Secure Web Objects: Building Blocks for Metaverse Interoperability and Decentralization

TL;DR

This paper advocates for secure web objects (SWO), a data-centric approach to enhance interoperability and decentralization in the Web and Metaverse, reducing complexity and reliance on intermediaries.

Contribution

It introduces SWO as a novel data-oriented communication method that secures objects independently, supporting decentralized, collaborative applications like the Metaverse.

Findings

SWO reduce complexity and centrality in web communications.

Prototypes demonstrate SWO in 3D and LaTeX shared editing.

SWO enable secure, decentralized data sharing without intermediaries.

Abstract

This position paper explores how to support the Web's evolution through an underlying data-centric approach that better matches the data-orientedness of modern and emerging applications. We revisit the original vision of the Web as a hypermedia system that supports document composability and application interoperability via name-based data access. We propose the use of secure web objects (SWO), a data-oriented communication approach that can reduce complexity, centrality, and inefficiency, particularly for collaborative and local-first applications, such as the Metaverse and other collaborative applications. SWO are named, signed, application-defined objects that are secured independently of their containers or communications channels, an approach that leverages the results from over a decade-long data-centric networking research. This approach does not require intermediation by aggregators of identity, storage, and other services that are common today. We present a brief design overview, illustrated through prototypes for two editors of shared hypermedia documents: one for 3D and one for LaTeX. We also discuss our findings and suggest a roadmap for future research.