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The internet has transformed how we communicate, work, and create, but a small number of organizations control much of the infrastructure we depend on. Web3 offers a different direction: digital systems where people have greater control over their identity, data, and digital interactions.
The Web3 Foundation supports the research, technologies, and people working to make that internet possible.
The internet is now essential infrastructure. More of our identity, communication, work, money, and social lives exist online than ever before and that raises important questions.
Who controls your identity and data?
Can you move between services without starting again from zero?
Can information and value move without requiring permission from a single intermediary?
Can the systems we depend on remain accessible without relying on one organization's decisions?
These are not only technical questions. They are social, legal, and economic ones too. But technology helps determine what is possible.
Understand the ideas behind Web3 →
Web3 brings together open protocols, cryptography, and decentralized systems to change how digital infrastructure is built.
These technologies can make it possible to:
prove information without revealing more than necessary
move digital assets and information across open networks
create common rules that participants can inspect and verify
build services that do not depend entirely on one provider
give people greater control over their identity, data and digital relationships
None of these technologies guarantees a particular outcome. Web3 remains an evolving field shaped by research, experimentation and public debate.
Explore the ecosystem →
Polkadot
A decentralized network designed for secure, interoperable applications and infrastructure.
Kusama
Kusama is Polkadot’s experimental network, providing a live environment for testing new blockchain technology, parachains, and governance under real economic conditions.
OpenGov
The governance system that enables DOT and KSM holders to propose, discuss and decide how their networks evolve.
Parity Technologies
Working with the Web3 Foundation, Parity developed the technology to facilitate the launch of Polkadot in 2020 and remains the driving force behind the blockchain network’s technical progress.
Making Web3 easier to understand by explaining the technologies, ideas and trade-offs behind a more decentralized internet.
Producing original research into how today’s internet works, including data extraction, platform power and the consequences for society.
Advancing understanding of the open protocols and infrastructure needed for a decentralized web that is less dependent on centralized intermediaries.
Exploring how people can prove identity, eligibility or personhood online without exposing unnecessary personal information.
Once a year, Web3 Summit brings together developers, researchers, technologists, and thinkers exploring how to build a more open and decentralized internet.
The event is a space for technical ideas, critical and cultural debate, and practical experimentation around the future of digital infrastructure. This is where Web3 ideas come together in the real world.
Explore Web3 Summit →.jpeg)
Researchers, developers, educators, communities, and institutions around the world develop Web3.
You can take part by learning about the technology, building and testing open-source tools, conducting research, teaching others, contributing to community initiatives, or seeking support for an idea.
Whether you are exploring Web3 for the first time or already working on decentralized technologies, there are ways to contribute.
The Web3 Foundation supports research and development in decentralized technologies.
Our work includes funding open-source projects, supporting education, contributing to research and helping more people understand why digital infrastructure matters.
We believe the future of the internet should not be decided by a small number of organisations. It should be explored and built through open participation.
Read the Manifesto →
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