10/30/2024 08:26:32
When we started creating Homebase we had a simple goal: to give you full control over your digital identity. We wanted to build a place that was truly yours, where you decide what to share, and let you be on the internet on your own terms.
One of our key decisions was to use personal domain names for each user. You might be wondering, why a domain name? Isn't that something only businesses or tech experts deal with? Let me explain why we believe it's the best choice for empowering you in the digital world.
In today's internet, our identities are scattered across various platforms — social media sites, email providers, online stores — all managed by different companies. They set the rules, control your data, decide what you can or cannot do, and might even lock you out of your own accounts.
By giving you your own domain name, we're handing over the keys to your digital home. Think of it like owning your own house instead of renting an apartment. You decide how it looks, who can visit, and what you want to share. With Homebase, you have a personal homepage, bio, link-tree, and social feed directly on your domain. This means you can share your story, showcase your work, and connect with others—all under your own digital roof.
Your domain becomes your personal address on the internet — your personal brand — that only you own and control.
Is a domain name really secure enough? Consider this: the entire banking industry relies on domain names to conduct secure transactions every day. When you log into your online bank account, you're trusting that the domain name and its security measures are protecting your sensitive information. If it's trusted enough for banking, it's also safe enough for your personal digital identity.
With your own domain, you're not tied down to any one service. If you decide to switch to a different provider, host yourself at home, or explore new technologies, you can take your domain—and your online identity—with you. Your homepage, chat, photos, and everything else stay the same because they're linked to your domain. It's like moving houses but keeping the same street address.
Using personal domain names helps create a more decentralized internet. This means less power concentrated in a few big companies and more control in the hands of individuals like you. It's about building an online world where everyone has their own space and can connect with others directly.
This concept ties into what's called self-sovereign identity. It simply means you are the sole owner of your personal information. No one else can control it, take it away, or use it without your permission. With Homebase and your own domain, you hold the reins to your digital self.
We understand that not everyone wants to buy or manage their own domain name, and that's okay. Homebase offers flexible options:
- Family Domains: To save cost and hassle, families or organizations can share a domain. For example, if your family owns `doe.family`, you could use `john.doe.family` and `jane.doe.family`. This way, one domain serves multiple members, each with their own unique identity.
- Shared Domains: You can use a free subdomain provided by some Homebase hosting services (like Ravenhosting). This option allows you to enjoy many benefits of a personal domain without the need to purchase one yourself.
At Homebase, your privacy is the foundation of everything we do.
We understand that in some places, internet connections aren't always secure. Organizations, internet service providers, or even governments might use techniques like HTTPS interception or SSL/TLS inspection to intercept and decrypt your secure connections without your knowledge. When someone does this, they act as a "man-in-the-middle" between you and the website you're accessing. Since they don't possess the original website's private key (which is needed to decrypt the data), they generate their own security certificate to present to your device. This allows them to decrypt your data, inspect or modify it, and then re-encrypt it before sending it on. To make your device accept this fake certificate without raising security warnings, the intercepting party often installs their own root certificate on your device or within the network you're using. This is common in certain corporate, educational, or controlled environments where network administrators need to monitor traffic. In Homebase we prevent this man-in-the-middle attack and deny the connection when it is compromised. Additionally, all content in Homebase that is sent over HTTPS, is P2P and E2E encrypted – so even if your HTTPS connection is compromised, your data remains protected.
Looking ahead, we're working on integrating decentralized alternatives to DNS, ensuring that your digital home remains accessible and resilient even if traditional DNS services are disrupted.
We believe the internet should be a place where you control your identity and data. By choosing to use personal domain names and providing unparalleled security through true end-to-end encryption, we're taking a big step toward that future.
We're excited to have you join us on this journey. Together, we can build an online world where you truly feel at home.