine democratic politicsBots are increasingly prevalent on social media and are being used to spread political messages.

We're excited to be on this social and we're finding so many great voices here. Curious to see how it evolves and whether it can maintain the quality users appreciate as it grows.

WIRED@wired.com

NEW: Bluesky has seen massive growth in the weeks following the US election. There are 24 million users on the social media platform. With great engagement comes great responsibility, which means Bluesky CEO @jay.bsky.team has a lot to do. She sat down with WIRED to talk about it.