New Year, New Internet: Verifiable Web Unveiled

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from CryptoPragmatist!

How is the market looking as we enter 2025? Well, Bitcoin is still trending below $100,000 despite a minor recovery. 

Meanwhile, the overall marketcap has remained above $3.5T. When and if BTC reclaims $100k is definitely going to be one of the most intriguing narratives next year. 

However, we are also looking at interesting Web3 use cases, such as verifiable web.

What is Verifiable Web?

Think of verifiable web as a new way of thinking about the internet. It is a trustless environment where everything can be proven with cryptography. Imagine how important that will be, especially in an era of online scams and fake news. Instead of trusting a middleman to do the right thing, users can verify it for themselves.

Today’s internet relies on centralized systems to handle everything—from storing data to processing information and managing connections. While this system works, it has big problems:

• Too Much Control: Companies can change how their apps work whenever they want. For example, a social media company can quietly change the algorithm that decides what you see.

• No Real Guarantees: Your data can be censored, altered, or even sold without your knowledge or consent. You have to trust that these companies will act fairly, but there’s no way to be sure.

• Lack of Transparency: Users don’t know how decisions are made or whether their data is being handled properly. If things go wrong, it’s hard and expensive to fight back.

These issues affect everything, from the news we see to financial transactions, healthcare records, and even how elections are managed. The internet has become critical to modern life, so fixing this is essential.

How Does the Verifiable Web Work?

Verifiable web adds a layer of cryptographic proof to the current internet. This ensures that: 

• Untampered data: The information you receive or share is secure and unaltered.

• Always accessible: No single company or authority can block you from accessing information or services.

• Transparency: Apps and websites work exactly as they claim, with no hidden changes.

• Provenance: You can verify where data comes from and how it was created.

• Privacy: Your sensitive data is protected from misuse.

Let’s take an example. One key technology in the verifiable web is web proofs, also called “zkTLS” (combining zero-knowledge proofs with TLS encryption). It allows you to cryptographically prove that the data exchanged over HTTPS is authentic. Imagine having a digital receipt that confirms your interaction with a website or app was genuine and untampered.

Verifiable Web Use Cases

Verifiable web unlocks a broad range use cases. Here are some of the major ones.

Expanding Airdrop Eligibility

Web proofs allow projects to extend airdrop criteria beyond onchain activity. By verifying offchain behaviors, such as Spotify listening habits or Amazon purchases, projects can target a larger audience, including non-crypto users, and distribute tokens to real participants rather than Sybil attackers.

Onchain Credit Scores

It enables secure and private verification of offchain credit data (e.g., FICO scores or payment histories). Combined with onchain credit behavior, they can power hybrid credit scores for DeFi, opening new opportunities for personalized lending, dynamic collateral requirements, and efficient capital use.

Data Portability

Verifiable Web can solve the “cold start problem” by enabling users to transfer verified data (e.g., Uber ratings or Amazon purchase history) between platforms. This reduces friction for platform switching and empowers users to bring their reputations, networks, and activity history to new services.

Automating Verification

Manual verification processes, like checking resumes or influencer engagement, can be automated with web proofs. For example, companies can use web proofs to verify job applicants’ credentials or confirm the authenticity of influencers’ achievements, streamlining operations and reducing fraud.

Data Monetization

Web proofs let users control, verify, and monetize their private data. Users can sell verified data to AI training datasets or pay for services with data instead of money. This creates a win-win scenario where users earn from their data while companies gain high-quality inputs.

Combatting Fake Reviews and Bots

Web proofs help platforms ensure authenticity by verifying that reviewers have genuinely used a product or service. Similarly, they can be used to verify real users on social platforms, reducing bot activity and improving trustworthiness.

Dynamic Pricing Models

E-commerce and DeFi platforms can offer personalized discounts and access based on verified user data, such as spending habits or transaction volumes. This allows businesses to reward loyalty and target high-value users effectively.

Lemniscap’s comprehensive “Verifiable Web” guide highlights a wide range of transformative use cases under the following categories:

• Credentials

• Data Integrity

• Data Portability

• Data Assets

Don’t miss your chance to explore how this innovation is reshaping the internet.

Why This Matters for Everyone

The internet affects almost every part of modern life, from managing money to accessing information and services. Verifiable Web ensures these interactions are secure, fair, and trustworthy. It shifts the power from centralized companies to the users, giving people control over their data and how it’s used.

Get a more detailed analysis of how Verifiable Web builds a stronger, more reliable internet for everyone.