Part 8/16:
While decentralization creates numerous advantages—true autonomy, individual empowerment, and resistance to abuse—it is not without pitfalls. A major concern is the targeting of points of control within a decentralized system. Once a node or actor becomes a focal point, it risks being attacked, censored, or exploited.
Thus, maintaining decentralization requires vigilance to prevent the emergence of new levers of power. Every attempt to improve efficiency—like increasing transaction speeds or expanding identity controls—runs the risk of re-centralizing control and undermining the core benefits.