What happens if a large number of people quit the network all of a sudden?
The SAFE network is designed to recover itself. In a natural cataclysm or malicious attack, where a large number of Vaults disappear simultaneously from the network, it can recover itself.
This is done by keeping multiple backups of each file on different Vaults. When 9 out of 10 copies disappear at the same time, the network creates 9 new copies to new Vaults.
If the cataclysm / attack affects 10 out of 10 copies, the SAFE network again has a self-recovery mechanism - Datachain.
Datachain allows the SAFE network to understand the missing parts of a file and to confirm their “originality” when the Vault storing the particular file is returned online.
What about the wear and tear of computers and people needing to buy new hardware?
The SAFE network is designed to use the free resource on the computers of the people they use for personal use.
Ie. when you turn on your computer to use it, the SAFE network uses its free resource.
If your computer is worn out, you will get a new computer to use it, and you will be able to re-allocate your free resource to the network.
The information that was stored on your old computer and was part of the Safe Network is not threatened by extinction, because multiple copies of different computers are stored from each file. So when your computer breaks down on other Vaults on the network, copies of the information previously stored on your old computer are created.
What happens to the old data that is thrown away? How is it replaced?
The SAFE network stores copies of each file on different Vaults. If someone deletes the data from their vault, another backup will be created from the other copies available on the network to replace the deleted ones.
Who controls the data when this happens, doesn’t this just shift control of data from Google now to the SAFE Network algorithm(which can be modified by Maidsafe)?”
One of the main features of the SAFE network is its autonomy. The location and movement from one vault to another is controlled only by the SAFE network.
If data from a Vault is erased unintentionally / as a result of an accident, they are restored to another Vault somewhere on the network, according to the guiding principles set out in its program code.
If a user deletes their data, the following happens:
- if the data is unique to the user (ie personal) is removed entirely from the network, along with all available copies.
- if the data is not unique (ie other users have it - see deduplication) for the user, it only removes the access to the data without deleting the data.