Since I was young, I have held one firm belief: if you take my things without asking, that is stealing.
When I was a child, my deskmate took my eraser without my permission, and we ended up fighting. Now that I’m grown up, I’ve realized that the world has changed. Those big companies, those apps, they take my things without even saying a word, and I still have to thank them with a smile for providing me with 'free services.' What do you call this?
I remember very clearly that once I discussed with my wife about enrolling our daughter in a piano class. We whispered a few words under the covers at night. The next day, I opened my phone, and the homepage of that shopping app was filled with children’s pianos and music theory books. My scalp tingled at that moment; is this thing eavesdropping on me? My wife laughed at me, saying I was overthinking it; this is big data. Big data? What right does big data have to use my private conversation in bed to make money? What’s the difference between this and eavesdropping?
Later, I came into contact with blockchain, and I thought I had found a savior. But I found out that some blockchains are even worse. Their ledgers are public; anyone can see them. Do you think you can change your alias and no one will recognize you? Naive! Those who do data analysis can pull you out of the crowd in no time based on your trading habits, transfer times, and transaction amounts. This is not called privacy protection; this is called 'public execution'.
At that time, I felt a bit discouraged. Is it really that difficult to have some privacy in this era?
Until I saw the gameplay of @MidnightNetwork , I didn't think there was any hope for this matter. The 'zero-knowledge proof' they created, I studied for several days and finally understood it in a way that my elementary school diploma could grasp.
What is zero-knowledge proof? Let's say you are a big boss, and you want to prove to someone 'I have money', but you don't want others to see how many digits are in your bank account. Normally, you would have to take out your bank card, show the balance, and everyone would go 'wow', you proved it, but the secret is gone. But how does @MidnightNetwork do it? It lets you go to the bank to get a certificate that just says: 'This person's assets meet the standard.' As for whether you have 100 million or 1 million? No one knows. You proved you have money, but your money is still a secret.
This logic is amazing! It separates 'proof' from 'truth'.
This brings us tremendous benefits. You can participate in various applications using $NIGHT , and you don't have to worry about being 'doxxed'. You can proudly display your credit and your qualifications, but your most core asset, your trump card, is always locked in your safe. This is called 'low-key luxury'; I have the strength, but I won’t show it to you.
Moreover, @MidnightNetwork 's smartest point is that it hasn't turned itself into a cold, hard tool only for trading coins. It’s more like a 'privacy foundation'. Whether you want to write a diary on the chain, sign a business contract with someone, or just want to save some pocket money, it can provide you with an absolutely secure environment. In this environment, the code is the law, and this law also comes with a 'confidentiality clause'.
I now particularly love to promote #night to the people around me. I tell them, don't be a transparent person in the digital age anymore. In the past, we had no choice; we either gave up privacy for convenience or kept our privacy and lived like cavemen. But now with $NIGHT , and @MidnightNetwork , we can finally straighten our backs and say: My data is my own, and you can't touch my privacy! This is not just technology; this is the dignity that we ordinary people should have.