EVNT-008: Andrew Lunde: Uncancelable Names: Building Identity on Bitcoin - Atlanta BitDevs

Can Bitcoin replace DNS? Andrew Lunde presents Spaces Protocol, a permissionless naming system anchored on the Bitcoin blockchain. Learn how auctions determine ownership of top-level names like "@bitcoin," the technical challenges of browser integration, and the trade-offs between decentralization and scalability. Discover how $120,000 in Bitcoin has already been burned through the auction process, the role of DHT nodes in storing metadata, and why this approach may recreate the centralization problems it aims to solve.   Show Notes:   00:00 Opening Quote: Uncancelable Identity  00:30 Event Recording and Podcast Information 01:02 Sponsor Message: ATL BitLab  02:05 Introduction to Spaces Protocol and Permissionless Systems  04:14 What is Spaces Protocol? Sovereign Bitcoin Identity  05:39 Andrew Lunde's Background and Decentralized Systems  07:19 History of Decentralized Naming Attempts  09:20 Why Previous Projects Failed  11:57 The Centralization Problem with DNS  15:25 Censorship Examples: Malaysia and Catalonia  18:49 Certificate Authority Vulnerabilities  19:34 China's Internet Controls and Nostr  21:55 The Case for "Uncancelable" Names  26:46 Spaces Protocol Technical Overview  29:30 Auction Process and Community Identifiers  33:33 Hierarchy vs Flat Namespace Debate  35:11 Subspace Creation and On-Chain Registration  38:35 Why Top-Level Name Ownership is Required  42:39 Fabric DHT and Distributed Storage  45:19 Auction Mechanics: 10-Day Process  49:27 Bitcoin Burning and No Pre-mine Policy  51:23 Bid Refunding and Transaction Structure  54:55 Registration and Permanent Burning  57:30 Name Expiration and Escheat Process  01:00:36 Transaction Fees and Sustainability Concerns  01:04:00 Explorer Demo: $120,000 Bitcoin Burned  01:13:34 High-Value Auctions: Bitcoin, AI, Single Letters  01:16:03 Strategy Auction Case Study  01:21:09 Start9 Integration and Future Plans  01:23:08 Browser Integration Challenges  01:25:03 DNS Resolution Workarounds  01:26:37 Multiple Records and Subspace Management