Within the XRP community, a recent wave of speculation suggests that Google may be running an XRP Ledger (XRPL) node. These claims can be traced back to Edo Farina (@edward_farina), the CEO of Alpha Lions Academy and manager of Alpha Husky Club, an NFT project on XRP XRPL.
In a recent post, Farina presented a screenshot detailing a register of computers operating XRPL nodes, containing their XRPL versions and IP addresses.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM💣
Following Microsoft steps, more recently GOOGLE is currently running #XRPL nodes. pic.twitter.com/xtel3clO8g
— EDO FARINA 🅧 XRP (@edward_farina) November 2, 2023
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What caught the community’s attention was the revelation that one of these IP addresses was associated with Google LLC as the Internet Service Provider (ISP), indicating a potential connection. This discovery has fueled curiosity and led to questions about Google’s potential involvement in XRPL.
Edo Farina suggested that Google might have joined Microsoft in running XRPL nodes. It’s worth noting that Microsoft is already active in this space, operating an XRPL validating node through its Azure Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) offering. The mere possibility of Google’s entry into this domain has generated significant speculation.
This speculation was not confined to Farina alone. Other notable figures in the XRP community, such as Amelie (@_crypto_barbie) and WallStreetBulls (@w_thejazz), have alluded to the possibility of a Ripple-Google partnership, with WallStreetBulls if this is the dawn of a new era for XRP in the tech giant realm.
Google and Ripple Are Partners?
We have to approach this news with caution. The association of an IP address with Google LLC doesn’t imply Google itself is running the XRPL node. Several plausible explanations exist:
Cloud Services: The user might be utilizing a hosting service or cloud platform provided by Google. These platforms enable users to deploy virtual machines and applications, which can lead to the association of IP addresses with Google LLC. Someone suggested this as a possibility in reply to Farina.
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VPN or Proxy Usage: It’s also possible that the individual is routing their network traffic through Google servers via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or a proxy. This practice is common for privacy and security reasons, making the IP address appear as if it’s associated with Google.
Data Center Affiliation: The user could be operating the XRPL node from a data center that leases IP addresses from Google LLC or is situated within a facility linked to Google’s infrastructure. Data centers often have IP address ranges associated with their hosting provider.
For a partnership with a company as big as Google, we would expect an announcement like the recent announcement of Ripple’s partnership with Uphold. While the speculation is intriguing, nothing is definitive yet.
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