The performance of Kite in privacy protection actually needs to be discussed in comparison with Worldcoin. The Worldcoin 'Orb' iris scanner has caused quite a stir in the community over the past two years. Many people see it as a breakthrough in new technology, while others directly criticize it as resembling scenes from dystopian movies, as you have to hand over your most private personal information to a central database for storage. Just think about it, once this biometric data is lost or stolen by someone who shouldn't have access to it, the impact is not as simple as just getting a new ID card; the troubles caused by such a leak can last a lifetime and are truly an irreversible disaster.
Kite takes a completely different approach. When developing this ecosystem, the team did not intend to collect highly sensitive data, nor would they allow any company to store everyone’s identification. Kite focuses on decentralized identity and selective disclosure principles; in simple terms, you can prove what qualifications you possess, such as reaching the legal age or holding a certain digital asset, but without exposing who you really are. This approach has relieved many security-focused friends because they have seen too many stories of 'aggregating under the name of security, ultimately becoming security vulnerabilities.'
In specific product design, Kite relies on several key 'hard skills'. The first is Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP). This concept is quite cool; for example, when you go to a nightclub to prove you are an adult, you don't actually need to show your ID, you just need to prove to the doorman that 'I am indeed over 18', without revealing your birthday or name. This way, even if data leaks occur, bad actors can only know that you have this qualification, but they won't know your detailed identity, significantly reducing the risk. Compared to Worldcoin's model of centralized management followed by a promise to 'help you delete', Kite's solution is inherently more secure.
Another impressive aspect is the distributed storage of data. Unlike traditional platforms that throw everyone's private information into the same large warehouse, Kite utilizes decentralized storage methods. It's like putting your house keys into several safes; only you can piece them all together, while others, even if they hold part of it, cannot form complete information. This approach makes it unrealistic for third parties to sell your data or analyze it, effectively cutting off the potential for backend black markets and abuse.
Additionally, sometimes we need to have frequent small interactions on-chain, such as various small transfers, likes, votes, etc. At this point, Kite will also implement state channels or off-chain computation technology, allowing a large number of operations to be completed off the main chain, with only the final results written back to the blockchain. If everything is publicly written on-chain, the collection of everyone's operation logs would be quite terrifying. Using this mechanism means that your behavioral trajectory is hidden deeper, making it difficult for others to trace back on the blockchain to analyze what you did every day.
But to be honest, Web3 related applications are quickly moving toward the public, and the complexity of the systems is increasing accordingly. Although Kite has surpassed the industry average in underlying architecture and privacy concepts, for some ordinary users, the process of getting started and understanding still poses significant barriers; not everyone will be able to use it or have the accompanying protective measures immediately. Coupled with a more decentralized system, it also relies on the developer community to continuously monitor the implementation code; any omissions could become 'gaps' that are subject to attacks or leaks, and no one can guarantee 100% absolute safety without incidents.
Over the years, privacy protection has been a recurring tug-of-war topic between Web2 and Web3, just like a friend of mine who has been in security for over twenty years after leaving an internet company. His feedback to me is that while Kite has aspirations, simply stating 'decentralization, anonymity' is far from sufficient; only by truly allowing users to have full control over their data and having technical backbones updated regularly can it be reliable. Ultimately, there is no so-called ultimate solution now; everyone is building and patching on this online castle, and even if something happens one day, it is essentially a stress test—remembering where the weaknesses are and timely reinforcing them.
After reading this, I would really like to hear everyone’s thoughts, especially from those who have used Worldcoin or have a deeper understanding of Kite's infrastructure. In the next phase of privacy protection, are there any other small details worth pondering and improving?
