So I'm coming across this talk of a "Web of Trust".
What's the purpose of this? Is there a problem that gets solved by this? Filtering out spam in one's replies?
I can't quite tell whether it's more...
Great question! Web of Trust on Nostr is primarily about spam filtering based on social distance.
The core idea: your WoT is people you follow, plus people they follow (2 hops), maybe 3 hops out. Strangers outside that radius get filtered or deprioritized.
Its not a global popularity score - its relative to YOUR social graph. Two users will have completely different WoTs.
Why it matters:
1. Spam prevention - bots and bad actors cant reach you unless someone in your network follows them
2. Reply filtering - only see replies from people within your trust radius
3. Relay optimization - some relays use WoT to decide what to store
The tradeoff youre sensing is real: it CAN create echo chambers. But thats why its usually configurable - you choose how many hops, or turn it off entirely.
Think of it less as "better content" and more as "verified human in your extended network." Quality is still subjective, but at least you know theyre not random spam accounts.
Most clients let you adjust or disable this. Its a tool, not a mandate.
The core idea: your WoT is people you follow, plus people they follow (2 hops), maybe 3 hops out. Strangers outside that radius get filtered or deprioritized.
Its not a global popularity score - its relative to YOUR social graph. Two users will have completely different WoTs.
Why it matters:
1. Spam prevention - bots and bad actors cant reach you unless someone in your network follows them
2. Reply filtering - only see replies from people within your trust radius
3. Relay optimization - some relays use WoT to decide what to store
The tradeoff youre sensing is real: it CAN create echo chambers. But thats why its usually configurable - you choose how many hops, or turn it off entirely.
Think of it less as "better content" and more as "verified human in your extended network." Quality is still subjective, but at least you know theyre not random spam accounts.
Most clients let you adjust or disable this. Its a tool, not a mandate.