Dive into the full AMA where AesirX unveils their strategies for advancing internet evolution with their pioneering solutions.
During our exclusive AMA session, Torben Kaaber - Head of Business Solutions at Concordium, and AesirX’s Creator and CEO - Ronni K Gothard Christiansen, discuss the evolution of the internet, the challenges faced during the Web2 era, and the promising future of Web3 technology from the Concordium and AesirX Partnership.
About the Guest Speaker
Ronni, also known as “VikingTechGuy”, has been a pioneer since Web1, building websites before anyone else. Moving on to building tools for websites, and now, bridging Web2 with Web3. With a passion for trying to get people to adhere to the rules and regulations of the internet, trying to make an infrastructure that protects people's data with more privacy and better security, and giving people the ability to decide on their data use.
His influential AesirX whitepaper, entitled "Who Stole My Cookies?", metaphorically addresses the pressing issue of data ownership theft and articulates the urgent need for reform in this field.
Ronni begins the AMA by talking about problems we’ve all faced over the last 30 years and how the world wide web has transformed the way we live, work, and interact…
Q1 - Explain what it is you’re trying to do at AesirX in your own words.
90% of Web3 is actually Web2! The same when Web2 came, it was 90% Web1.
We have been using the world wide web for 30 years, we’re now in our third generation, and having to deal with problems that have caused the need to evolve.
With Web1, there was no open source, it lacked collaboration, frameworks, APIs, etc. Over time, things evolved to Web2 and became more complex. GDPR came in, and after 25 years of having the internet, we got to a point where things became so complicated that website and e-commerce site owners were being criminalized.
BigTech corporations have stolen our data - harvesting it in every way they can, to earn money from advertising and behavioral targeting, which is compromising user privacy and raising serious questions about data ownership. Enforcement is still lacking and in the past six months, we see companies starting to get fined for abusing people's data.
We've been in a sort of limbo for the past five years where Web2 has hit its finality because there are certain things we cannot do, like ensure data ownership, we cannot ensure consent is legal and valid. Web2 is a centralized logic, there's no decentralized logic.
But with Web2, what we can do is apply new technology. If we apply decentralized Blockchain technology, specifically Concordium zero knowledge ID or layer one Blockchain together with AesirX technology, then we can actually offer people the key to ownership of their own data, and their own consent in the future.
Q2 - How do you take control of your own data and protect it with AesirX & Concordium solutions?
Almost every business in the world has been using Google Analytics Universal (GAU) which was retired on July 1st because it was basically collecting data illegally for more than a decade.
Although GA4 is a completely different animal, it's not a compliance-free or problem-free solution because it’s still third-party and you're still giving away and sharing data.
AesirX has created an open source, free analytics alternative to GA with first-party data. We actually give you a free first-party server - a decentralized server that you host, where you collect and store the data - protecting the data. So your use of data is not being shared with any third parties of BigTech.
Utilizing Concordium Blockchain, we're incorporating an anonymized, aggregated Web3 ID on top of the world wide web structure. Below the web, we're enabling decentralized first-party data storage, enhancing user control over personal data. On top of the web, our Web3 ID entity aggregates diverse identities, including Concordium's ID. This dual-layered approach resolves multiple online identity and data management issues, ensuring user data is securely and responsibly handled.
We're tackling decentralized consent and data ownership. We implement four tiers of decentralized consent, tailored to the user. If you're using a Concordium Wallet or AesirX WEB3 ID, you'll be asked for varying consent levels. Your provided consent determines your data ownership. Particularly, at the third or fourth tier, while using AesirX WEB3 ID with Concordium Wallet, we access the signing request from your wallet and observe the consent you've given, activating a process on Concordium's blockchain.
By initiating a signing request in their digital wallet, users hold the key to decentralized ownership, effectively gaining control over their consent and, consequently, their personal data.
We enable users to own their data and consent through Web3 ID, presenting a shift from traditional Web2 practices. It offers four tiers of ownership and consent levels whereby you can say what you allow the website to do.
Let's say you have a user coming to your website that doesn't have a Web3 ID or wallet and they don't want to commit to getting one either, they will fall under tier 1 consent. This means giving consent to a single 30-minute session whereby no data is collected, no data is passed to third parties, and it’s fully anonymous. Behavioral information is used for 30 minutes only to make the user’s experience better while they are on that website. So the data only exists for 30 minutes in one context and then it never exists again. And if you say no and reject consent, nothing will be tracked at all.
In the past 10 years, BigTech companies have made money selling your data. These companies now face a problem as their consent model has been declared illegal. Consent can't be obtained to misuse data or share it with third parties. Facebook's advertising based on personal data, for example, is no longer legal, especially in the Eurozone. This change will spread globally.
Under laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act, the CCPA, businesses are legally responsible for any third party they use. For example, if you have Google Analytics, Tik Tok, or any other third party on your website and the data is abused or breached, then you share the legal implications with that third party.
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Q3 - how many do you think are actually living up to the rules today?
Recent reports reveal that 92% of Danish businesses are using Google Analytics illegally, with similar findings in Sweden and Austria. These countries are increasingly banning and fining the misuse of tools like Facebook's pixel trackers.
Browsers, including Firefox and even Google's Chrome, are now defaulting to block third-party trackers. This shift is echoed in global legislation aiming to curtail these invasive technologies.
Like blockchain, data protection and ownership need compliance to mature. We're utilizing tech to solve one of the internet's significant issues: legal compliance, which we address with decentralized solutions. We aim not to own your data, but enable you to own it yourself. This sets the stage for leveraging ID use further.
Q4 - If you own an e-commerce website & wish to implement AesirX, what steps do you need to take? And what happens when they take on your solutions?
If you own an e-commerce website and want to use AesirX, everything you need is open-source and free from GitHub. We offer repositories for AesirX Analytics, AesirX Business Intelligence, etc, and our first-party server. It's all JavaScript, which can be integrated into any web solution today.
For owners of WordPress, Joomla, or WooCommerce sites, we offer one-click 30-second install plugins, making it easy to transition to a free alternative to Google Analytics.
By applying our technology, we are fully supporting everyone on Web2 so that they can make the transition to Web3.
I personally served on Open Source Matters, the board of directors for multiple years and was involved in Joomla for more than a decade, and in general, in open source for the past two decades. As a Dane, I'm likely the individual from Denmark with the most extensive involvement in WordPress and open-source CMS in history.
Our team has extensive experience in open-source communities, believing in the power of collaboration for technological evolution. So, with over a decade of involvement in Joomla and other CMS platforms, we're well-positioned to lead this transition from Web2 to Web3.
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Q5 - As a private user, how does it work with the Web3 ID & using Concordium layer 1? How does it enhance data security?
We've been developing AesirX for a decade to alter the data model, ensuring no personal data is available to abuse.
About 1.5 years ago, we started utilizing Concordium's layer one. Concordium and AesirX don't know your identity; only the national ID provider does, and the data they have is encrypted. This allows us to confirm if you're a resident of a particular country or if you're of a certain age, without compromising your personal data.
For example, with AesirX's Single Sign On feature installed on your WordPress site, and configured to allow only Concordium wallet-based and AesirX WEB3 ID logins, the traditional login procedure is replaced. There's no exchange of personal data, usernames, or passwords. This eliminates the risk of brute force attacks, which are the most common threats on the web.
Brute force attacks involve attackers using common word combinations in hopes of guessing your username and password. When successful, they can steal user data or implement malware. Not because the database server is attacked by anything else, but because the user is attacked because the user login is weak or the way they're handling their security and data is breached.
AesirX solutions significantly reduce this risk, securing your data effectively.
Q6 - So, if you use your solution & it asks you to connect via the wallet, then it's secure?
Yeah, it's a signing request directly based on Concordium zero knowledge protocol, which is world leading. There's not no one even close!
We use the ID part to eliminate personal data involvement, granting access only to the user. Combined with Concordium’s zero-knowledge protocol and Web3 ID technology, this assures the highest level of login security.
AesirX WEB3 ID accommodates Web2 users as well. You can be a Web2 user to start with and you don't need a wallet. Even without a wallet, AesirX WEB3 ID users benefit from web-based tokens and public-private key replacement for insecure Web1 or Web2 practices.
So we allow anyone to come in and start. That's also why we have the four tiers of consent and the same goes for the log in - to accommodate all users, including those without a wallet. As more users acquire wallets, we're progressing towards mass market adoption.
If you're a site owner, our solution can eliminate brute force attacks in just 30 seconds. It's open-source, free, and all you need to do is register your Concordium Wallet.
Q7 - Explain the key features of AesirX WEB3 ID decentralized identity.
AesirX centers on behavior and experience data, not personal data. By observing user behavior, like color preference when shopping, we personalize the experience without exploiting personal data.
For example, you don't actually need to know if the user is male or female, how old they are, or what religion they have. All of this data is really not relevant when you can see behavior data. Like if you go into a shop to buy shoes and you consistently click the black shoes. We can see you have a preference for black shoes, so why shouldn't you just be shown black shoes? That would be more important or meaningful for your user’s experience.
The AesirX solution framework - AesirX WEB3 ID, AesirX Analytics, and AesirX Single Sign On - creates a decentralized architecture that controls access to any asset.
Also, our Product Information Management (PIM) system offers full NFT support and we're integrating provenance tags so that you can even put a physical tag together on your physical products. Then, when you use our PIM system, where you get access to using the Web3 ID, the NFTs and the Single Sign On, you can control who you are and who you're giving access to the NFTs.
But it's based on their decentralized ownership. It's based on the ID, not on an email and a username that someone can steal and take over.
It also means that people are verified. Let’s say you add AesirX technology to your Social Media or you put it in your WordPress website, we can basically confirm that only verified people are able to post. So there will be no fake posters, there will be no robots.
There are of course two parties in this, the e-commerce site that will uphold the law, and then there is the user. And as an e-commerce site, you will be able to use the data but only for yourself. Not for third parties, mitigating legal risks.
When you visit a new website, yet see ads related to previous searches, this is all about your personal data being sent out to third parties. But all these data-sharing practices have been declared illegal and are fading out.
AesirX Single Sign On will also include age and residency check options, assisting in safeguarding minors online and managing access based on geographical location. The system is open-source and aims to protect user privacy, especially children's, with further features to this end being released soon.
For instance, if you run a website that doesn't allow anyone under 18 or 21, you can install and apply the AesirX and Concordium solutions to block underage users or users who are not in a specific record in a specific country.
These features will be available to download for free as open source from 1st September.
Q8 - How do the age restrictions for kids work, specifically?
One of the biggest problems right now is that we don't actually have any ID systems for Children. Focusing on Europe initially, in some countries there's an ID system, some there is not.
With the Concordium Web3 ID feature, we are creating ID signing for Children, but indirectly through their parents. So the parents come into Web3 ID and they create their own verified accounts, then are able to create a Web3 ID Children’s Pass. The indirect proof of their child gives the child a means to go out and use that practically on any website that is using our technology to basically be fully compliant in the way children get access to data.
But we are adding much more to it down the road and we have a lot more coming, focused on how to protect people even more online. Part of what we do in the analytics and a decentralized consent model is we call it the shield of privacy! Thor had a hammer and I have a shield of privacy, so I'm using the shield of privacy to protect everyone online. That's the goal.
So, if you use your AesirX WEB3 ID, where you can, you can be sure of your data, you can also use it for your kids, which I think will be a huge thing they are already talking about in the EU.
Q9 - How does that tie in with other humanitarian goals?
We’re not trying to replace or monopolize the World Wide Web but to improve it. We're creating an open, free infrastructure that's accessible and extendable for everyone. There are no silos in our approach to web evolution - we're not aiming to create a new 'Web.' We simply believe in the continuous evolution of the World Wide Web to better serve the people using it and meet the ever-evolving challenges we face. The current stage of this evolution is Web3, and in time, we will progress further as we continue to utilize technology in smarter ways to resolve existing and future problems.
Q10 - Tell us more about the adoption of AesirX, & some of the key numbers.
we started releasing software solutions and have now released 10 different basic Web2 software solutions for businesses to apply Marketing Technology. For example, Digital Marketing Automation, Product Information Management, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Single Sign On, etc. We have a full AesirX Business Suite that's already live and downloadable.
Initially, users are not charged because we are trying to make sure that everyone has access to compliant technology. So the past year we've just been releasing software, giving it away for free, and then evolving it and adding Web3 technology.
In parallel a few months ago, we released our Web3 ID and more recently, our WEB3 NFTs. We also just updated our dApp which will see more improvements in the next two weeks.
Our official market launch only started two days ago, in mid-July. We're now getting our solution out there, and already seeing promising initial traction. We're excited to see what the future brings as we continue our work.
Q11 - What have you done so far with AesirX WEB3 ID sign ups and NFT minting?
We've designed AesirX WEB3 ID to mint an NFT every time someone signs up. We're currently running a campaign on the AesirX website to give away a free AesirX WEB3 NFT to the first 2500 users. We're nearing 500 users and we've had organic growth since we haven't promoted it yet. The next 2000 users will receive $CCD and $AesirX to mint their IDs.
We're leveraging this program to test our app. The decentralized consent model with four tiers is already out. In a few weeks, we'll release the revoke feature where you say, no, you cannot use my data any longer, and also the reclaim consent feature. By mid-August, we expect to finalize the base functionalities.
When you log into our website with your Concordium Wallet, you're prompted with the four-tier consent model. Once in the dApp, you can stake $AESIRX token; 40% of the 1 million $AESIRX for staking has been claimed. You can also invite friends and family to create their free AesirX WEB3 ID and protect their privacy.
In the future, a website with an AesirX agreement will know only your wallet ID, preserving your privacy unless you consent otherwise. AesirX WEB3 ID is also an onboarding platform to WEB3 and Blockchain. So even if you don't own a wallet yet, you can still be an AesirX WEB3 ID user because we aggregate other IDs. You can log in using conventional methods, like Facebook, and gradually transition to a more secure web experience.
But we've been very careful to design the onboarding and use experience so that everyone is included. So you don't have to have a wallet to get started with AesirX WEB3 ID.
We believe we're ahead in the market with this inclusive approach, especially given that 400 million people already possess a wallet for decentralized ownership of consent and data.
Our software solutions are fully developed and market-ready. For instance, AesirX WEB3 ID NFT owners can now access our free Digital Marketing Automation tool. So if you're using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or whatever, just go to our AesirX WEB3 ID - log in and you have digital marketing automation forever.
We're also adding social media verification with Concordium and AesirX WEB3 ID to ensure real-person accountability in posts. So the entire world can see that you're a real person and no fakes are going on here and there are no robots or anything else involved.
While other blockchains are starting to work with zero knowledge, we already have it. Concordium and AesirX WEB3 ID are available for download and one-click install. This positions us about a year and a half ahead of the market. We really have an interesting vantage point here and now we are out as well, and everything is moving. We anticipate rapid growth in the Concordium ecosystem in the coming months.
Q12 - Elaborate on the $AESIRX token, target markets for AesirX solutions, & the projected impact on Concordium's transactions & user base.
We're launching our token in Q4 on Concordium. We're developing the entire app first and only releasing the token when everything is functioning perfectly.
However, if you currently buy our $1000 Enterprise WEB3 ID, you automatically become a community seed investor and get 10,000 $AESIRX tokens, usable for purchasing AesirX software. Needless to say, you get them at 10 cents per token, but you can buy your software at 50 cents per token, so in that sense, you are getting it 500% cheaper or you're earning 500% more than reselling it.
We don't release the final token until everything is done and working in 100% market fit. Our model is different because it's a partner channel. We're a software company selling software. We have an affiliate program offering 25% of software sales to the affiliate and a share-to-earn program allowing an additional 10%. Essentially, 35% of all the license sales are actually being fueled into the community.
Our community, composed of early supporters and investors, helps spread AesirX technology worldwide. We've built a modern partner software channel in contrast to companies like Microsoft who use outdated models and are yet to leverage open source. (Microsoft tends to only buy up open source companies now because they found out that all true inventions come from open source.)
That's sort of the funny thing because AesirX WEB3 ID is not an ID per se, we're the only Web3 ID that's not an ID. To clarify, AesirX WEB3 ID is an aggregator. We collect other IDs to improve user experiences on the web. We're utilizing Concordium to address problems web users face.
We are open source developers and for three decades, we have worked in this industry, fixing people's problems by applying technology. And now we're doing it again.
Thanks everyone for participating in this AMA. See you next time.
