It can get about as centralized as tor.
Very few use case for opening a direct channel to a merchant unless you are building a routing node. You can, but the fees are almost free. When I was playing...
I don't understand the tor reference?
As I see it the LN technology is interesting and can bring improvements especially for self hosted and special use cases but is more difficult to run.
Most LN users are and gonna be onboarded with a custodial setup through an intermediary layer, akin to traditional payment processors, which gives rise to a centralized vectors of regulatory attacks.
L1 p2p infrastructure is more resistant while staying easy to operate for users 👍
As I see it the LN technology is interesting and can bring improvements especially for self hosted and special use cases but is more difficult to run.
Most LN users are and gonna be onboarded with a custodial setup through an intermediary layer, akin to traditional payment processors, which gives rise to a centralized vectors of regulatory attacks.
L1 p2p infrastructure is more resistant while staying easy to operate for users 👍
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