The decentralization of Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) is once again under the spotlight as critics and supporters engage in a heated debate. Bitcoin advocate Pierre Rochard accused Ripple for its undue control over XRPL. Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz, has stepped forward to address these concerns and clarify XRPL’s governance and consensus mechanism.
Ripple’s CTO David Schwartz Responds to Centralization Allegations. Source: XCritics Raise Centralization Concerns
Pierre Rochard has alleged that the company wields too much power over XRPL. Rochard claims that Ripple can modify the XRPL code, unlock escrowed XRP tokens, and even manipulate the market by releasing large quantities of XRP. Such control, he argues, contradicts the principles of decentralization.
Ripple’s past decisions, such as blocking certain updates like hooks, have also added to the skepticism. Critics believe that Ripple’s ability to block these changes is evidence of centralized decision-making within the XRPL ecosystem.
Ripple CTO Defends Decentralization
In a detailed Twitter thread, David Schwartz explained how XRPL operates and defended its decentralized structure. According to Schwartz, XRPL uses a consensus algorithm that resolves transaction disputes approximately every five seconds. Unlike Bitcoin’s Proof of Work (PoW), XRPL’s consensus mechanism does not rely on miners and is designed to be faster and more cost-efficient.
Schwartz emphasized that XRPL validators play a critical role in the network but are unpaid and cannot censor valid transactions. He argued that this design makes XRPL censorship-resistant and ensures fair transaction processing.
Schwartz Explains The Unique Node Lists (UNLs)
Schwartz also explained the role of Unique Node Lists (UNLs) in maintaining trust within XRPL. Each node selects validators it trusts to help resolve the double-spend problem. Validators with a history of honest behavior gain trust, while dishonest ones are removed from the network.
“Validators and consensus are not XRPL’s governance mechanism,” Schwartz clarified, adding that the network’s governance is determined by the rules enforced by participating nodes, not by validators themselves.
Schwartz talked about XRPL’s benefits, including its speed, cost efficiency, and resistance to censorship. However, he acknowledged two limitations: the consensus algorithm relies on honest participation and cannot be used for the initial distribution of tokens.
Ripple Community Remains Divided
Despite Schwartz’s defense, the crypto community remains divided on the issue. Critics point to Ripple’s control over XRP escrow accounts and its ability to influence updates as evidence of centralization. Others argue that Ripple’s involvement contradicts the ethos of decentralization, particularly its historical role in XRPL’s development.
Supporters, however, view XRPL’s consensus model as a robust and efficient alternative to PoW systems. They believe the network’s design ensures decentralization despite Ripple’s role.
The post Is Ripple Blockchain Truly Decentralized? appeared first on Coinchapter.
