How Numbers Protocol Brings Authenticity and Integrity in Digital Content

Written in partnership with Ascend.

The Internet has evolved drastically over the last three decades. Initially used as a medium to search for information, it is now an indispensable part of our everyday life. From banking to groceries, work, and even our health our lives are extremely dependent on the internet. The internet has changed the way people connect globally as well as open the door to many different internet-based businesses to flourish. The present iteration of the internet that is Web2 has countless benefits but it is not without its drawbacks. Security is the biggest concern online, where more than 2 billion photos are copied and violated every day. This is just a number in comparison to the endless amounts of misinformation and censorship that occur on the web.

With the next iteration of the internet on the horizonWeb3 looks to solve many of the pressing issues of Web3 with blockchain technology and a decentralized approach. Numbers Protocol, a Web3-based decentralized photo network, has come forward to close the digital media gap by preserving the integrity of the digital content itself.

Photos and videos created on Web2 are just raw files without any means of authenticating and validating the content. In the event of infringement, these digital assets cannot be traced or verified. Digital content created with Numbers Protocol goes through a three step Capture, Seal, Trace process that results in digital content that functions as a multi-layered container with embedded ownership, content provenance, creator signature and on-chain records. This is important because it makes the digital content itself traceable and verifiable in multiple ways (on-chain records and embedded metadata).

By creating traceable and verifiable content backed by the blockchain and the latest metadata standards, Numbers Protocol is making it possible for authentic digital content to exist on the internet.

To make creating traceable and verifiable digital content accessible to all, Numbers Protocol has developed Capture App, the first blockchain camera app. Capture App functions as the main creation tool of the Numbers Network and equips users with the ability to create traceable and verifiable photos and videos with Capture, Seal, Trace protocol. Additionally, Capture App functions as the bridge to Web3 allowing users to register assets as well as minting and listing NFTs. Numbers Protocol enterprise service, Seal API, gives community developers and businesses the ability to leverage Capture, Seal, Trace to easily register assets to Web3 and generate certificates with on-chain records.

Numbers Protocol technology has proven its worth in news media as well as NFT space. In 2020, Numbers Protocol partnered with Reuters photojournalists in a project called 78 Days to capture and archive photos from the 2020 US election. This case study showcases the effectiveness of Capture, Seal, Trace in creating traceable and verifiable photos with high confidence level.

The NFT is notorious for experiencing high levels of infringement due to lack of regulations in the majority of NFT platforms. CaptureClub is the first NFT marketplace that leverages Capture App and Numbers Protocol technology to create traceable and verifiable NFTs. Considering the amount of loss that creators experience CaptureClub’s emphasis on ensuring NFT have high integrity with substance-based certificates is a welcome sign for a space sorely in need of more integrity.

The road to addressing digital content authenticity is full of challenges and uncertainty, however one certainty is that Numbers Protocol will be a part of it.