stage 02 · internet: Your address on the internet
Nobody types the server's number. You type a name and something translates it. That translation is where everything on the network begins.
- dns
- internet
- privacy
Open any website and notice: you don't type the server's real address. You type a name, and something translates that name into a number.
What happens in between
The name turns into a number the same way a contact list works: you remember "mom", the phone number is stored. On the internet this is called DNS — the service that answers "this name lives here".
After the translation, the request leaves you, reaches the server and comes back with the page. The path goes through several points, and each point sees a piece — not the whole conversation.
Where the wallet comes in
A wallet address is that: a long number that points to a place. Awkward to type, common on the internet — not a crypto invention.
And here comes the detail most people find out late. That address isn't anonymous, it's pseudonymous: it doesn't have your name stuck to it, but it has a history. A repeated history turns into identification.
Mission
Open Is It DNS?, paste two site addresses you use and read what the result says about each one. Then write a question to keep until stage 5: "if anyone can read my history, what should I avoid doing with my address?"
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