Guest blog from Gordon Povey CEO & Founder at Kin
Kin is a Web3 ad-free search engine built around community, transparency, and privacy. The prototype has been operational for over a year and on 1 May 2023 we launched the Kin beta https://searchkin.com.
Our aim is to be a disruptor and so we are highly differentiated from incumbent search engines like Google.
We are building a community of users that believe in Web3 principles. We use blockchain and a smart contract for transparency. We will use multiparty computation (MPC) technology to ensure maximum privacy for users at all times.
We have thrown out the traditional advertising business model where the user is the product to be sold to advertisers. Instead, we become a broker of both information and also online products.
So metaphorically, if you want to go to the library for information, we become your personal librarian and try to find exactly what you are looking for without trying to sell you anything or distract you along the way. Then, if you do want to go to the shopping mall (metaphorically) to buy something, we are like your personal shopper trying to find exactly what you want and can even uncover local or artisan products that are usually difficult to find online.
We generate revenue as a broker only when we find what you really want. By taking this approach, we find information that is less skewed by large commercial SEO budgets, and we can discover online products that are often hidden by advertising and brand dominance.
We knew we needed to work with a Layer 1 blockchain so that we could mint our own tokens. We also knew that we needed a secure way to process user data while maintaining complete privacy. The fact that Partisia Blockchain was offering not just a blockchain, but also MPC capabilities made it a front runner.
We have just launched the Kin beta. The organic search (for web, news, images and videos) is working extremely well. We believe it provides better results than the incumbent search engines (try it for yourself and compare our results to other search engines).
We still have work to do on the shopping searches, which are limited and UK-centric at present. We will also be turning on the user rewards system very soon. To fund future developments, we are opening another token pre-sale, which will allow early supporters of our project to buy tokens at a discounted price. The funds will be used for the product launch and marketing, and for ongoing developments such as the implementation of our community-based training (using xAI methods) which is included in a patent we recently had granted.
Learn more about us: Search engine, Website, Email, Telegram, Twitter, LinkedIn
Most may not know, but generating random numbers is hard. It is quite surprising because many people will think, “well, I can just come up with a random number off the top of my head!” However, randomly coming up with a number in your head, as well as other solutions to generate random numbers has fundamental flaws. And this is a big problem. Generating a fair unbiased random number is critical. In fact, random number generators are used everywhere.
The first place many would think of random numbers being useful is in games of chance. But would you be surprised if you knew that reading this article required the use of a random number generator? The website hosting this article is protected by a cryptographic key, which relies on generating a random set of values to be used for the encryption key.
Generating numbers at random is difficult. At a high level, there are two main issues with generating random numbers: predictability and bias/corruption issues.
The predictability issue for RNG can be seen in both human- and machine-generated random numbers. For example, there is a famous problem called Benford’s Law that states any random number that someone thinks about has a 30% chance of starting with the number 1. When you want to have a chance of a number being generated to be equal in percentage, then this becomes a problem. If you use a computer program to generate random numbers, you are using a structured code. This means, after multiple iterations, someone can reverse engineer the numbers to find the pattern and predict what the next number could be, especially if the code being used is weak.
From a bias and corruption perspective, the current systems can also be gamed to give favor to someone. For instance, if a set group of people decide they will choose random numbers and run through some function to compute a random number, one person may withhold showing their number until they see what the other people have chosen. Then, once he knows the numbers of the other participants, he can choose a number that would compute the random number to his favor. From a machine generated random numbers, since most systems have a central system that is generating the numbers, anyone who has control of that system could also manipulate the numbers being generated to their favor.
So how can we create a system where it is both unpredictable and bias free? Through MPC and Partisia Blockchain, we can solve both problems. Through smart contracts, players in the system generate a random number. This random number is then privatized and sent into the PBC blockchain. A zero-knowledge computation is done, in a similar way as done through secret sharing and through a computation, a random number is revealed.
Through combining multiple players and secret sharing, developers can create a system to come up with a random number that is free from bias, incorruptible and impossible to predict. And Partisia Blockchain’s smart contract language will afford developers to customize this solution to their specific requirements.
By creating a programming language that allows for developers to use MPC in a generic way, Partisia Blockchain Foundation has made the creation of applications that can harness the power of MPC for different use cases a possibility. Partisia has been at the forefront of providing private MPC solutions since 2008. And by layering this technology on top of an interoperable and scalable blockchain, Partisia Blockchain is now paving the way for anyone to create solutions that can balance privacy and transparency to build trust.
To learn more about different use cases or partner with us for solutions, please visit partisiablockchain.com, check out our Medium articles, development documentations or email us at build@partisiablockchain.com.
In April 2023, Partisia Blockchain had an eventful month with exciting updates and developments. We welcomed Bakyt Azimkanov as the new Head of Communications, signaling a commitment to expanding its reach and global presence. The Spotlight Solutions campaign continued to showcase our MPC technology capabilities in enhancing security and trust in the blockchain industry. Partisia Hivemind Huddles was launched, providing a space for the community and team to discuss a variety of topics and encourage collaboration. And we distributed the third quarter staking rewards. Finally, we also shared several tech updates, including the launch of the ETH price oracle on testnet and the enabling of multiple inputs in an MPC contract, among other updates.
Last month, we were thrilled to share some exciting organizational highlights. Partisia Blockchain Foundation recently welcomed Bakyt Azimkanov as our new Head of Communications, marking a significant addition to our leadership team. Bakyt is an accomplished professional with years of experience in strategic communications, branding, and press outreach programs across blockchain, financial services, and technology. Before joining us, he served as the Head of Communications at the Cardano Foundation. In his new role, he will oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive communication strategy aimed at increasing awareness and driving adoption of our blockchain technology with cutting-edge multiparty computation capabilities.
We were delighted to have Bakyt, along with another excellent addition to Tiago Serôdio, Head of Community, attend Consensus 2023 in Austin, Texas, to represent Partisia Blockchain. Our team was thrilled to meet new and old friends in the community and engage in fruitful discussions about the future of blockchain technology. We had a great time networking and learning about the latest trends and innovations in the industry and were delighted to see so much enthusiasm for our MPC blockchain technology. If you missed us at the event, please reach out to us and let’s connect. We look forward to seeing you at the next blockchain event.
Throughout April, we continued to highlight our Solutions Spotlight campaign, including Secret Surveys, Preventing Front Running, Privatized Settlement Layers, and Data Sharing showcasing how Partisia Blockchain’s MPC technology can enhance security and trust in the blockchain industry. Our Head of Community, Tiago Serôdio, and Head of Developer Relations, Bruce Ahn, led a series of Spotlight AMAs and Q&As to educate our community on how our MPC technology can solve real world problems.
Last month, we were thrilled to launch Partisia Hivemind Huddles! Our inaugural monthly Hivemind Huddle took place on Friday, 21 April 2023, providing a space for our community and team to come together and discuss a variety of topics, while encouraging everyone to participate with their ideas and thoughts. This informal and welcoming forum is designed to promote open communication and collaboration. For the first session, we focused on answering recent questions from our community through an AMA format. For those who could not attend, we will hold a second session that will recap the first session and address any follow-up questions. Stay tuned for updates on the next Hivemind Huddle, and mark your calendars to join us for lively discussions and brainstorming sessions.
Our ecosystem is growing! Our partners have been working hard and making progress building on our chain. Our sales team also has been busy and are working through more than 40 new leads and prospects. We have also seen higher interest in our blockchain and, as a result, have received multiple pitch ideas and we are busy working to get them onboarded and begin development. Please be on the lookout for our ecosystem spotlight in May for more details.
Third quarter rewards distributed. We have distributed our bootstrapping rewards for the third distribution quarter (December 2022 — February 2023). This is also our first distribution for our community stakers and more than 650,000 MPC tokens were distributed. Even better, we expect our next quarter rewards to be over one million! So, if you have not staked your tokens, please read this guide and put your tokens to work.
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