I recently decided to re-read the terms of service for an app I use every day. It took nearly ten minutes before I finally found the section stating that they can share my data with third parties without giving prior notice .
Moments like that make it very clear how the Web2 model works. If you want to use the service, you usually have no choice but to share your personal data with the platform and trust that they won’t misuse it.
From what I understand, Midnight Network is trying to approach this problem differently. Instead of storing all user data on a centralized company server, their goal is to create a system where users have more direct control over their information — deciding what data is revealed, who can access it, and under which circumstances.
The idea is that whatever needs to be verified can still be proven, while sensitive details don’t have to be fully exposed.
Conceptually, this feels like a meaningful improvement. But like many promising ideas in tech, the real challenge will be whether it works smoothly in real applications and everyday usage.