The centralized internet faces criticism for the spread of biased, fake, manipulated, AI-generated, and censored content, undermining a free and open web. However, the rise of the decentralized concept is challenging this centralized internet. The decentralized approach can mitigate centralized issues by distributing control and ownership among users rather than single central authorities. This model promotes transparency, reduces the risk of censorship, and enhances the authenticity of content. The Numbers Protocol embodies these decentralized internet features, ensuring digital media’s authenticity and integrity.

The Numbers Protocol offers a solution by using blockchain technology to ensure the authenticity and integrity of digital media. Through tools like the Capture app and Verify Engine API, it creates a tamper-proof record of media provenance. This decentralized approach enhances transparency and trust by enabling users to verify the authenticity of content and combat manipulation and censorship.

What is the Numbers Protocol?

The Numbers Protocol is a digital content verification platform for AI-driven companies. It is an open and decentralized protocol designed to ensure provenance for all types of creative works created by humans & AI with the help of blockchain technology. The protocol creates the immutable origin of digital content and tracks changes between the origin and the last modification, allowing for collaboration and management. It provides a low-cost digital provenance infrastructure and decentralized storage to increase trust in digital content and enable content monetization.

The protocol helps to build user-owned and user-controlled content datasets through the “assetization process” with proper consent and registered digital content that AI models can use. The Number Protocol uses NUM tokens to establish trust and authenticity in digital media through immutable records securely housed on the blockchain. The protocol not only improves the traceability of content but also increases its accessibility, which allows for easier monetization through non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Background

Source: protocol.ai

Numbers Protocol is a Taiwan-based company founded in 2019 that focuses on digital provenance using blockchain technology to ensure the authenticity and traceability of online media. The use cases include Reuters coverage of the 2020 US Presidential election, climate-change photo collections, cataloging and supporting artists and creators to monetize their creative work with better controls. It completed a major milestone when it launched its native token, called the NUM token, in 2021, followed by the mainnet in December 2022, and became the first blockchain dedicated to ensuring the provenance of digital media. The tokens help the mainnet secure initial funding and also enable the creation of a DAO for the future management of the network.

The team is global, with members in London, LA, Dubai, and Asia. They prioritize security, sustainability, and inclusivity and are ISO 27001 certified and members of C2PA. Key figures are Bofu Chen (founder and CTO), Tammy Yang (founder and CPO), Sofia Yan (co-founder and CGO), and Vincent Ho (chief scientist). They also have notable advisors like Phil Chen, Steve Chen, and Kevin Lin.

Features of Numbers Protocol

Capture App

The Capture app is the first blockchain camera on mobile for media verification, copyright protection, and monetization. The app guarantees authenticity and origin verification of media, combating AI-generated deep fake media by using decentralized storage, C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) standards, and the ERC-7053 technology. It includes tools like the Capture Cam for registering photos and videos, the Capture Dashboard for creating and monetizing content provenance, and the Capture SDK for integrating these capabilities into other platforms.

Capture SDK

The Capture SDK API integrates C2PA and blockchain into applications to label AI-generated content or enhance protections for human creativity efficiently. The SDK allows users to register content provenance, download C2PA standards, mint NFTs, and commit content histories, ensuring robust interoperability, transparency, and trust in a fragmented content ecosystem.

Capture Eye

Capture Eye is a simple, integrable widget for users’ websites that unlocks new revenue streams and allows visitors to verify content provenance with ease. By incorporating this tool, users can provide a seamless experience where visitors can quickly and effortlessly check the authenticity and origins of digital content, enhancing trust and engagement.

Capture Cam

Capture Camera is a secure blockchain camera technology designed to capture, sign, and seal critical details in every photo or video, including date, time, location, and the true pixels captured. Capture Camera allows users to take images and videos with content credentials that can be easily verified, ensuring authenticity and trust in digital content.

Capture Dashboard

Capture Dashboard is a free-to-use online platform designed for creating content provenance with ease. It features a Showcase option, perfect for individuals and small teams aiming to publish and monetize their work. This not only helps in tracking users’ creations but also aids in protecting users’ work against unauthorized use.

C2PA Signing

Users can integrate C2PA Content Credentials across websites, platforms, or mobile devices without disrupting workflows. The solution allows for effortless implementation, ensuring that content authenticity and provenance are maintained at scale.

Seal API

The Seal API is powered by AI technology to verify the authenticity and integrity of digital media files. It allows developers to search for and verify digital assets and NFTs. The API offers functionalities like locating precise matches or similar assets, retrieving content information, checking NFT history, and ensuring authenticity across supported blockchains. It requires a capture token for authorization and provides detailed search results, including asset identifiers and similarity distances.

Trace Verify

Trace is a tool of the Numbers Protocol for reading media injection and on-chain history. It provides a basic chronological view of media so that readers can easily access the original information about media, such as who created it and when. For images and videos with proper creator signatures, Trace Site also helps users claim copyright for the media they create.

How does the Numbers Protocol Work?

The Numbers Protocol secures digital media through blockchain technology, which involves numerous processes and starts with assetization. Assetization is the process of turning digital media files into Web3 assets, making digital media more valuable, verifiable, and tradeable.

After assetization, metadata, such as description, creator information, origin, and digital signatures, is added to the media to prove the file’s authenticity. The file must be registered on a supported blockchain, which can be done by uploading the files using the API or Capture App provided by the Numbers Protocol. Once registration is done, a number ID (Nid) will be generated on the blockchain.

The monitoring engine powered by AI tracks all the registered files on the blockchain. This AI engine endlessly scans Web3 space for invalid use of registered assets. Moreover, asset creators can change how media assets can be utilized within the Web3 ecosystem. To track down subsequent changes in the registered assets, a “Commit” is created. In the Numbers Protocol, “Commits” serve as a mechanism for tracking the evolution of a digital asset throughout its lifecycle, making it easy to trace the history of the asset and ensure its integrity and provenance.

ERC-7053 Token

ERC-7053 is an Ethereum standard proposed for creating and managing Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) with advanced metadata capabilities. It was created upon existing NFT standards like ERC-721 and ERC-1155 to enhance the functionalities for managing metadata of digital media such as photos, videos, and music. ERC-7052 works as a universal indexing method to record, discover, and retrieve the history of digital media on EVM-compatible blockchains, which is crucial for various applications such as gaming, digital art, and other digital assets.

What is a NUM token?

NUM is a native token of the Numbers Protocol built on the Numbers, Ethereum, and BNB blockchains. After 2023, NUM is initially minted from the Numbers Blockchain and bridged to Ethereum. A bridge supported by Chainport can further bridge the ERC20 NUM tokens to the BNB chain. It is a utility token whose primary goal is to incentivize users to archive and verify content with good integrity. Initially launched as a permissioned PoS, it migrated to a permissionless PoS with delegation support after the DAO meeting. After this implementation, NUM tokens can be delegated to validators securing the Numbers Mainnet, utilizing delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS). This enables any NUM token holder to help secure the blockchain.

NUM Utility

The NUM token in the Numbers Protocol ecosystem serves multiple functions:

Governance

The decentralized community is the main feature of the Numbers Protocol. To make the community transparent, the protocol allows users to stake their tokens to become members of the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). NUM token in the Numbers Protocol ecosystem allows token holders to participate in decision-making processes. This includes voting on protocol updates, changes, and key development directions. By holding and staking NUM tokens, users can influence the evolution of the protocol

Delegated proof of stake

Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) is a consensus mechanism used by blockchain networks to ensure security and validate transactions. NUM holders can use this mechanism to vote or vote out witnesses or validators who are securing the Numbers Mainnet. This mechanism aims to improve scalability and efficiency compared to traditional Proof of Stake (PoS) and Proof of Work (PoW) systems.

Payment

NUM can be used as a currency within the Numbers Protocol ecosystem. Developers and users can utilize NUM as payment tokens for accessing ecosystem apps. This ensures seamless transactions and fosters an ecosystem where innovation is continuously incentivized.

Content Verification

Content verification is one of the core features of the Numbers Protocol and helps increase the authenticity of the media. The Numbers Protocol empowers users to stake NUM tokens and allows them to act as content verifiers. This verification is done by profession, reputation and contributions that confirm the truthfulness of content, minimizing the chances of misinformation. The content verifiers can earn rewards for accurate verifications.

Content Accessibility

In digital media storage, there is an inherent need for creators, and the Numbers Protocol provides a solution for this need. Users can offer their excess storage capacities to the Numbers users, serving as decentralized storage nodes supported by IPFS and Filecoin. In return for providing this valuable resource, they are compensated with NUM tokens.

Tokenomics

The NUM token in Numbers Protocol includes its use for transaction fees within the ecosystem, providing rewards and incentives to users for participating in the network, and enabling governance through voting. Additionally, NUM tokens can be staked to support network security and earn rewards. The total supply and distribution of NUM tokens are designed to ensure sustainability, with allocations for community rewards, development, and operational expenses.

Token allocation

Roadmap

The Numbers Protocol outlines a comprehensive plan for enhancing its technology and expanding its ecosystem. The roadmap illustrates Numbers Protocol’s ongoing commitment to improving its technology, expanding its market presence, and integrating with emerging technologies like AI. The roadmap is as follows:

How do I Buy NUM Tokens?

• Go to Gate.io Exchange and create an account by entering your email ID and password.
• Set up your fund password by entering settings; this password will be asked during fund withdrawal.
• To buy NUM tokens, you must complete KYC with the proper documents.
• After KYC, go to Spot Trade, search for NUM, and select.
• After opening the new page, fill in the amount in NUM or USDT you want to buy, and click the buy button.
• After a successful buy, go to the Wallet > Withdraw page.
• Here, select NUM, and then enter the wallet address.
• It will ask you for your fund password, 2FA, and email code; enter them correctly and submit.
• Your NUM will arrive in your wallet after a few confirmations.

Conclusion

By leveraging Numbers Protocol, users and businesses can protect the provenance of their creative work, ensuring its authenticity and integrity. Additionally, they can grant licenses to control whether third parties can use their creative work, providing a user-controlled digital environment for managing and safeguarding digital content in a transparent and secure manner.