Internet of things (IoT)-focused network IOTA took a step closer to being decentralized with the launch of the IOTA 2.0 DevNet without a governing “Coordinator,” a kind of backstop in the existing system needed to prevent concerted malicious attacks. 

The system, announced in a blog post on Wednesday, will test the network’s Tangle protocol, which uses a "directed acyclic graph" or DAG, rather than mining blocks like other chains.

The gradual replacement of the Coordinator with a decentralized system of reputation and incentives is a process the IOTA Foundation says it is discovering as it goes along.

“Leading up to the current release, a number of challenges were solved to allow for the removal of the Coordinator. The new solution is modular, meaning that each protocol component can be independently replaced should new research reveal further optimizations.”

The IOTA Foundation says its tech is used in the enterprise space, across sectors such as automotive and mobility, eHealth, digital identity, smart energy, and supply chain and global trade.

In the past, IOTA has come in for criticism for apparent flaws in the Tangle protocol.