🧵 Most ‘web3’ apps aren’t web3. They’re just SaaS with tokens. Here’s why that’s a problem, and what to build instead.

Let’s call it what it is: A wallet login ≠ decentralization. An RPC call ≠ user sovereignty. Slapping a token on a server-side app doesn’t make it web3. Most apps today are just web2 infra with a web3 paint job.

The problem? They still own your data. They still run your logic. They still track your behavior. Except now they do it with more hype; and less accountability.

Web3 was never meant to be just “web2 + speculation.” It was meant to be a shift in power. From platforms to users. From central operators to protocol guarantees.

True decentralization means: ✅ Users own their identity ✅ Data never leaves their device unencrypted ✅ Logic runs where no one can tamper or spy ✅ Operators can’t see, leak, or sell what they don’t control

If your server can see my inputs, inspect my queries, or track my behavior… You’re not decentralized. You’re Surveillance-as-a-Service.

Here’s the missing ingredient: Private Compute. It’s not just about storing data on-chain. It’s about processing it without leaking it. MPC, ZK, FHE, TEE — these aren’t buzzwords. They’re building blocks for apps that don’t betray users.

Want to build the future? Start with this question: “What happens if the backend disappears?” If the app dies with the server, it was never decentralized. If it can’t run without peeking at my data, it was never private.

We don’t need more web3 wrappers on web2 SaaS. We need a new breed of apps: •Zero-leakage •Trustless-by-default •Encrypted end to end •Incentives aligned with privacy, not extraction

This doesn’t mean every dApp needs to be 100% on-chain. But it does mean this: If the user can’t verify what’s happening with their data, it’s not web3.

Privacy isn’t a feature. It’s a foundation. Without it, you’re just rebuilding the same broken internet, with better branding.

Let’s stop shipping “decentralized” apps that leak like web2. And start building apps where users don’t have to hope for trust — they can verify it. That’s web3. For real this time.