Truly freaking amazing!!! Whoever thought about this is a genius. I think I have to read through this one more time. Two questions, Do the websites essentially act as nodes?
What happens to the files at the end of the paid storage periods?
Will there be a Grace period or some kind of automatic process that sends the files to a predefined location?
That was 3 questions.
1) Do the websites essentially act as nodes?
The websites turn visitors into nodes (called web nodes), if they consent to it with a small and subtle notice like the cookie notices.
2) What happens to the files at the end of the paid storage periods?
When the Ethereum addresses that are tied with the data run out of PRL, the web nodes will focus on other files that have PRL and not waste time on empty treasure. This means the tangle proof of work will no longer be done, which means the data will eventually start expiring off of the tangle. It is possible it could stay on the tangle for a long time afterwards, but it is not guaranteed and hence not reliable. The smart contract releases the PRL gradually from an address so that a file can be guaranteed for storage on the tangle for the intended amount of time.
3) Will there be a Grace period or some kind of automatic process that sends the files to a predefined location?
If you meant a safety net, then yes there are plans to pay for cloud hosting to keep a separate and centralized copy of the encrypted data during the initial stages of the network. Therefore if something were to go wrong (the technology is new and needs refinement), then nobody loses their data.
